Disneyland is not the only California address boasting a castle. On an island to the south, at the end of a curving two-mile bay bridge from San Diego, Hotel del Coronado combines Victorian elegance with Tinseltown glamour.
Red turrets crown the huge oceanside national historic landmark. Opened in 1888 by Elisha Babcock and H.L. Story, “The Del” attracted socialites, celebrities, diplomats and urban-dwellers seeking rejuvenation in the cool surf and clean air.
Star power resonates throughout the resort, which is open not just to guests but to the public. Glass cases display a photographic timeline and guest register, which include such luminaries as Thomas Edison, Babe Ruth, Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra — and Madonna.
After a reputed encounter at the Del, King Edward VIII gave up his throne to marry Coronado divorcee Wallis Spencer Simpson. When Charles Lindbergh celebrated his trans-Atlantic flights in 1927 at the hotel, a replica of his Spirit of St. Louis circled the enormous Crown Room ceiling.
Movies filmed here include “Some Like It Hot.” Today, you might spy a Marilyn Monroe look-alike heating up on-site weddings, reunions and business meetings. Ghost stories also dwell here: Kate Morgan checked into the resort on Nov. 25, 1892, and never checked out. Visitors have reported sighting the ingenue through the decades.
So many true stories have unfolded at the Del that it employs a resident historian to keep them archived. That historian, Christine Donovan, told me the hotel’s fairy-tale architecture served as the model for Disney World’s Grand Floridian.
Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, San Diego Bay and Glorietta Bay, Coronado itself exudes a hometown America vibe with confectionlike period homes in the same families for generations, quiet white-sand public beaches perfect for swims, picnics and volleyball, extensive bike paths, a bay-view golf course and a large, clean dog beach.
When picking up bike and walking maps at the downtown visitor center, visit the adjoining Museum of History and Art. Its artifacts, donated mostly by long-time residents, reveal Coronado as not only a picturesque playground, but a place steeped in heritage. Highlights include strategic naval operations and “Tent City” — from 1900 to 1939, families could pitch tents around the Del for a budget vacation. Until that tradition is revived, there’s Silver Strand State Beach four miles south for those who prefer camping to castles.
Reach Robin Tierney at [email protected].
