Loews Coronado Bay Resort Planning & Tips

All About the Extras
Loews focuses on fitness in a variety of ways. There is a popular fitness room and classes such as yoga on the beach, BOSU cardio, kickboxing and spinning for $10 per class.

At the onsite spa, the signature treatment is body manipulations and massage that's done while customers float in one of Southern California's only watsu pools, which is kept at body temperature. There are indoor and outdoor massage areas, plus pedicure and manicure stations, beauty salon and whirlpool and steam rooms where guests are welcome to linger in before or after treatments. For a do-it-yourself indulgence, guests can order the Sea Spa Surrender, a $35 room delivery of seasonal cocktail and dessert, plus a fragrant spa scrub and bath soak.

Downtown, Fuzzywig's Candy Factory serves apple-pie-flavored caramel apples, chocolate-covered Twinkies, sugar-free chocolate turtles and Coronado Crunch, a mash-up of peanut butter, white chocolate, crispy rice cereal, marshmallows and chocolate chips. MooTime Creamery is another kid-favorite, where the sweet scent of waffle cones wafts into the street. People tend to crowd in for fresh-made ice cream and add-ins that get smashed together.

The Art of Smart Timing
If you have the flexibility, September and October are two of the best months of the year. Prices drop, crowds thin and warm, balmy weather continues. Depending on the flow of business travelers, you may find the best rates mid-week.

Getting there
Coronado Island sits 120 miles south of Los Angeles, 16 miles north of the Mexican border and 14 miles from the San Diego International Airport. It's separated from San Diego by a sweeping two-mile bridge that leads to the five-square-mile peninsula shared by military bases, residents and resorts that offer approximately 2,000 guest rooms in total.

San Diego also can be reached by Amtrak passenger train. Buses, water taxi and a ferry also shuttle visitors to the Coronado. If you travel by car, parking is $22 per day.

Getting around
You can come and go with a resort parking pass or hop a shuttle to Silver Strand State Beach (a five-minute walk away). Towels, beach chairs, umbrellas and boogie boards available through the Bell Desk.

For more shopping, dining and a pleasant stroll, take the resort's free eight-passenger shuttle to and from downtown Coronado. It runs from 10 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. each day every two or three hours. The drop-off is at McP's Irish Pub & Grill at Orange Avenue and C Street. That's also where you can catch the Old Town Trolley into San Diego for visits to Balboa Park, Old Town, the USS Midway and other tourist highlights.

For Mom and Dad
Loews can help arrange babysitting for $17 per hour for up to two kids for a minimum of four hours. Care providers bring age-appropriate activities.

You can take the whole family on a one-hour gondola ride or let it be a romantic outing for just mom and dad. Striped-shirted gondola drivers set out from the marina next to the resort and steer through the canals of Coronado Cays. Blankets, appetizer or dessert, an ice bucket and glasses are provided. Guests supply their own beverage. Rates are $85 for two people, $99 for a two-person sunset cruise or $25 per person for a family-style cruise for seven to 14 passengers. Reservations are required, and rides are scheduled weekdays 3 p.m. to midnight and 11 a.m. to midnight on weekends.

For guests craving learning opportunities and something fresh to do, Loews Resort often has wine-tastings, dance classes, tours of its large herb garden, art classes at the spa, and cocktail mixology classes for up to $30 per person.

There are more than 50 restaurants on Coronado Island, including a wine bar, lounge and two restaurants that face the sunset and overlook the ocean at the 120-year-old Hotel del Coronado. Outdoor fire pits and heaters keep it cozy even on brisk evenings.