Loews Coronado Bay Resort

Public Service Promotion We stayed at Loews Coronado Bay Resort in Coronado, California from July 20 through July 25 for a much-needed vacation. We were able to take advantage of their public service employee promotion, which we are so grateful for because it allowed us to take a break from serving others and feel cared for in return. The promotion even included a discount on self-parking, which made the trip more affordable and accessible for us. Our Travel Background My husband and I travel fairly often and have stayed in many different types of accommodations. We have stayed at Hiltons, Hyatts, Marriotts, and charming privately-owned hotels like the one we enjoyed in Rome. We have also stayed in cozy bed and breakfasts, such as in Sonoma and Cayucos here in California. Our travels have taken us to Switzerland, Japan, Mexico, Hawaii, the Caribbean, British Columbia (Victoria and Vancouver), multiple areas throughout the southern U.S. states, and many parts of Southern California. I share this so readers have a sense of the type of traveler we are and the standards we are comparing this stay to. Warm Welcome and Service From the moment we arrived, we felt welcomed. Even though we did self-parking, the staff greeted us right away, guided us to the parking area, and made sure we knew exactly where to go. Each time we returned to the main entrance of the resort, we were welcomed again, which gave the stay a really warm and caring feeling. Our Room Our Resort View King Room with Balcony, Room 2217, became a peaceful retreat every evening. The room was very clean, and the bed was extremely comfortable. Some reviews mentioned that the rooms were aging, so we looked for it, but we only saw very small signs of age and only because we were looking. It did not take away from our comfort at all. We also ordered room service during our stay, and it was excellent. Food arrived quickly and fresh. Sitting on the balcony with coffee in the morning or relaxing in the evening was one of our favorite parts of the day. A Small Suggestion If I had one small suggestion, it would be for better bathroom ventilation. Unless we missed it, we did not find a fan in the bathroom, and a little more air circulation would make it even more comfortable. Dining We enjoyed the food on-site. Silverstrand Exchange quickly became our daily coffee stop. My husband loved the caramel macchiato, and I tried a few different drinks, all of them delicious. Their chocolate chip cookies were a highlight too—soft, rich, and so good. On our first night, we had dinner at Cays Lounge, and the burgers were cooked perfectly for our taste and very tasty, exactly what we needed after a long day of travel. La Cantina by the pool was another favorite. My husband enjoyed a burrito, and I had a Brussels sprouts taco and a fish taco, which were both fresh and flavorful. We also noticed that they offered vegan and plant-based options like tofu bowls, which we thought was great. Fitness Center I also want to point out the fitness center. I did not use it myself, but my husband, who travels with me often and goes to gyms regularly, said this was the best hotel fitness center he has ever seen. It was spotless, well-equipped, and clearly cared for by someone who takes pride in it. He said that person deserves recognition. Overall Impression Our stay was exactly what we hoped for; relaxing, comfortable, and full of excellent service. The staff was consistently professional and friendly, the room was spotless and comfortable, the food was great, and the whole experience made us feel valued. We left with no complaints, only gratitude, and we would be happy to return. We also hope they continue the public service promotion, because it truly made this wonderful stay possible for us.

I came across Loews Coronado Bay Resort as it was marketed as a family-friendly hotel near San Diego—even showing up in Instagram ads and influencers as one of the top spot for families. Naturally, I was excited to stay. But unfortunately, the experience didn’t meet the family resort vibe I was expecting. Check-in was slow, with only two people working the desk, and the line moved painfully slow. People checking in were offered some fruit punch when they check in and I wasn't, which really made me feel singled out. Our bags took so long to arrive in a room (since our kids wanted to go swim) that I ended up retrieving them myself. The room itself felt very outdated and problematic. In our room, several issues stood out: • Rust on metal fixtures like the lamps and bathroom mirror • A bed frame that stuck out awkwardly from the side • Only one usable three-prong outlet (with that socket coming out of the wall - an electrical fire waiting to happen) • USB ports built into lamps and the clock that didn’t work with modern USB-C cords • A sliding closet door that required lifting off the track each time • A bathroom door that swung open into the entrance door, making it difficult to even enter unless you shoved it hard • Non-functioning ice machines that forced me to go from building to building just to get ice—the staff eventually had to retrieve ice from the cafe • A balcony that opened to people smoking right outside • A slow, unresponsive TV that took 10 minutes just to load the guide As for my kids—they were underwhelmed. They swam in the pool once, but weren’t interested in the outdoor games. The ping pong paddles were broken, the giant Connect Four was surrounded by seagulls that they were scared to go near it, and much of the “kids passport” brochure activities weren’t actually available to do. A large conference also took over many of the shared spaces in one of the days, making it even harder to explore or enjoy the resort. I genuinely wanted to love this place, but it just didn’t live up to the expectations for a fun, family-friendly resort getaway. It is $40 dollars for a resort fee a day for something we did not make use of at all. Honestly, it felt more like a senior living community by the look of the place. If I had the chance to do it again, I’d spend more and stay at a hotel in San Diego—closer to everything —instead of traveling 20–30 minutes across the bridge to Coronado. If you have kids under 12, Legoland Hotel or the new Gaylord Hotel in Chula Vista (just 13 minutes away) and offered more variety of options to eat Asian and the infamous Tacos El Gordo. In fact, we were lucky to get a day pass at the Gaylord Resort, and my kids had a blast in the wave pool, lazy river, and kiddie pool. I seriously considered cutting our stay short at Loews to move over there. My kids even encouraged me to do it, but it was too expensive for one night stay and was too lazy to make the change and unpack everything. It was the lesson I had to teach them - "once you had filet mignon, it is hard to go back to Hamburger Helper". So if the price is right and save, I promised the kids to stay at Gaylord next time or possibly just stay at the renovated Disneyland resort. That said, the highlight of our stay was the hardworking young adult staff—especially the valet team. They were kind, welcoming, and truly helpful every time we came and went.

First time in Coronado, was a bucket list trip. We booked a suite with terrific views. Immediately upon entering the suite we added a 2nd room. There was no way a family of four could stay in the suite, there was no room for a roll away bed. Given the addition of a 2nd room our room expense increased by $1400. The complimentary shuttle was never on time, it was very frustrating because we had plans and reservations. We spent over $400 on ubers because the shuttle was never where it was supposed to be. On July 4th the entire hotel was smoky and wreaked of BBQ, it was disgusting. Do not waste your $ on this hotel, it is tired and beat up. It is far from the action of Coronado, very disappointed this is where we stayed. For what we spent on 2 rooms, ubers, we could have stayed at a much nicer hotel.

Carpet in our room was wet upon arrival. Cantina service was not the best. Our waitress gave me a can without a glass and was not friendly. Front desk was very friendly. Valet was very professional and helpful. Beautiful place and outstanding location. Could use a little fine tuning. Note: Katherine in reservations gave us wrong pricing when we called ahead to book. Make sure you do your due diligence. We went through a booking service since we were misinformed.

5 stars every time! My husband and I have stayed here 3 different times since 2017. We have staid in the poolside room, ocean view and most recent a VILLA! You can’t go wrong in picking a room, but hands down the villas are amazing! Very friendly and helpful staff. Food is wonderful especially room service by the ocean! This resort is clean, relaxing and has what you need to enjoy a beach vacation in a quiet spot. Great for couples and for kids! Counting down the days until I’m back at Loews Coronado!