curb appeal on coronado island

My husband and I celebrated 

our anniversary this weekend on Coronado Island.  

We brought our bikes and 

enjoyed a lovely and cool day biking around the island.  

After eating a yummy breakfast at Clayton's, 

we explored the beautiful, historic neighborhood 

right next to the Hotel del Coronado.  

This home has a vintage bike out front 

used to permanently display geraniums.  

One of my favorite homes was this white one.

They love their water polo players on the island. 

We saw quite a few homes 

with this same sign out in front!

Beach-front craftsman style. 

This home was incredible to see in person.  

It has sooo much detail!  

It kind of reminds me of the house in the movie 

Sunset Boulevard, probably from the same era. 

I love the round porch with 

the black and white balloon shades - wow!

This one reminds me of Beverly Hills,

 pink and gated.

This historic house is known as the Baby Del, 

a mini version of the Hotel Del.  

Not such a bad location, right? 

Another lovely round porch, 

and back to the hotel!  

I've got lots more to post about the 

Hotel Del and San Diego...

Stay tuned!

ciao! fabiana

the gardens of hotel del coronado

Just like everything at the 

Hotel del Coronado, 

the gardens have a history 

and are undeniably stunning. 

This unusual Dragon Tree is 

over a hundred years old, 

but it's interest lies in the fact 

that it was used as 

a backdrop in the movie 

Some Like it Hot.

This is a picture from the scene in 

Some Like it Hot that was filmed 

at the famous tree.  

It's where Daphne (Jack Lemmon)

and Osgood, discussing their "date". 

If you haven't seen the movie, 

here's the trailer from 1959:

Most of the outdoor scenes were

filmed at the Hotel del Coronado.

I love the vintage feel of this little outdoor area.

The inner courtyard is lush and tropical.

This was the view from our balcony.

The herb and vegetable garden. 

Fabulous succulents surround

the outdoor portion of this restaurant.

ciao! fabiana

shopping at the Hotel del Coronado

Est. 1888 is one of my favorite shops at the Hotel del Coronado. It's located right near the main lobby and has a great vintage feel to it. 

Here I am posing with Josephine (aka Tony Curtis) from the movie "Some Like it Hot". If you haven't seen this movie, OMG, it’s hilarious and such a classic. It also stars Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon. Anyways, they carry all kinds of fun gifts, books, souvenirs and perfumes.

I’m a huge fan of the movie,

but they have lots of other fun gifts.

The ice cream shop, Moo Time Creamery is outstanding!

 You can smell the fresh waffle cones every time

 you come near this side of the hotel.

A definite destination if you’re visiting the island! 

There's a whole wing of stores downstairs

 under the lobby of the "del".

The Babcock & Story Emporium is located next to the bar and nearest to the beach and pool area. They have such cute beachy things and a great selection of chocolate, which makes this, as I told my husband, the perfect store for me!

They’re even featuring

Barclay Butera's book, above.

From chocolate to...

... the bakery.

A great place for a morning Starbuck's and a treat! 

The bar is a great gathering spot.

Here's where we watched the Stanley Cup Finals

(Go Kings!)

 and enjoyed an awesome turkey burger topped

with brie and candied orange peel.  

Yum!

ciao! fabiana