When I was in my early twenties, I was lucky enough to meet a great group of girlfriends in LA who became like family. They, like me, loved life’s little luxuries—great restaurants, designer clothes, and yes, fab hotels. We couldn’t afford any of them, but somehow we would scrape together enough to try one hot spot every month, wearing something new for which we no doubt fought to the death at a sample sale. We dreamed of travel, but the only way to do it in style was for all of us to pile in the cheapest room at the best hotel. One of these rooms was at the legendary Hotel Del Coronado, where five us happily shared one regular room—two to each bed and one on a cot!
It had been that long since I last visited “The Del,” when Christi and I made the drive for a day to see one of our nearest and dearest, Christine. We used to plan an annual girls’ trip, but this year, a day was all we had. While I can’t say that I would recommend Hotel del Coronado in the summer—hello, Disnleyland-esque crowds!—the charm remains, and you could find me here again in the off season. I might even splurge on a room for two.
For more on our day at The Del, check out Christi’s blog over at Wanderpants.
The Del is known for their Sunday Brunch in the main dining room. It is a huge buffet with an equally huge pricetag, so we decided on the more casual Sheerwater, an open-air spot with great food and cocktails. Make sure to specify which restaurant you want when making reservations.
Hotel Del Coronado. 1500 Orange Ave. Coronado, CA 92118. 619- 522-8000
The Del! And they filmed parts of “Some Like It Hot” there with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon although they passed it off as the Seminole Country Club in Florida. I always wondered why there were mountains in the background until we visited the Del and I saw why, they didn’t film in Florida!
The Del will was put on the map by, and will forever be associated with, Marilyn Monroe’s charming film Some Like it Hot, in which it was the bigger star than she or Tony Curtis! The Del also puts on a great Victorian Christmas party which I’ve been lucky to attend a couple of times. It’s def one of my favorite hotels in the world.