Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [265]
El Rancho Motel (Map; 619-435-2251; www.elranchocoronado.com; 370 Orange Ave; r $99-120; ) A wood-clapboard exterior and up-to-date rooms with marble tile and sparkling white bedding make the eight rooms here difficult to snag without luck or reservations.
MIDRANGE
Crown City Inn (Map; 619-435-3116, 800-422-1173; www.crowncityinn.com; 520 Orange Ave; r $129-209; ) This two-story motel with exterior corridors encircles a small parking area with a little pool. If its well-kept rooms were nearer the beach, they would start at $200 per night. The bistro on-site is a local fave.
Coronado Inn (Map; 619-435-4121, 800-598-6624; www.coronadoinn.com; 266 Orange Ave; r incl breakfast $149-169, with kitchen $199-269; wi-fi) The friendly owner keeps this handsome motel near the ferry in tip-top shape, amid palms, little wooden gazebos, nautical-blue deck chairs around the pool, and afternoon snacks.
El Cordova Hotel (Map; 619-435-4131, 800-229-2032; www.elcordovahotel.com; 1351 Orange Ave; r $149-299; ) This is an exceedingly cozy Mediterranean-style former mansion from 1902, built around an outdoor courtyard of shops and restaurants. Rooms are charming in an antiquey sort of way, though nothing fancy. Internet connection by cable. Parking costs $6.
TOP END
Glorietta Bay Inn (Map; 619-435-3101, 800-283-9383; www.gloriettabayinn.com; 1630 Glorietta Blvd; r $195-280; wi-fi) Overshadowed by the neighboring Hotel Del, the Glorietta is built in and around the 1908 Spreckels Mansion – (11 rooms in the mansion, 89 in more standard two-story buildings). Rooms have handsome furnishings and extras such as triple-sheeted beds and high-end bath products. Mansion rooms start at $265 and have extra amenities, including 600-thread-count sheets and continental breakfast. Stop in and see the gorgeous music room, even if you’re not staying here.
Loews Coronado Bay Resort (Map; 619-424-4000, 800-235-6397; www.loewshotels.com; 4000 Coronado Bay Rd; r $240-285; ) Way down Silver Strand (there’s a complimentary shuttle to downtown Coronado), the Loews is practically surrounded by water. Rooms are sea-hued, the lobby is all brass rails and ceiling fans, and there are plenty of kids’ programs.
Hotel del Coronado (Map; 619-435-6611, 800-468-3533; www.hoteldel.com; 1500 Orange Ave; r $300-500; ) San Diego’s iconic hotel provides the essential Coronado experience: over a century of history, tennis courts, a pool, full-service spa, shops, restaurants, manicured grounds and a white-sand beach. Even the basic rooms have luxurious marbled bathrooms. Note: half the accommodations are not in the main Victorian-era hotel but in an adjacent seven-story building constructed in the 1970s. For a sense of place, book a room in the original hotel.
Point Loma Area
HI San Diego Point Loma Hostel (Map; 619-223-4778, 800-909-4776, ext 157; www.sandiegohostels.org; 3790 Udall St; dm incl breakfast $19; ) It’s a 20-minute walk from the heart of Ocean Beach to this hostel, in a largely residential area, and close to a market and library. There are free excursions around town and to Tijuana, movie nights and barbecues. Bus No 923 runs along nearby Voltaire St. No lock-out times. No air-con.
Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn & Suites (Map; 619-224-3411, 800-345-9995; www.halfmooninn.com; 2303 Shelter Island Dr, Point Loma; r $150-210, ste $260-500; ) Fans of boating, jazz and Polynesian style will feel at home in this waterfront resort. Its 182 newly spruced-up rooms, many with marina-view balconies, run the gamut of comforts. There’s a good jazz club on-site.
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina (Map; 619-291-2900, 800-325-3535; www.sheraton.com/sandiegomarina; 1380 Harbor Island Dr; r from $219; wi-fi) Designed for businesspeople traveling with spouses on leisure vacations,