Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
619-435-4131, 800-229-2032;
www.elcordovahotel.com
; 1351 Orange Ave; r from $199;
)
This exceedingly cozy Spanish-style former mansion from 1902 has rooms and suites
around an outdoor courtyard of shops, restaurants, pool, hot tub and barbecue grills.
Rooms are charming in an antiquey sort of way, though nothing fancy.
Hotel del Coronado
LUXURY HOTEL
from $289; )
San Diego's iconic hotel provides the essential Coronado experience: over a century of
history, a pool, a full-service spa, shops, restaurants, manicured grounds, a white-sand
beach and an ice-skating rink in winter. Even the basic rooms have luxurious marbled
bathrooms. For a sense of place, book a room in the original hotel, not in the adjacent
1970s building. Parking is $37.
Point Loma Area
HI San Diego Point Loma Hostel
HOSTEL
shared bath incl breakfast from $19/33; )
It's a 20-minute walk from central Ocean Beach to this little red hostel, in a largely resid-
ential area close to a market and library. Cheery private rooms are a great deal. There are
often cheap dinners, movie nights and free excursions around town and to Tijuana. Bus
923 runs along nearby Voltaire St. No lock-out times. No air-con.
Pearl
MOTEL
$129-169; )
The Mid-Century Modern Pearl feels more Palm Springs than San Diego. The 23 rooms in
its 1959 shell have soothing blue hues, trippy surf motifs and betas in fishbowls. There's a
lively pool scene (including 'dive-in' movies on Wednesday nights), or you can play Jenga
