A Weekend Getaway in Coronado, CA: Where to sleep & eat
There’s a little slice of heaven in San Diego County known as Coronado Beach, and it’s one of my favorite getaway spots. I first discovered Coronado when a girlfriend in New York told me about this great resort called the Loews Coronado. I lived in Minneapolis at the time, was freezing and thought nothing sounded better than lounging by a pool in a brand-new resort, indulging in some spa treatments and exploring a cute little beach town. That was the beginning of my love affair with the city. I’ve spent holidays, family vacations and quiet “me time” weekends in Coronado and get down there whenever I can. It is my special “place” in Southern California and is less than a two-hour ride from my home in Orange County and is a straight shot down the 5 Freeway, making it a convenient getaway for me. I live right near John Wayne Airport, so you can figure a two-hour trip each way if you fly into Orange County.
However, I have flown directly to San Diego from other states to enjoy this special place. From the San Diego airport, Coronado is about a half-hour drive. Visiting the island and nearby downtown San Diego is well worth the drive or flight to experience all it has to offer. I have stayed at multiple hotels and boutique inns in Coronado. I’ve tried all the spas in town and have dined at some of the best restaurants. There is so much packed into this little piece of real estate and so much to do. However, for a quick weekend getaway, I’ll just be highlighting some of my favorite places to sleep and eat. When I’m not doing either of those things, I’m at the beach, riding my bike along the waterfront, hitting the spa, or doing some shopping. There are lots of great choices about where to stay on Coronado, from the infamous, and very expensive, Hotel Del Coronado to the smaller boutique inns, like my first recommendation, Hotel Marisol Coronado.
HOTEL MARISOL CORONADO GUEST ROOM
This little inn is tucked away on a side street in downtown Coronado. It is a charming boutique style hotel that serves wine and cheese on Friday evenings and a lovely continental breakfast each morning. The rooms are small but beautifully decorated and the charm of the old, historic elevator that takes you to your room is a throw back to the past and a working testimony of the history of the building. You can use their bicycles to ride to the beach or fly around town, but since you are within walking distance to both, it’s your choice on whether to walk, bike or take the car. You can walk to several great restaurants, bars and shops or sit in the lobby or courtyard and read and relax. The only downside to this property is that there is no designated parking. You do have to park on the street, which I’m sure can be a challenge at times. However, I’ve never had a problem and I’ve been there on summer weekends. TIP: this inn is right around the corner from the house where L. Frank Baum wrote The Wizard of Oz. If you are a fan of the book or movie, you should definitely walk by and snap a photo. I’m told the owners are used to it.
Another favorite inn of mine is the Glorietta Bay Inn. This property has the perfect location for me! It is directly across from the Hotel Del and within walking distance to one of my favorite restaurants in Coronado, The Blue Water Grill (more about that later). This property has both traditional hotel-style rooms and what they call The Mansion Rooms. These rooms are located in the original historic structure and are filled with old world charm. I’ve stayed in both style rooms. I had traveled with my mother who needed an ADA friendly room, so we stayed in the regular hotel room with parking right outside our door. The room was spacious with a little table and chairs outside where we could enjoy our complimentary buffet breakfast. They had both hot and cold offerings; fresh fruit, yogurt, coffee and tea. While it is served in the main music room, you can take the breakfast back to your room if you choose. They also recently added a tiny bar in their music room, where you can order a glass of wine and sit out on the patio or in the music room and relax in the evenings.
On a couple of weekend retreats for me, I’ve stayed in the mansion rooms, and they are just wonderful (but they do require that you are able to handle a long flight of stairs). The staff here is amazing. Every time I’ve visited, they were friendly and helpful and yes, it does make a difference. Often, there is a bottle of wine waiting for you in your room when you check in – a really nice touch. There is a small pool on the property, but that really isn’t the draw at this property. It really is the location. You can walk right across the street and enjoy the beach right in front of the Hotel Del and that is exactly what everyone does. Personally, I’d rather stay here, which is much more affordable, and then use the money I saved on lodging and walk across the street to experience the beach, dining and shopping at the Del. This is one of my favorite places to stay.
GLORIETTA BAY INN – MANSION ROOM
GLORIETTA BAY INN – BREAKFAST BUFFET
I recently spent the weekend here and got the VIP Art & Wine Festival Package. Included in my stay was free parking and VIP passes to the Art and Wine Festival, which included an evening at a local mansion tasting wine and sampling great food. During the actual festival, we had access to three separate tasting areas; the VIP lounge, the Bubble lounge (champagne, anyone?) and the general lounge. We had 15 wine samples per person and lots of amazing food in the VIP lounge. They weren’t messing around either. Loews Coronado was serving jumbo shrimp stuffed with lump crab meat and topped with caviar. Amazing! BTW, the Coronado Art and Wine Festival is an annual event, and you should check it out and get in on the hotel packages being offered. The VIP package is $250 per person, and it was included with my stay. Quite the deal! It happened to coincide with Mother’s Day, making this the perfect weekend getaway for mom too!
The hotel that started it all for me was the Loews Coronado on the Bay. This spot is absolutely perfect and removed from the downtown area. It truly is the best beach resort in Coronado (at least I think so), and they have every amenity you could wish for. The property sits right on the water with boats docked right outside. The rooms are spacious and elegant and the common areas feature a food market, a gift shop and an upscale boutique. There is a full spa on the property, along with multiple pools, restaurants and a lobby bar and patio for cocktails. Bikes are available to tour the island, and gondola rides are available right outside your door. The perfect thing for a romantic getaway. You also have direct access to the beach via an underground walkway from the hotel to the beach. So convenient! I’ve spent holidays and birthdays here and even when I’m not staying at the resort, I’ll come here for breakfast, brunch or dinner.
On this last trip, I had dinner here on my first night in town. It was an amazing meal and definitely got my creative juices flowing! I had dinner at the Crown Landing Restaurant, and it was there that I had the most amazing salad. It was a watermelon, peach and feta salad with a jalapeño dressing. It was fabulous, and I vowed to try making it when I got home. Little did I know that the very next day, I would meet the chef that created that salad, Shawn Parcells, at the Art and Wine Festival! I told him how much I loved that salad (honestly, it was out of this world) and he shared his secret with me: compressed watermelon. I knew it tasted too sweet to be true! LOL. When I got home, I compressed my watermelon and went to work on a jalapeño dressing. And so my version, Compressed Watermelon, Feta & Arugula Salad with Jalapeño Dressing was born. Thank you, Chef Shawn, for the amazing advice on compressing fruit. I’ve been compressing everything and what a difference it makes! Don’t forget to try their Baked Brie with sun dried tomatoes, basil, walnut pesto and toasted bread. Sooooo good.
The hotel can be pricey, but it is worth every dime. I’ve never had a bad experience at this resort. I’ve taken friends, family and significant others here, and they have all raved about their experience. Get it on your bucket list.
LOEWS CORONADO ON THE BAY
The Hotel Del Coronado is by far the most famous hotel on the Island and definitely a Coronado beach resort well worth the trip. Whether you stay there or not, you can enjoy everything it has to offer from its waterfront location, to its spa, shops and multiple restaurants. It is a great place to people watch as travelers from around the world visit here year round. This is the location where the movie Some Like It Hot with Marilyn Monroe was filmed, so it has gone down in history. The big turrets on the top of its buildings are said to be the inspiration for the wicked witch’s retreat in The Wizard of Oz too. I don’t know if that is fact of fiction, but it certainly makes sense. No trip to Coronado would be complete without a visit to The Del. It is definitely expensive, but again, well worth the investment. However, you can still stay at the more affordable Glorietta Bay Inn across the street and then just enjoy the amenities of The Del. There is no reason to skip this when on the island.
THE HOTEL DEL CORONADO AT NIGHT
Now that you have a couple of choices of where to stay, here are my favorite places to eat. Restaurants in Coronado Island are numerous and the choices are endless. Since both of the small inns that I recommend include a breakfast that is light and easy, I usually just plan on where to have my lunch and dinner. Some of my favorite spots to grab lunch, an appetizer or a cocktail include the following spots.
I really like the casual options at the Hotel Del. Since I often spend the day at the beach right in front of the hotel, eating at one of their casual eateries is convenient and really delicious. Pizza, tacos and ice cream are all right there. I love a good taco, so usually my first choice is The Beach & Taco Shack. It is super casual, has a funky Tiki vibe, and you can grab a drink while you are there. Fish tacos are definitely my favorite!
If I’m out shopping at the Coronado Ferry Landing (There is some fun “touristy” shopping there), I really like to stop in at the Coronado Brewing Company. Pizza, burgers, and typical bar food make up the menu, but they also serve some great local brews. The combination can be appealing after eating so much seafood (my fav!). What’s not to like about a burger, fries and a cold one? I really love The Mermain BBQ burger, but I must say, I’m hooked on their jumbo pretzels (talk about getting your daily carb quota!).
Also down at The Ferry Landing this year is a new Mexican Grill with amazing views of downtown San Diego. I stopped in for a quick bite to eat (I had the Baja Shrimp Cocktail which was a large goblet of spicy tomato broth, avocado chunks, lime and shrimp! It was like a chunky Bloody Mary…so good!) The views were amazing too.
There is another spot I like a lot and that is the Cays Lounge at the Loews Hotel. This is the hotel that started it all for me years ago and the place is really beautiful, far off the beaten path and I always stop in to see what new shops might be in the lobby. There have been surprisingly wonderful finds over the years. Like most large resorts, they have lots of options for dining, but grabbing an appetizer and a glass of wine at Cays has been a favorite of mine. You can dine outside or sit indoors at their bar and catch a game on the big screen TVs. Since I also frequent their spa, this is a great spot to eat after my Spa treatments. The menu is very limited (You are there for the atmosphere) but I always get the Clam Chowder and flatbread pizza….both are really good. A side note: I also enjoy going to the Silver Strand Beach, which is right across the road from this resort. So, a day at the beach often leads me here for a late afternoon snack and cocktail before heading back to my hotel room.
SILVER STRAND BEACH
Ah, dinner plans! I love going out to dinner. I read menus like I’m studying for my next recipe creation. The more creative the chef, the more fun I have. At the end of the day, I’m looking for fabulous, fresh food and a wonderful atmosphere. If there is a great view and good service, I’m in heaven! So, here goes. My top three favorite restaurants and dining spots for dinner are:
The Blue Water Grill (within walking distance from The Glorietta Bay Inn). This restaurant sits right on the water and serves some of the best seafood in town. However, take note of the bread. OMG, I could go there for that alone. A waiter told me they have it made by a bakery in Hawthorne, CA and then have it brought to their restaurant daily. (That’s three hours away! That’s how good that bread is!) A crusty, warm loaf smeared with butter and served with a glass of wine is the start of one fabulous meal. Can you taste it? Don’t miss the oysters on the half shell or the steamed clams in a butter and garlic broth. This is a seafood restaurant so I always ask what’s fresh and new and I’ve never been disappointed. You can stare out on the bay and take in the sites of seagulls, boats and lapping water. Just breathe and relax.
BLUE WATER GRILLE
POT OF STEAMED CLAMS and BOATS DOCKED AT RESTAURANT
Peohe’s is right on the water with spectacular views of downtown San Diego. This is an upscale, seafood restaurant with elegance to spare. They have a wonderful bar area, make really unique cocktails and provide impeccable service. This is my high-end restaurant of choice when I’m in Coronado. Here is where I’ll always ask about the daily special and take recommendations from the waiter.
PEOHE’S RESTAURANT
Hotel Del Coronado (The Del) also has other restaurants that I enjoy. I have eaten at all of them, at one time or another, but they have a wonderful bar that serves small plates and pizzas that is especially fun.While this isn’t a traditional restaurant or even a place you might think of for dinner, it does provide a great relaxed vibe that I like. Babcock & Storys usually has live music on the weekends so stopping in for a couple of appetizers, a great glass of wine and some music can really be a fun night and a great way to wrap up your weekend in Coronado.
BABCOCK & STORYS BAR AT THE DEL
And there you have it, my favorite places to stay and eat while in Coronado for the weekend. All the places I’ve recommended are really wonderful and I frequent them all on a regular basis. When I can, I go for a full week to enjoy every nook and cranny of that city. Look for future posts on things to do while staying in Coronado. For now, pack a bag, book a room and enjoy the beach and restaurants. That’s my idea of the perfect weekend.
