Hotel del Coranado

[craig]

Has anyone stayed at the Hotel del Coranado outside of San Diego? We are planning on using our points to stay there in June.

 

[DaveT1]

I have not stayed there, but have been there. It's beautiful, but i'm sure you know that. Do you have a question someone could maybe answer?

 

[craig]

We plan on staying there one night, go to the zoo the next morning and then head off to Disneyland via Amtrak. I was wondering about transportation to/from the zoo, where the train is and any general information about the area.

 

[poohj80]

You'll need a car if staying at the Del. It's located on the island of Coronado (well, not really an island anymore since they built the strand to connect it to the mainland south of SD) off the coast of San Diego. I don't know if the Del offers shuttle service but I expect a cab would be pretty costly.

You might try their web site for more info:

http://www.hoteldelcoronado.com/about/

 

[craig]

Is it that difficult to get around the area with a car? Sometimes the renting a car can be a hassle because of having to take it back.

Not trying to be argumentative. Just trying to look at both sides. We usually rent a car for WDW because we always go back to the same airport. This time we are going to SD and then going up to Disneyland. We thought we would take Amtrak to Disneyland.

By all means try to convince me otherwise. Any help is good help.

 

[keef22]

If you can handle the traffic, it's relatively easy to get to DL from San Diego. As I recall, the park's right off of I-5. The only thing that might be intimidating is the 6 lanes (or so) of traffic each direction. (This won't be a problem on the way back after the park closes -- not much traffic in the evening; but the traffic in the morning on the way to the park might just be the thing that makes it not worth the drive.)

It's funny. I thought I had experienced all types of bad traffic by going through Chicago on a regular basis during rush hour; but NOTHING compares to California!

 

[jel0511]

We used our points to stay at the Del and Disneyland last year. The Del is beatiful and you won't be disapointed. I second the advice on getting a car. There really is no transport between the Del and the zoo except a cab. The zoo is about 20 minutes by car. The drive up to DL from the Del takes about 2 1/2 hours WITHOUT traffic. Any other questions, ask.

 

[DaveT1]

I agree with Pooh, the Hotel is on Coronado Island and quite a ways from the zoo. Look into Old Town, and the Seaport Village over on the mainland if you get time.

Also, don't overlook the Wild Animal Park, also a part of San Diego Zoo. It's a ways away from the zoo but it's great. They have some programs you can book ahead where you get up close to the animals. We saw visitors on a truck hand feeding Rhino's and Giraffe. I seem to remember reading somewhere about joining the zoo organization and getting discounted passes to both places that paid for joining plus.

I rented a car and never regretted it. I drove up the coast on rt1 to San Francisco and it was great drive. To LA, was nice also. You might want to check out the Queen Mary or other attractions in the area. I thought it was a peaceful drive. Coming back on the freeways wasn't bad either but you wouldn't want to hit a rush hour.

 

[GAN]

If money isn't a huge issue, rent the car. It will probably pay for itself if your intention is to get to the zoo. Traffic in San Diego has never been too bad in my opinion -of course, avoid rush hours. If you decide to take the car up to DL, you won't be disappointed. Take the highway only as far as necessary then get off and go Rt. 1 through Dana Point/Laguna Beach up to about Huntington Beach, from there it's pretty much a straight shot to DL -if my memory is correct. The only thing with the car, is that the rental agency will probably charge a drop-off fee because you wouldn't be dropping off where you picked up -unless you plan on departing from SD. Good Luck!

 

[shellbelle1971]

FWIW the Del is my very favorite hotel anywhere. I always stay in the old building b/c IMO it has far more charm than the newer part. No AC in the old building, though, so if that's a concern for you, you may want the new bldgs.

 

[lark]

The del is great. But it's an old hotel. There are a fair number of very small rooms, and for one of the very few hotels on the sand in the SD area, there are a surprising number of horrible view -- some looking right into other guest's windows. It's beautiful though. I don't love the Coronado beach, though, as much as the beaches up north, like Del Mar and Carlsbad. Particularly during the summer you can get some iccky smells and stuff floating up from Tijuana.

Stay on Corondao and not rent a car? No way. How? Unless you plan never to leave the hotel, but even then cabs to and from the airport, and to and from the Amtrak station, will pratically be the same price. Plus the cost of having to eat all your meals at the del or right around it because you can't go some place off Coronado that's a little less expensive will easily cost you a mint.

 

[poohj80]

SD is very spread out so if you want to do a lot of the tourist things, you'll definitely need a car. If I remember correctly, the train depot isn't far from the airport so it would probably be easy to return the rental car then cab to the depot (unless there are rental car returns avilable at the depot).

UPDATE: According to this site http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/rail/depots/stops/san.htm Hertz has a rental counter at the Depot so maybe other car rental companies do as well.

One of my favorite places to eat in SD is also near Balboa Park and the zoo - The Corvette Diner http://www.corvettediner.signonsandiego.com .

 

[jorodopo]

Something else you may want to check out is Citypass.com. The Southern Ca. ticket is $185.00 for an adult. It includes 3 days at DL/DCA parkhopper, 1 day at Knott's Berry Farm, 1 day at Sea World and 1 day at either the San Diego Zoo or the Wild Animal Park. We went last Nov. and rented a mobile home (in San Diego and dropped it off in LA) and then did Thanksgiving in the desert with my cousins. The drive is relatively straight forward and the signage is pretty good. With a map you should be fine. As previous posters have said a car is a pretty good idea. Things are very spread out.
Have a good trip.

 

[dvc guy]

We just completed the same trip in August. Started in LA Disneyland, then SD and back to LA. It ws our 1st trip to the left coast. You really need a car to get around and the freeways, were not as bad as advertised. We got a car with a navigation system which was a big help and well worth 9 bucks a day.Figure 3 hours from SD to DL. PM me if you have any other questions

 

[craig]

Thanks everyone. Keep it comin!
DVC Guy-I'm sure my wife will have some questions coming soon.

 

[MrShiny]

The Del is amazing! Many movies, including "Some Like It Hot" were filmed there. We haven't stayed there, but we spent an afternoon at the beach there.

We've found it's easy (and cheaper for us) to fly from Chicago into San Diego, rent a car there and drive to DL (after doing the SD attractions). The drive is super easy (I-5 all the way).

You really need a car to get to Coronado. There is the strand, but there is also the huge high bridge that's much shorter.

We haven't had much trouble getting from SD to DL and back at all. You need to allow extra time, but there is plenty to see and do in SD. Sea World is right next to the airport.

 

[gracelrm]

We're planning the same trip - this is very helpful!!!

 

[DisneyTarheel]

We stayed at the Del a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. While the rooms are likely bigger in the "new" building, if at all possible stay in the main building (where all the character is).

 

[downontheBW]

You can get around without a car or taking a cab if you don't mind taking your luggage on a bus (not sure where you'd leave it while at the zoo though). We went to San Diego a couple years ago and stayed at the Four Seasons Aviara in Carlsbad on a DVC trade. We did rent a car to drive up to Carlsbad but did quite a bit of sightseeing via trains. We don't like to drive much while on vacation so we took the trains to visit both San Diego and LA.

One day we took the Coaster (commuter train) to San Diego and got off at Santa Fe depot (is an Amtrak station also). We walked around there and Seaport Village for a while then bought a day pass on the Old Town Trolley. It stops at the major sights in San Diego: the Del Coronado, downtown, Zoo, Old Town, etc. You can get off at any stop you wish and hop back on another "trolley" (a.k.a., bus) whenever you want. I just checked their site and they have a combo package that includes admission to the zoo.

Half the fun is figuring out how to get around without having to use a car. The driving wouldn't be that bad there except for sometimes very heavy traffic. Good luck!

Old Town Trolley:
http://www.historictours.com/sandiego/

Coaster and other San Diego transportation:
http://www.sdcommute.com/

Amtrak - Pacific Surfliner:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conte...te_Page&c=am2Route&cid=1081256322013&ssid=132

 

[lark]

Of course, not having a car also means not getting to drive the PCH -- perhaps the funnest thing to do in entire stretch from oceanside to the border. (Going south is better than going north.)

The coaster is great, but the hours are heavily commuter, not tourist, oriented.