Hotel del Coronado

I have had the good fortune to visit San Diego more than a handful of times (for business, and one of my darling sisters happens to live there), and as much as there is to see and do, I can’t go without spending some time at the storied Hotel del Coronado. While I’ve never been an overnight guest there, the hotel is very accommodating to visitors for the day with access to the beach. The hotel, built in 1888 as the first seaside resort on the West Coast, is on the island of Coronado, accessible by bridge or ferry, and it boasts one of the most glittering beaches in the world, due to the natural mica in the sand. Going to spend the day at the beach here, and enjoying the resort, feels a little like stepping back in time.

What first enticed me to visit was knowing it was the filming location in 1958 for one of my favorite films, Some Like it Hot, staring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon. What keeps me coming back is all of its charms like visiting the ice cream shop after a day at the beach, sipping cocktails and eating chips and guacamole for lunch while overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the Sun Deck, visiting the little shops, generally soaking in the “holiday” atmosphere that permeates every sunny day here.