Photos Of Hotel Del Coronado

Here are some photos of Hotel Del Coronado on beautiful Coronado Island near San Diego California. Known locally as "The Del" it is widely recognized as one of the best examples of turn of the century American Victorian architecture. It was even the inspiration for the Emerald City in the original "The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz".

Construction on the Hotel Del Coronado began in 1885 when investors E.S. Babcock, Hampton L. Story, Jacob Gruendike, Heber Ingle and Joseph Collett came together to form The Coronado Beach Company. In later years it was Babcock and Story that were the most well known owners of the hotel.

The men hired architect James W. Reid of New Brunswick Canada to bring their vision of a luxury hotel on sparsely populated Coronado Island to life. A large behemoth of a hotel began to rise from the sand on a part of the island which was seen by many as a wasteland inhabited only by coyotes and lizards.

Reid incorporated state of the art technology, including electric wiring and 2,500 incandescent bulbs, along with a gravity fed water system which utilized several huge cisterns that collected rainwater. (Some of the huge tanks were believed to have held illegal liquor during Prohibition.)

Everyone from Hollywood stars to royalty has stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado over the years. It was known to be a favorite hideaway for Marlyn Monroe, who loved to sunbathe on The Del's pool deck. Charlie Chaplin, Errol Flynn, Rudolph Valentino and Mae West were among other Hollywood stars who loved to visit "The Del".

Presidents Harrison, McKinley, Taft and Wilson stayed there, as well as Edward, Prince of Wales. Some believe that Prince Edward met his wife Wallis Simpson there since she was a resident of the hotel when the prince visited in 1920. There are rumors of haunted rooms in the Hotel Del Coronado and it's no wonder given the age and notoriety of some of the guests. There are 399 rooms in the historic hotel, each undoubtedly with its own stories.

Above: The beaches of Coronado Island are some of the finest in California.

If you are visiting San Diego then a quick trip over on the Coronado Island Ferry from the mainland is recommended. Visitors to Coronado Island can also drive over the bridge, though traffic can be heavy at times in the evening. The Hotel Del Coronado is an amazing example of turn of the century architecture and is well worth a visit. Don't forget your camera!