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History Rich Hotel Del Coronado
By: Kathy Manney / Around Our World
Every detail of the distinctively white hotel is
sharply etched under the bright sun like a
picture postcard. The wind whips cream foam waves
onto the beach nearby. When it opened in 1888, the historic, elegant and
gracious Hotel Del Coronado was the world’s largest resort hotel.
As Coronado Island grew, developers transported thousands of trees
here for landscaping. Orange trees were planted down the center
median of Orange Avenue. In 1904, the large Norfolk Island pine at
the hotel’s entrance became the first electrically lit outdoor tree in the
United States.
26 February 2018
Movies like Some Like it Hot were filmed on the grounds and it is
rumored that King Edward VIII, first met divorcee Wallis Spencer
Simpson at the Hotel Del Coronado. Marilyn Monroe, Charles Lindbergh,
Jack Nicholson and Oprah have been guests.
In 1892 Kate Morgan, a beautiful young woman checked in, but never
checked out. There have been reports of ghostly happenings ever since.
L. Frank Baum wrote his famous book The Wizard of Oz while a
guest here. (A little-known fact about Dorothy’s slippers is that they were
actually silver in the book, not ruby red as depicted in the movie.) In
1972, the Hotel Del Coronado held the first State Dinner outside of the
White House on behalf of President Richard Nixon.
Coronado Island was discovered by Spanish explorer Sebastian
Vizcaino in 1602. Spanish explorers surveyed San Diego and Coronado,
but did not settle here. For nearly 200 years, the peninsula remained
undeveloped. The first formal survey of San Diego Bay and Coronado
wasn’t taken until 1851 by an American survey vessel.
Undeniably, the Hotel Del Coronado is history rich. It’s a spot where
tourists the world over come to experience and revel in old-fashioned
elegance and year-round sunshine.
Kathy Manney enjoys visiting interesting places and being an
Adventure Diva. Her “Must See” travel journeys continue - always
with enthusiasm.