Situated next to The Shores is the world famous Hotel del Coronado.  The hotel is famous for a number of reasons but perhaps most well known for its appearance – a massive, wooden, Victorian style estate with a red roof and classic windows with white siding.  But there are other important attractions, too.

The Hotel Del is the second largest wooden structure in the US and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1977. The hotel is believed to have a ghost (if not multiple).  You would think this deters people from visiting but actually quite the opposite.  And of course, how could we forget the most important attraction: the Del sits directly on the beach.  In Southern California. You know what that means…sun, sun, sun!

While certain amenities at the Hotel Del are restricted to guests only, you can (and should!) definitely still reap the benefits.  For example, the Del holds one of the best spots for watching the sunset.  This isn’t just because the hotel is right on the beach (because if you live at the Shores, you’re right on the beach, too). It’s because the Del has a deck that comes with comfy couches, fire pits, snacks and a bar.  Combine all those things and that’s a happy hour made in heaven.

Non-guests are strictly not allowed to relax poolside, but it doesn’t really matter because there is something much bigger and better, just meters away.  That would be the Pacific Ocean.  Just at the edge of the beach, right where the beautiful hotel begins, you will find a few rental shacks.  Hit up one of these beachside rentals for surfboards, boogie boards, flippers, beach toys (for the youngins’) and much more. And I’m fairly certain they have bike rentals as well.

*ablogmonger 

You slowly turn over in bed.  Before you open your eyes, you can tell that the room is filled with light – natural light from the sun peeking over the San Diego mountains. As your eyelids pop open, you stretch your body – from your fingers down to your toes, letting out a morning groan.  But not the kind of groan that comes from deep within as you are reaching over to shut off the 6am alarm clock.  No.  This is the kind of groan that speaks pure satisfaction from a good nights sleep followed by a natural wake-up.

Sitting up in bed, you place your feet on the floor.  The ninth floor of the La Princesa Tower, to be exact.  The floor beneath your feet is now in your new home at the Coronado Shores.  Meanwhile, a smile rolls across your face as you look out the window and see the magnificent blue of the Pacific Ocean.  Just then, a breeze passes through the window that you left open during the night.  It’s warm enough in San Diego to do that.  And as the soft breeze hits your face, with it comes the sweet and salty smell of the ocean below.

And while you sit on your eighth floor balcony wrapped in your morning robe, coffee in hand, you watch the sun rise and breathe in the ocean air and welcome the warmth you feel on your face.  The waves crash lightly on the shore, giving a constant reminder that you are, in fact, living on the beach.  The town is beginning to rise along with you, and you get to watch it all from the comfort of your new home in La Princesa Tower. 

*ablogmonger

If you Google images of the Coronado Shores, the result will be loads of photos of the beach, Coronado Bridge, the bay and the 10 towers.  The reason for all these seemingly random photos is because they are what you see from the Shores. 

Standing tall, each of the 10 buildings faces a different direction.  Imagine a huge piece of land where someone randomly placed 10 different buildings.  The first tower’s entrance faces directly west, while the next building is placed at an angle, facing north-east and the third block faces south-west, favoring the west.  And they continue on in directional randomness.  Each of these angles has something to offer, not one of them is unfortunate.

To the west, you have… well, the ocean.  Beautiful sunsets mixed with the sun sparkling on the ocean,.  The white sandy beach is directly below you and on a clear day you can see the Coronado Islands in the Distance.

To the east, you have the mountains, the bay and the bridge.  The Coronado bridge is an icon and the blue multi-colored sides add a beautiful touch to the eastern view.  The rising sun in the east brings morning light and provides a natural alarm clock. 

And to the north and south, you have views of Coronado/San Diego and Mexico.  Facing one of these directions means you also have the eastern and western landscapes to brighten your day and to bring a smile to your face.  

So, my suggestion? Google it.  I guarantee you’ll like what you see. 

*ablogmonger

When I was a youngin’ I was very much into cooking.  I wanted to be a chef and know all the delicious recipes that famous chefs around the world had created.  I would watch the Food Network program all the time, trying to understand all the elements and spices that went into their crafted feasts.

My mother noticed this little interest of mine and decided that I should make cooking into a hobby.  Unfortunately, she was no self proclaimed chef so smartly she found someone in Coronado who gave lessons to kids.  I don’t remember the man’s name, however I can picture his apartment perfectly.  He lived on the sixth floor of Cabrillo Tower at the Coronado Shores.  The apartment had a long hallway with shaggy blue carpet and floor to ceiling mirrors.  In the kitchen, the appliances were all white and aqua blue with cupboards made of different colors, like a mosaic.  It was clean (like a kitchen should be) and spacious and I loved being in his kitchen while cheffing it up.

Being in a kitchen can be comforting for many.  Preparing meals for the family or for a friendly dinner party.  If you’re one of these people, imagine how peaceful it would be to prep a meal while overlooking Coronado Island.  Well, if you can’t imagine it, I’ll tell you: it is absolutely breathtaking. You feel like you are in the clouds creating art while reveling in your favorite pastime.

*ablogmonger

When I lived in New York City, I was living in old apartment complexes that required a key to get into the building.  I wasn’t making enough money to live in a building with a doorman although I always wanted to.  I loved how you could walk through the front door, and past the lobby with your hands full, not needing to fish around in my purse for the building key.  

Even though I didn’t live in a luxury building, I had friends who did.  While I wasn’t a tenant of their complex, the doormen always knew me.  Greeted with a smile, an open door and a quick ‘hi, how are you today?’  They knew my name and who I was there to visit.  Like I said, this was in NYC but it’s very similar to the Coronado Shores.

As you walk up to the massive buildings at the Shores, you walk past flowing ponds on either side of the walkway and in through a door held wide open for you.  The doormen at the Shores definitely know your name and while their lips turn up into a friendly smile, they hand you your mail and deliveries from the day.  If you need maintenance they’re there for you.  If you need reservations at a restaurant, they’ll call for you.  If you accidentally locked yourself out of your apartment, they’ll hand over a spare key.  It is for reasons like these that I believe the Shores is one of the best places to live in the Crown City.

*ablogmonger

I have a friend who used to babysit for this family that lived in the Shores.  One time, I was invited to go along since it was at night and the kids would be going to bed shortly after our arrival.  This meant that while they were sleeping, we got to hang, watch TV, chat and discuss about how some both would live in an apartment complex.  

The family lived on the 8th floor, which seemed to us, so high up!  We both had grown up and still lived in one story houses so being in a high-rise apartment complex - the ONLY high-rise complex anywhere in town - was awesome.  While 9 stories high (the first floor really starts at about the 2nd story), the apartment had two separate views.  One side included the Hotel Del and the tiny, ant-like people walking around and the other we could watch the Navy airplanes flying over the ocean.

Since we both come from Navy families, watching these planes gave us a thrill.  While we both wanted to live in a complex one day, we were unsure how we felt about joining the military ourselves.  We respected it but pretty sure didn’t want to be in it.  Either way, we watched, mesmerized as these planes practiced their touch and go’s.  Such a bada** thing to be able to fly a plane.  Military or not, watching an aircraft of any sort is fascinating and from the Coronado Shores, you get a front row seat!

*ablogmonger

When I think of ping pong, I always imagine Tom Hanks.  You know, in Forrest Gump where he goes to Vietnam, gets shot in his bum and randomly picks up the game of ping pong. He works vigorously with his ball and paddle, and soon becomes a professional, traveling to China to compete against the best.   

For the rest of us, ping pong is a non-serious sport.  We are not masters but also don’t need to be in order to play.  We choose to indulge in the game because it’s [relatively] easy and can be played by people of all ages.  Which is why having a ping pong table is really fun.  It’s an interactive game, unlike video games (or something) and can be played against one or two people.

At the Shores, they have a little “community center” near the pool where you can play ping pong.  Whether you have kids who constantly want to be active and play something or are entertaining a group of adults, the table provides you with constant entertainment.  All you need is one opponent and if you’re anything like me, all you need is to win!

*ablogmonger

Just on the edge of the Shores beach, marking an invisible line where the Hotel Del begins and the Shores end, is a jetty. Before writing this blog, I had to look up the exact definition of the word jetty, just to be sure I was correct: a pier or structure of stones, piles, or the like, projecting into the sea or other body of water (ref, www.dictionary.com).  These particular jetty stones resemble that of the rocks stacked along the entrance to the beach.

The Coronado jetty consists of hundreds of huge stones.  Some of these oddly shaped rocks have smooth edges - due to erosion - and others have coarse, porous-like surfaces that are more ideal for climbing.  It may not be the safest place to play around, for if you fall it will surely be painful - but for those who are light-footed or enjoy a risk, the jetty is a fun obstacle course.  

Aside from an adventurous “risk-taking” climb, the jetty on Nado not only brings protection to the beach (helping deflect the current, etc) but also provides an educational and hands on “experience” for kids.  Curled up beneath and around all the rocks are many different types of marine life: sea anemones, crabs, fish and algae. These creatures provide an outdoor classroom and hands on experience for children, allowing their sponge-like minds to expand.  

Small tip for parents who are willing: bring along an empty jar so that your kids can take home and perform their own science experiment.  And if you’re not into dissecting, then encourage your young ones to keep the creature(s) alive and shortly thereafter release them back into the ocean.

*ablogmonger

The Shores are very special not only because of their location but also because of their history.  There is nothing like the shores in Coronado simply because of their “gargantuan” height.  Back in the 70s when they were beginning to build these complexes, something special happened.  The town approved 10 buildings to be built on the ocean’s edge, allowing the Shores to be the tallest buildings in all of Coronado.

On the island of Coronado, there are restrictions on how tall you can construct a house or building of any kind.  This rule limits the number of monster houses in the Crown City.  But for the Shores, this was overlooked.  Thankfully it was because the Shores community is a staple of Coronado.  You can pretty much see them from anywhere - the bridge the golf course, the beach.  The Shores are an historical part of the island.  Those who live or once lived there know just how lucky they are to reside on these authentic grounds. 

*ablogmonger

I recently spoke with a friend who grew up living in the Shores.  She could not say enough good things about residing in the large towers that sit on the edge of Coronado beach.  I believe she used the word “paradise” to describe her childhood experience of living in the Shores.  Over and over again, she used this magical word and still has fond memories of her time there.  

Now that my friend is an adult, she no longer lives on the island (and neither do her parents).  She said that she misses it every day, especially the sound of the ocean:  “My parents owned an apartment in La Princesa Tower - our place faced the ocean.  The countless beautiful sunsets that we saw on a daily basis was something that I will always cherish.  Dinners on our patio overlooking the ocean - it was all so serene.  And it absolutely felt like paradise.”

“My favorite part of living in the Shores was by far the peaceful sound of the tides washing in and out.  It was soothing and always made me fall to sleep feeling cozy and like I was in paradise.  Yes, it was paradise! And I wouldn’t give it up for anything.  I miss it dearly."

*ablogmonger