I booked a four day getaway to reconnect with a cousin and a friend that I haven't seen in years. I've never been to San Diego so I took a chance on Coronado and The El Cordova.
Coronado is very nice place to stay and close to the city.El Cordova is a large property convenient to shopping, eateries and only minutes to the bridge. My first impression of my room was that it was a good size but needed updating and cleaning ecspecially for the price I paid. After further inspection I found the bedroom and bathroom much nicer than the other two rooms. The bed was very comfortable and the staff were great.Would have been nice if parking was free although meters were only .25 an hour and free after 6 and Sundays.

Three professional colleagues and I spend four nights at the El Cordova to attend a seminar at the Del Coronado, which is nice but expensive and pretentious with unpredictable room assignments that have led to disappointment in the past. El Cordova was delightful, with comfortable rooms, unique decor, and convenient cafes nearby. We had crepes, Mexican food and drink, and seafood at the various restaurants in the building and were very pleased. Parking the rental car was convenient and reasonably priced.

Beautiful courtyard. Even the street side rooms were quiet and comfortable.

We are all going to return!

Jim

We booked online for $89 and got placed in room 103. To say we were surprised by the size is an understatement. It is about the size of a small apartment. Bedroom had 4-point king size mattress with flat screen tv. Living room was huge, wih wall mounted flat screen, reading nook by window and pullout couch. It had a fullsize kitchen with a breakfest nook on the side. The bathroom was good size but toilet was against door and felt cramped. My wife and i laughed that the both of us could live here. My in-laws were placed in Unit 51. This was a bottom floor unit by the court yard. They didnt have a breakfest nook, but a table off the kitchen. Their living room was big with a HUGE flat screen tv mounted ona wall mount. Neither room has any sort of a view but only a few rooms are faced towards the Del Corinado. And lets face it, you dont spend that much time in the room. The various staff i meet were friendly. For parking, you can do meter parking (a quarter gives an hour), with either 2hr or 4hr meters availble. You only have to pump in quarters until 6 pm, and then start again at 8 am. There is some side parking that is not metered, but we just paid the meter as we got a spot right across from the hotel. There is also an underground parking lot for $8 with unlimited in/out privileges (we were staying only 1 day so it was cheaper to stay on the street). You cant beat the location - near all the stores, and across the street from the beach,

The village of Coronado is a wonderful place to visit, especially if you need a sunny destination for the holidays. We decided to try the El Cordova because of the good Trip Advisor reviews and the advertized winter rate of $99 per night for a one bedroom suite. Upon arrival the room we were first given was a very sub-par room (#116). It was probably the worst room in the hotel and was located off the back alley of the hotel, behind the laundry room and up a dark set of stairs. When we walked into room #116 we were stunned that this shabby room was to be our accommodation. My husband’s only comment was “Yikes!”

I thought, “Well let’s give this another try . . .” and promptly went back to the front desk to seek out a better room. As we trudged back from our Siberian room #116 to the front desk I could peak into completely normal and nice looking rooms. The desk clerk was pleasant enough but his position was that we had reserved a “standard” room and room #116 was “standard”. I countered that even as we spoke the hotel’s website was showing a one bedroom suite for $99 and that room 116 was not pictured. I was then shown a slightly better room (#33) and told the rate would be $109 per night. Since we had been traveling since early morning I just gave up and took the second room at the higher rate. Normally, I would have whined and argued and insisted on the advertized deal but I just wasn’t up to it. So my advice to anyone considering this hotel is to watch out especially if they try to stick you with room 116. “Bait & Switch” – you decide.

On the day we checked out a different clerk was at the desk. When she asked, “How was your stay?” I blabbed and complained about the “switch”. Latter in the day I received an email from her letting me know I would only be charged $99 per night.

The good aspects of this hotel: It is a classic 1920s Spanish building with an excellent restaurant/cantina located on the premises and some of the rooms do appear to be completely renovated (room #51 would be a good choice). The location of this hotel is perfect for exploring the town and it is just a very short walk to the beach.