Learn About Hotel Del Coronado, California

Just steps from the surf on the white sand beach of Coronado, is one of our nation's most treasured seaside resorts. Veronica Hill of California Travel Tips travels to the gorgeous Hotel del in Coronado. Let's take a 2-minute tour of this beautiful resort known as the Grand Lady by the Sea. Built in 1887 along sandy shores of Coronado Beach, this 28-acre Queen Anne Revival Victorian Resort was one of the most elegant and modern resorts of its time — boasting telephones, electric lights, and a birdcage elevator that's still in operation. With its red turreted roofs, white clapboard design and magical spires, the Hotel Del looks a lot like Emerald City. In fact, Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum lived at the resort as he wrote the Oz series between 1904 and 1910. Today, this legendary resort (where Marilyn Monroe filmed Some Like It Hot), is a bit of California paradise, complete with two fine dining restaurants, an on-site ice cream store, and oceanfront pool. For an added fee, you can even rent your own private cabana. I loved the lobby library, where you can cozy up with an old book, and the downstairs museum, where I learned more about the history of the Hotel del Coronado and its reputation as one of California's haunted hotels. Room 3312, recently renamed 3327, is supposed to be haunted by the ghost of Kate Morgan. Room 3502 is also said to have spirits. In 2008, Coronado Beach was named one of the Top 10 beaches in America. That same year, the Hotel del Coronado celebrated 120 years with more than $150 million in improvements, including a cluster of luxury oceanfront villas at Beach Village. Some even come with their own private swimming pools. San Diego weather averages about 65 degrees in January to 77 in August, making it about the closest thing to perfect in America. And true to the dream of its builders Elisha Babcock and Hampton Story, it still is the "talk of the Western World." I'm Veronica Hill and that's you're California Travel Tip. Hotel Del Coronado 1500 Orange Avenue Coronado, CA 92118 619-435-6611 www.hoteldel.com/