Coronado is technically a peninsula, connected to the mainland by a narrow spit, but it feels like an island — reached most pleasingly by the San Diego-Coronado ferry from the downtown waterfront. The Hotel del Coronado, a sprawling Victorian beach resort opened in 1888, dominates the oceanfront and is worth visiting even if you are not staying.
Coronado Beach runs for two miles in front of the hotel and is consistently rated among the best urban beaches in the United States. The sand is fine-grained and the setting — hotel towers on one side, the Pacific on the other, with the Coronado Bridge arching in the distance — is striking. The small downtown of Orange Avenue has restaurants, boutique shops, and the feeling of a well-maintained small town that exists primarily for the pleasure of its residents.