Victorian Lady by the Sea

by Susanne Dietze

Where was the largest hotel resort in the world when it opened in 1888?

The coast of South Carolina, or Florida, perhaps. Or maybe a located near a natural hot spring in New York.

What if I told you this resort was the place L. Frank Baum wrote his novels, and he may have based Oz’s Emerald City on it? Or that the future King Edward VIII may have first met his beloved Wallis Simpson there in 1920?

Few might guess San Diego, California, is the locale, although the Hotel del Coronado has hosted celebrities, presidents, royalty, and scandals for over a century, and it remains an icon of sophistication, quality, and luxury to this day.

Original uploader was Nehrams2020 at en.wikipedia

After the mid-century Gold Rush, California boasted wealthy individuals and a land of opportunity. In 1880, two men (E. S. Babcock and Hampton L. Story) spent around $100K to purchase the Coronado peninsula, which boasted lovely ocean views, water teeming with marine life, and scrub rich in quail and rabbit. They had visions of building a grand hotel, and in 1887, they hired architect James W. Reid to build it.

The "Del" circa 1900

And what a hotel. Historic guests (who probably took the train) would arrive in balmy Southern California temperatures to behold the view of the white-painted, red-roofed structure and be as pleased as a modern guest. The lobby boasts incredible woodwork in a two-story gallery. Once checked in, one can take the stairs to reach the rooms above, but the grille elevator, complete with a liveried operator, is still in use, which seems much more fun. I wouldn’t know personally—one has to be a guest to enjoy that particular experience. (I’ve never stayed there, but my grandparents honeymooned there in 1934. My grandma’s suitcase popped open on the staircase. She was mortified!)

The lobby, by Rich Niewiroski Jr.

Perhaps the most famous room in the hotel is the Crown Room, a chamber off the lobby which is decorated with lovely green wallpaper, crown chandeliers, and more dazzling woodwork. The wooden ceiling is held together with pegs, no nails. It's been used for fancy parties for national heroes, like Charles Lindberg, and foreign dignitaries, like the future Edward VIII, alike. 

hotels.about.com

The Crown Room is the site of the Del’s annual Victorian Holiday Tea, which I enjoyed this year. It didn't look like the above picture--linens or chairs--but it was nevertheless just gorgeous! The food wasn't bad, either. ;)


My savory plate at the tea. From the top: smoked salmon with cream cheese and salmon roe; shrimp salad with lemon basil cream in phyllo; citrus ham with strawberry on a crostini; duck comfit with mango chutney on brioche; egg salad with osetra caviar (hidden behind the purple leaves); cucumber sandwich with dill; and a black currant scone with Devonshire cream. By the way, I was so excited by the sweets that I forgot to take a photo before we dug in. Let me just say the highlight was chocolate opera cake with gold leaf.

In the 1880’s and beyond, guests enjoyed electric lighting, telephones (but not in the individual rooms), that elevator I told you about, European china and linens, bathroom with water pressure (ooh!), all with the security of knowing fire alarms and firefighting equipment were in place. Guests could also enjoy golf, a salt-water swimming pool, billiards for gentlemen and ladies, tennis courts, a yacht club, deep-sea fishing, bowling, polo, an ostrich farm, and even a school for the children of long-term residents.

Naturally, celebrities flocked there, including presidents Harrison, McKinley, Taft and Wilson. The 1920s saw film stars like Mae West, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin as frequent guests.

Just as naturally, the rabble (aka, regular people) wanted to stay at the Del, too, so the early 1900s saw the addition of Tent City. Tent and bungalow accommodations were available on the beach just south of the grand hotel for more modest rates. A dollar could get you a trolley ride there, plus a tent and a bathing suit rental (!).


Times changed, however, and World War II saw an end to Tent City and the hotel’s patriotic response to the Uncle Sam. Many pilots trained at nearby North Island Naval Air Station, and many of the Del’s rooms were used to house officers’ families or to allow service members to visit—or say goodbye to—their loved ones.

After the War, the Hotel was again popular with Hollywood, and it served as the setting of Some Like it Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon. 

from the "Some Like it Hot" trailer

Since then, every president except Lyndon Johnson has stayed there. Oprah is one of the oodles of celebrities who've visited, and Queen Elizabeth II even spent a night or two. As a Historic Landmark, the Hotel has maintained its original Victorian charm while updating to the most modern of amenities to accommodate modern guests.

Maybe one day I’ll get to ride the elevator, as a real-life guest. Until then, the Hotel Del sounds like the perfect setting for a story. One that includes tea, of course...

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Question of the day: So, if you were with me at the Victorian tea, would you have eaten the caviar? (BTW I checked, and the osetra (sturgeon) caviar sells at $45+++ an ounce. So would you have given it a go?)

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Susanne Dietze writes historical romances set in the Regency, Victorian, and Edwardian periods. She enjoyed a fabulous tea at the Hotel Del Coronado in December and pretended she was Lady Mary from Downton Abbey just to get the caviar down. You can visit her on her website at www.susanedietze.com