Hotel Del Coronado

Let’s start with my $900/night Victorian room that was so comically tiny, the nightstands couldn’t even accommodate a lamp. No cozy bedside glow — just blinding overhead LED interrogation lighting straight out of an airport security line. But that minor (albeit annoying) disappointment was nothing compared to the “Water View” that was, I think, a three-level upgrade I paid for (no complimentary upgrade as part of Hilton Elite status, of course). The view was horrible. Hey Hilton, did you need to warm up before that stretch of calling this a "water view" and charging over $100 extra per night for it? See the photos. Not okay. As a Hilton Gold Elite member, I always appreciate the ability to communicate directly with the hotel. In the case of Hotel Del, I’ve had better service from Hampton Inns off I-95. I requested a birthday dessert be sent to my room. Instead of being told they didn’t offer in-room dining (because why wouldn’t a hotel at this price point offer what even a budget airport motel does?), they farmed out my phone number to some third-party vendor hawking Hickory Farms-style gift baskets. I got three calls trying to upsell me “high-quality spa products” and baskets of chips and pretzels for $120. I literally just wanted a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries! Eventually, I got cookies… from MooTime Creamery down the street (delicious, btw, five stars). Getting anything delivered was an act of Congress, though. Just know: there is no in-room dining. I also requested robes and slippers at check-in. They arrived 11 hours — and three texts — later. Housekeeping? Minimalist, both in philosophy and execution. We left notes, gratuities, and three-quarter-empty toiletry bottles (already that way on arrival), and they were never refilled. We had to steal one off a housekeeping cart like we were looting during a blackout. No turndown, no complimentary water, and certainly no sense of hospitality. But don’t worry — they still charged nearly $50 a day in resort and “historic preservation” fees. For what? Couldn’t tell you. Before we realized that the beach chairs cost extra (about $100) for hotel guests, we sat down to take in the view for a minute — only to be rudely shuffled off like seagulls or random squatters, not guests spending $3K on a weekend. When we tried to rent chairs the next day, we were told, “None left.” We never even sat on the beach during our so-called beach weekend. The pool was crowded and loud. And thanks to the Del’s anything-goes guest policy, the property was flooded with people clearly not staying on-property, turning the experience into something closer to Disney than luxury beach resort. The Victorian building is lovely and may have a robust history, but it’s mostly haunted by the ghosts of better hotel experiences. Unless you’re looking for the thrill of paying five-star prices for two-star service, skip this one. Swing by for a drink or sunset dinner — they’ll happily let you open your wallet — but I couldn't recommend staying there unless it was free. Read less

I've stayed at my Hilton hotels. This one is truly special. The more I researched this hotel , the more I realized how much history there is here Celebrities, presidents, and many others have stayed here before. And now we got to experience this! The location is right on the beach. Great grassy area to hang out. If you're into a breakfast buffet, while it is a bit more expensive, it's really good! The gym was immaculate. As my wife said, "if there is a squat rack it's a good gym" And by her definition, it's a good gym. It also has this haunted feel for the hotel. I mean it's historic. Very old school. A lot of not all of it is made of wood. Honestly it was such a sensational experience. Also the hotel front desk Thelma who checked us in was absolutely stellar. Can't wait to come back for an amazing rest and experience again in the future. Read less

Not one to write reviews but felt compelled to do so after seeing many unfavorable opinions. Our stay at the Del was comfortable, clean and so fun! The staff were excellent and very attentive. Is it expensive , yes! But if you book to stay at this place you know that, have a cocktail and chill. Also, if you want a certain room, ask or pay for it beforehand. I see many reviews complaining about room views despite not booking a room with an ocean/courtyard view. Also not sure how people are still complaining about the renovations, we walked the ENTIRE hotel and not once did we experience any kind of construction disturbance. Thank you to the Del staff for an incredible stay, we will certainly return. Read less

While this iconic hotel has some amazing features there are so many things that take away from the charm that has left me to leave a 3 star review. First complaint: While the room had incredible views and space for all four of us I was a little disappointed in the amenities. For such an expensive hotel I expected higher quality coffee/tea/creamers in the room as well as better hair and hand care products. These products were worse than Walmart store brands. I’ve stayed at several Hilton top signature resorts and they have always surpassed other resorts with their top notch body care products. It was just cheap and unnecessary for the cost of the room. Second complaint: Security and safety was off and confusing. You could walk up the stairs and enter into the guest areas with no card access. With the amount of visitors we saw at the resort who were not guests it was a little unsettling how easily it would be for someone to roam the hallways. There were some entry points that required card access but you could just walk around enter from the main lobby with no card access. There were signs that said no entry for non guests which I’m sure deter sticky fingers. There were just so many people in and out of the resort who were not paying guests that it made staying there feel a little less special. When you pay exclusive prices that any Tom, Dick or Harry can share it makes you wonder why you stayed there. Third complaint: Food prices and quality were at a different level…and not a great one. It’s as if they didn’t want anyone to eat there. A breakfast sandwich which resembled that of McDonalds was $18 and it couldn’t be customized. They said it comes already premade. For a breakfast sandwich to be premade off site, so no labor involved, $18 is stupid. It’s not just being on the island because there are several places in walking distance that we went to and prices were reasonable. It was just price gouging at its finest. We ate at Sundeck, poolside, Eno’s and beachside as well. The beach food was by far the best. They had the better menu and quality. If you like spicy I highly recommend the ahi nachos. I ordered nachos poolside and it came with cold chicken they put on salads. I know I’m from Texas and have some strong opinions on nachos but this was embarrassing. Eno’s pizza was bland and Sundeck was ok. Overall we left the resort for most of our meals for price and quality. I would have had no problem paying high prices but the quality has to be there. First compliment: The staff were great. Everyone was smiling and helpful. The service at check in was fabulous. Emmie was great and helped us upgrade our room to a beach view room on the 3rd floor of the Victorian hotel. Second compliment: the room service and daily cleaning was great. I only had to ask the first day for four wash cloths to be sent up to our room and after that they remembered everyday. Those little things do leave an impression. Third compliment: the ability to walk off resort and shop/ eat was fabulous. There great coffee shops and breakfast stops everywhere along with great pizza and Mexican food. It wasn’t a terrible experience but when room prices compare to that of Zemi Beach Hotel, Cabo Waldorf and many more and the hotel amenities are just so so, it makes it hard to want to come back here. Read less

I am currently in the middle of a weekend from hell at the Del and this is the most poorly run hotel I have ever stayed in. I had fond memories of the Hotel Del from my childhood, and came back with my own kids a year ago. It was a terrible experience. The service was horrible on every level. They stuck us in a “pool view cabana” that had nothing but a view of the service entrance to the kitchen. It was like a dark dungeon down there. Despite the problems, I chalked it up to the fact that the hotel was under renovations and didn’t complain. I then decided to give the Del a second chance once the renovation was complete. Sadly the service and overall experience is even worse than before. We requested a pool view cabana on the first floor by the pool and instead got stuck in a hearing accessible room on the 2nd floor. The doorbell is so loud and annoying that my kids freak out every time someone rings it. We complained through Amex Platinum services and their “solution” was downgrade us to a lesser room in the main building tomorrow. When we checked in we were told that we had to wait in our room for our bags to be delivered so we spent 45 mins sitting our room waiting for bags instead of taking our kids to the beach. Unfortunately they took forever and refused to deliver our bags unless we were physically in the room. Dinner at Veranda was a whole other mess. The service was so glacially slow and completely disorganized. My $110 ribeye was not medium rare per my request but well done to the point of being inedible. As I speak there a band playing right outside our room that is so loud that no one can sleep and my kids are crying. I asked the hotel for some earplugs and waited 30 mins for them to show up with Qtips and cotton balls. Called back and they made a mistake but it may take a long time for them to deliver some actual earplugs so instead I should come to the front desk. Who knows what fresh hell this hotel will bestow on us tomorrow. We’ll probably just check out and stay somewhere else. This used to be a wonderful hotel and it has been run into the ground by Hilton. They have overbuilt the property to the extent that congestion and crowds ruin almost every experience and decent service in any area is completely impossible. This is not a hotel for sophisticated travelers. Read less