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Photo(s) of the Week – The Dell

There are many versions of the story on how Coronado Island, became Coronado Island. My favourite one is about the bunnies!
Across the bay from downtown San Diego there lies a city, that city is Coronado. It is a city full of wonderful and beautiful things, but how did it come into being? It all started on November 8, 1602 when a Spanish explorer named Sebastian Vizcaino “sighted the Islands to the west and south of the present Hotel del Coronado.” He named the islands Las Yslas Coronadas which symbolized the “Crowned Four” in honor of the four martyred brothers who were given the title of saints by the church of Rome on that calendar date.

Coronado remained a barren peninsula and its chief population was jack rabbits until the island was purchased in 1885 by Elisha S. Babcock, Jr. and Hampton L. Storey. They rowed over to the island from San Diego to hunt rabbits and decided it would be an ideal setting for a luxurious resort hotel. With the railroad scheduled to reach San Diego, they believed Easterners looking for a more moderate climate would flock to the new hotel.

<span1The Hotel del Coronado opened in 1888 and remains Coronado’s most identifiable landmark today. The hotel is a designated National Historical Landmark.

Introducing… THE DEL! (It is affectionately known as just simply ‘The Dell’ to the locals.) This is really my all time favourite hotel to stay at when visiting San Diego. The way it rises from the water’s edge on the quaint island of Coronado is so beautiful, its almost too much to bear!
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The Hotel del Coronado is considered one of America’s most beautiful beach resorts and I totally agree.
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What I like about the interior is that The Del is furnished contemporary luxury, in an enchanting Victorian atmosphere.

For those who have and adventurous streak and love the wild life, there are actually many species of reptiles and amphibians found on this islands. The best known is the Coronado rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus caliginis), which is a smaller species from the one found on the mainland. There is also the Coronado snake, which feeds off birds’ eggs, the Coronado lizard, which is found in all four islands, and the tree salamanders which live on the three biggest islands. Plated lizards are found on the south and central islands. Scary for me because I dislike reptiles but the caretakers tell me that the hotel grounds are really safe!

Apart from creepy crawlies, there are also several colonies of birds like seagulls, pelicans, petrels, and ducks. The Coronado Islands have the largest known colony of the rare Xantus’s murrelet!

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But nevermind inside the dell, check out , outside of the Dell – that is where all the action is;)
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Fine white sand for as far as the eye can see. I loved how level it was – great for games such as beach volleyball.
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And even though the weather was turning, as it approached sunset, some hardcore people were still pounding the surf and playing beach volleyball.
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the sky took on a pink hue.

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And as we watched the marvelous sunset on one side,

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we saw the moon, coming up on the other,

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..we think we might never want to leave.

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The Dell is certainly a top 5 on my list of cool hotels to stay at in California, for sure! I highly recommend the place if you ever decided to visit that part of the world.

Add:
Hotel del Coronado,
1500 Orange Avenue Coronado,
CA 92118
Phone Numbers
(619)-435-6611
(619)-435-6611

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