Hotel del Coronado: Perhaps a Glimpse of Heaven

Today I’m excited to tell you about a wonderful resort, where a friend from college and I recently spent a fun weekend together.  I received complimentary services from the hotel in exchange for writing about it, but the opinions expressed are entirely my own.  

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I've never believed that heaven is a place where angels rest on fluffy white clouds, having seen from airplane windows that clouds are just unsubstantial wet mist. I'm convinced the location of the "hereafter" must be something better -- perhaps a conglomeration of all of the best times and places that we've experienced in this life. I would be quite pleased, in fact, if it replicated the luxurious and beautiful Hotel del Coronado.

The Hotel del Coronado, or "The Del" as it is often fondly called, is a luxury resort just across a bridge from San Diego, California. Coronado has an “island feel” although it is actually a peninsula, connected to the mainland by a thin spit of land called the Silver Strand. A friend and I chose Coronado from various flight destination options for the location of our “girl’s weekend away” last month, because of the beautiful beach, warm weather, and the activities available there.  We deliberated about the cost, but we finally decided that Hotel del Coronado was worth the splurge. I am so happy that we did.

Hotel del Coronado is a National Historic Landmark. A curious visitor just stepping off the beach for a look inside, however, might not immediately grasp its impressive character. After entering the dim lobby from the brilliant sunlight that illuminates the sparkling blue Pacific Ocean and red roofs of the buildings, it takes one's eyes a few minutes to adjust.  Unless a person stays long enough to allow their pupils to dilate sufficiently, they will miss the intricate features of this beautiful lobby. The ornate wood details, the heavy chandelier, and the brass cage of the elevator shaft (still operated by a “bell person” in an outfit I suspect has changed little since the 1920's) are all gorgeous. The whole main building gives a feeling of having entered a place of old-world charm.

I was only a guest at the Del for a long weekend, yet I now find that I am homesick for it. I grew fond of the beautiful buildings and became fascinated by the history associated with them. I loved stepping off the hotel grounds right onto a beautiful beach. Taking advantage of the rejuvenating services offered by the spa was blissful, as was participating in activities such as a yoga class at the water's edge. 

When relaxing at night in one of the restaurants or in a comfortable chair near a fire pit, real-world responsibilities seemed to disappear. It was so easy to fall asleep in a comfortable bed while listening to the sound of the surf through the open balcony door. Unlike many hotel rooms with poor lighting, there was even a small reading light provided at either side of both beds. 

The bathroom was tiny, but all features had been updated and no detail overlooked, right down to the hotel seal on the extra roll of toilet paper!

When the Hotel del Coronado first opened its doors in 1888, it was a grand and glorious hotel resort. Located in the still vastly unsettled wild west, it was inaccessible except by train, and affordable only by the wealthy. The resort weathered the years of the depression, World wars, and the post-war era. Guests have included numerous American Presidents and British royalty. The author of The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum, was a frequent guest and has been credited for the design of the beautiful chandeliers in the dazzling Crown Room. The resort has been both a movie set and a place to stay for a variety of movie stars and movie makers, including Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis during the 1958 filming of Some Like It Hot. A $13 million renovation of the resort was just completed in 2014.

Some people believe one early guest never left the hotel. A young woman named Kate Morgan checked into the Del in 1892. Five days later she was discovered dead on one of the hotel's exterior staircases, of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. Her spirit is said to continue to inhabit the hotel and her ghostly pranks are reported from time to time. It seems possible to me that after dying at the hotel, a spirit could easily mistake those surroundings for Heaven! Perhaps that is why she just never felt the need to leave.

My friend and I did leave and returned to our homes in Montana and Virginia. We have already agreed, however, that the Hotel del Coronado will be the place for our next reunion. 

If you are interested in learning more about the Hotel del Coronado and its history, there is a wealth of information on the hotel website, or in the book Hotel Del Coronado: HISTORY, available from the Hotel del Coronado Retail Department.  I referred to both, as I checked my facts while writing this article. 

I had already drafted this article when I read (in the book mentioned above, page 194) that L. Frank Baum once compared the Del "to heaven itself." I guess I wasn't the first person to have had that thought!

Have you ever stayed at a historic hotel? Was your visit enhanced by the history of the place?

In addition to this article, I will have a guest post published later this month on the travel blog, Heather on Her Travels. It tells more about the weekend my friend and I spent at the Hotel del Coronado, and our adventures while exploring San Diego. I hope you will click here to read my guest post and visit Heather's wonderful blog.

This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!

Note: In the spirit of full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links, for which I may receive compensation if any purchases are made, and I did receive some complimentary services from the Hotel del Coronado. All opinions expressed, however, are entirely my own.