Coronado Beach, San Diego

The Famous Hotel Del Coronado at Coronado Beach

Coronado Beach is a beautiful wide swaith  of sand on the Pacific coastline of the barrier island located off San Diego.  The island is shared equally by the town of Coronado, and a massive Naval base.  

To drive to Coronado Beach take Interstate 5  through the city. Turn right onto the impressive San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge. Cross the bridge, and carry on through Tidelands Park, then hang a left down Orange Avenue. Continue for a mile to get to the waterfront. There’s a lot of parking alongside Ocean Boulevard, but it can fill up quickly on budy days.

The southern end of Coronado beach is named The Shores, and is the least attractive part of the beach, with its high rise condomium buildings behind the sands.  Though if you ignore the ugly condos, the beach itself is very beautiful, and you can walk for miles along the ocean’s edge.

The main part of the beach, in front of the iconic Hotel Del Coronado is called Central beach.  Here the sands are wide, and soft underfoot.  It’s big enough to avoid a feeling of overcrowding, even at busy weekends.  The swimming is excellent, as is the boogie boarding when the waves are a reasonable size.  There is usually the watchful eye of a lifeguard, who work from some very picturesque lifeguard towers.  There are convenient restrooms, beach shops, and snack food outlets.

Behind Central beach lies the signature Hotel del Coronado.  Their rates currently start from $249 per person per night, which is a pretty good deal considering its reputation for luxury, and its famous history. The building is made completely of wood – not a single nail was used in it construction, just wooden pegs.  The Hotel has a glorious Victorian past, and well-know guests have included Babe Ruth, Charlie Chaplin, and Thomas Edison, not to mention just about every single president of the 20th century.

Beyond Central beach lies North Beach, a gorgeous stretch of sand.  Much of it is designated a Dog Beach, but it’s so large that the dogs will not bother you, even if you don’t care for our 4 legged friends.  Strangley enough, dog surfing is a popular sport around here - amazingly a competition is held here every June.  At the end of the public section of the beach, there is a fence marking the Naval portion (if you stray beyond here an emergency section of SEALS will be detailed to round you up and press-gang you into the navy).  Several copper sculptures hang from the fence, now weathered bright copper green.

If you’ve young kids to look after, a good idea is to abandon the Pacific coastline and instead head to the bay side of the island, where the water is generally calmer an a lot safer.  Glorietta Park, just across Silver Strand Boulevard, has a fun playground area, and a pretty beach with soft sand ideal for play.

It’s a long way south before you get to a better beach than Coronado.  There certainly isn’t one before the border.  Though Baja California has some very beautiful beaches.  The best known are of course Cabo St Lucas, and those around Ensenada, visited by the Mexican Riviera cruiseships which depart from Los Angeles and San Diego (see here for cruise ship schedules  and times).

Best Beach’s rating : Wilderness feel 0 stars out of 5, Warm water 2 out of 5, Facilities 4 out of 5. Happy times 4 stars out of 5.

Tags: away-days, beach, beach vacations, beach-babe, beach-bum, beach-party, beach-vacation, beach-walking, beaches, best-california-beach, best-california-beaches, best-san-diego-beach, california beaches, california-beach, holiday-ideas, island-escapes, la-beach, laguna-beach, san-diego beach, seashore, vacation-island, vacation-trips, vacations-and-travels