I just stayed the weekend at 'the Del" and found it VERY disappointing. They claim to be a 5-star, this website shows them to be a 4-star, and I would not give them better than a 3-star.

The suite we had in the tower was disappointing, it was tired and there were items missing that you would expect in this class of hotel (turn down service only if requested, no slippers, no minibar snacks, no wine glasses or cork screw, etc.).

The food was passable, the breakfast buffet was well stocked, but the eggs were rubber like, many items were cold.

The service was the most disappointing. From the front desk attitude to restaurant service personnel generally not paying attention to customers. Two specific items that happened were closing down the deck in the evening with about 50 customers being displaced, bringing security and generally being rude in doing this - without cause. And being told what to do or not to do by staff, instead of the 'how can we help you' attitude that you should be able to expect at this type of resort.

Last, but not least, the main outdoor seating area for the bar and restaurant is constantly used for service personnel with carts to set up lawn and beach events. It was like a service corridor with the carts constantly - for hours!

No, I would never stay here again. Not only would I not recommend it to friends, I would specifically tell them NOT to stay at this dump.

We had a full ocean view room in the victorian building on the ground floor. The only problem we had with our room was it was directly over the restaurant and with an 11 month old the music at night was a little worrisome. But the music was kept at a low level and went off at a reasonable hour. Our son slept through it just fine with the patio door closed. The staff was great, very helpful, the room was clean and full of old world charm. The property was beautiful and even with the holiday weekend crowds it wasn't unbearable. Our only exception was the only dinner we chose to eat in the hotel was at Sheerwater and had a horrible dinner. We were set at a dirty table, didn't see the waitress who was over worked for her section and waited too long between courses. The highlight was the manager made it right by comping our entire meal except for the drinks. I think overall we had a good time. Our only other complaint was that it was hard to find food at a reasonable price to feed our family on the island.

The main Hotel del Coronado is indeed a beautiful historic old hotel but you may also end up at a modern tower next door as I did. To make matters worse, my unit had a leaky, moldy air conditioner! I called up right away to see if I could change rooms and all they did was send over a maintenance man with a wet vac! He told me that he had reported the problem with the air conditioner several weeks earlier and was surprised they were still renting the room out. I complained every day for five days and all the desk did was to send someone out with a wet vac! Finally on the fifth day they did offer to move us but by then we decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

The beach and pool are very nice but my nine year old daughter thought the streets were too busy to go for a bicycle ride. The advertised kayaking is actually at a state park a car's ride down the street.

I also wasn't impressed with the hotel's restaurants. The setting is beautiful but I thought the food was over cooked and over priced.

This was our third visit to the hotel and we will definitely be going back again!!! It is always crowded, sevice is sometimes slow, you'll be in line for checking-in and checking-out BUT if you know that before you go and are prepared to put up with it, then you'll love it. There is so much history in the hotel and everything is so beautifully done. Food is excellent, everywhere is spotlessly clean and staff have always been very friendly. We have been twice when the hotel was full to maximum occupancy but had no problems with getting sun-bed by the pool or table for breakfast. Getting table for lunch on the terrace area wasn't quite so easy!! We went once when the hotel was quiet and it really was lovely, so if you are not restricted with dates, avoid school holidays at all costs!!!