Day 5 - Coronado Island
|
On Day 5, we headed to Coronado Island. Coronado Island is easily accessible from San Diego. There are a few ways to get to Coronado Island, but have always driven our car over the two-mile Coronado Bridge. you can also take a ferry from a few different spots in San Diego. Once on the island, you can drive, ride a bike or golf cart, or just walk around.
Probably the most famous or iconic part of Coronado Island is the Hotel del Coronado, also known as "The Del." This iconic hotel sits right on Cornado Beach and with its white exterior and red roof, it's impossible to miss. There is this charm about it that is undeniable. It was built in 1888, and has hosted presidents, celebrities, and royalty throughout its storied history. |
|
Despite all the awesome places we had already been, this day on Coronado was my kids' favorite. We had just had a busy day the day before at the San Diego Zoo and decided that today would be another chill day. My kids love playing on the beach, and Coronado has an amazing beach. In 2012, Coronado Beach was actually ranked the #1 beach in all of America. There are actually several beaches on the island, but this one sits right in front of the Hotel del Coronado and gives the strongest California beach vibe out of all of the others.
We packed up all our beach gear and took the 25 minute drive from our hotel. The island always seems to be abuzz with activity. People are walking everywhere, dining outdoors, walking in and out of the shops, and heading to the beach. We found our way to a parking lot close to the beach and paid a nominal fee. It was worth it because we were able to walk right out onto the beach. The beach itself was busy, but we were able to find a nice big open spot near some rocks, which provided the perfect climbing structure for the kids.
We packed up all our beach gear and took the 25 minute drive from our hotel. The island always seems to be abuzz with activity. People are walking everywhere, dining outdoors, walking in and out of the shops, and heading to the beach. We found our way to a parking lot close to the beach and paid a nominal fee. It was worth it because we were able to walk right out onto the beach. The beach itself was busy, but we were able to find a nice big open spot near some rocks, which provided the perfect climbing structure for the kids.
|
We spent hours at the beach that day. We played in the sand and ocean, went on a scavenger hunt for shells, and watched the Navy Seals do some sort of exercise out on the water.
Coronado is home to the Naval Amphibious Base and is the place where Navy Seals train. The day were were there, they had part of the beach roped off, and were taking rafts out into the ocean. One person tried to cross the ropes and one of the trainers started to yell through a megaphone to get out. They meant business! It was fun to watch and actually quite interesting to see how they would take the rafts out and work together as a team.
|
After several hours out on the beach, we were all hungry and hot and needed to grab some lunch. There are many dining options on the island, but since we were all sandy and beached out, we needed to find a casual spot and settled on a place called High Tide Bottle Shop and Kitchen. They serve pizza by the slice, sandwiches, salads, and a variety of other things. We all got slices of pizza and a drink. The pizza was really good. They had some kind of natural sodas and lemonade, which the kids and I enjoyed. It also had a selection of all sorts of bottled beverages, too. Joe was able to get a beer, which he enjoyed with his pizza. They had a few tables outside, which was perfect to enjoy the sunny weather and watch all the people come and go. All in all, it was a great place to enjoy a quick lunch after a day at the beach.
After lunch, we headed to Fuzziwig's Candy Factory. This is such a cute candy store! The kids could have spent much longer in there than we did, looking at all the different types of candies. I was able to get my favorite candy, sea foam. If you've never had it, you must try it! I always get dark chocolate and Joe always gets the milk chocolate. We took our candy into the car and enjoyed it while we drove back to our hotel.
After lunch, we headed to Fuzziwig's Candy Factory. This is such a cute candy store! The kids could have spent much longer in there than we did, looking at all the different types of candies. I was able to get my favorite candy, sea foam. If you've never had it, you must try it! I always get dark chocolate and Joe always gets the milk chocolate. We took our candy into the car and enjoyed it while we drove back to our hotel.
|
Being out in the sun all morning and afternoon had tired us out. So we spent the rest of the day at the hotel. We spent some time in our room resting, and then headed to the pool for a bit. For dinner, we didn't have the energy to head out anywhere, so we ate at the restaurant at our hotel, The Blue Wave Bar and Grill again. Just like the time before, it was tasty and the drinks were strong!
We headed to bed early that night because the plan was to get up super early to get on the road to the Safari Park. Make sure to check out our day at the Safari Park because hands down, it's our favorite place to go in San Diego and place that cannot be missed. It's truly like no other zoo out there! |
|
|
Looking back at our time on Coronado, we had such a blast! My kids have been to some pretty spectacular beaches like Tunnels on Kauai and Kaanapali on Maui, but they thought this one was even better. They still talk about our beach day there and want that to be the main thing we do when we go back again. So, make sure to find time to enjoy this beautiful beach and special little town when you are in San Diego.