Fall is the New Spring Break at The Del

The luxury of having a Fall Break from school is new since I was a kid. But, I have to say it’s nice to have a week off after school has been going on for a month-and-a-half — I know my daughter is ready for some unstructured fun time. So I put aside my computer and writing for a few days (iPhone not included — after all, what is life without Instagram?), threw our beachwear in the car, and my family and I headed over to Coronado. One of the reasons I love Coronado is the whole throwback-in-time, small-beach-town feeling of the island — the perfect place to unplug and refresh.

We stayed at The Del, as it’s affectionately known (aka Hotel del Coronado), and not only is it a beautiful property with a gorgeous ocean beachfront, the hotel is also bursting with history. Built in 1888, it was a playground for the rich and famous (especially in the 1930s through 1950s) and everyone from Marilyn Monroe and Kirk Douglas to numerous U.S. Presidents have been guests. Author L. Frank Baum even stayed on property for months at a time and wrote the Wizard of Oz there. Cool, right? Oh, and of course the idea that it’s haunted is fascinating. Reportedly, a young lady named Kate Morgan was murdered (or committed suicide — it’s still up for debate) in 1892 on the hotel grounds and haunts the place to this day.

The Del has a number of restaurants to choose from, all good, from patio dining at the Sheerwater to the pizza & wine bar. (Our daughter’s eatery of choice was MooTime Creamery… of course, no huge surprise there!) We also ate across the street a few times at the Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill overlooking the marina, where the seafood was excellent and staff very friendly.

One evening we indulged in fireside s’mores on the beach — the hotel provides everything. Delish. I highly recommend for the experience. And what a sunset.

Another lesson in history, the U.S.S. Midway is just across the bridge in San Diego, and wow, what an awesome museum. It has an extensive display of military aircraft and really gives you insight into life on an aircraft carrier. Plus, we had some great family conversations about U.S. history. There’s nothing like seeing landmarks and places in person to absorb the knowledge and turn learning into an experience. Our daughter was mainly concerned with the fact that the bunk beds were so small and “how could they actually sleep in there and where did they put their stuff??”