“Cali, I have a feeling we’re not in Los Angeles anymore,” I said to my golden retriever as my husband drove us up to San Diego’s Hotel del Coronado.
OK, that’s a lie, but I should have said it. The historic Southern California resort first opened in February 1888, and entering the landmarked Victorian building feels like stepping into a storybook. I could just imagine why an author as whimsical as Lyman Frank Baum, the man behind The Wizard of Oz series, felt so inspired there. Baum wrote at least three Oz books at “The Del,” as it’s affectionately known, between 1904 and 1917.
Auda + Auda Photography/Hotel del Coronado
This 2025 holiday season, Baum’s storyline and the iconic hotel continue to resonate in tandem. To bring it all full circle, while musical buffs swoon over “Wicked: For Good” hitting theaters, The Del is dedicating its first holiday season after its six-year, $550-million renovation to the land of Oz starting today.
As part of “A Holiday in Oz,” the newly restored Victorian Garden Courtyard has become the “passage to Oz,” with a yellow brick road that runs through glowing dandelions and poppies and leads guests down a tinsel trail lined with trees decorated for each character. A “Wizard of Oz” light show will entertain families.
The beloved beachfront ice rink is also back, bringing guests a uniquely Southern California holiday experience, along with igloos in the sand, the perfect place for cozying up with a festive cocktail in the evening.
The nice thing about visiting Hotel del Coronado during the holidays, whether you’re parents wrangling kids or a couple looking to unwind beach resort-style, is that you really don’t have to leave. Its impressive 28 acres include prime beachfront real estate and accommodations ranging from hotel rooms to villas spread across five “neighborhoods” with their own pools, amenities, and vibes.
There are three beachfront restaurants: Veranda, where we enjoyed a fresh seafood tower; Mediterranean-inspired Serea, where we loved the spicy lobster rigatoni; and an outpost of the global Japanese hotspot Nobu. Special holiday meals will be held in the elegant Crown Room, where Baum dined many times and even designed the chandeliers that hang from its 33-foot-high ceiling. Guests can also add Ocean Club access to their stay to enjoy a breakfast buffet and happy hour drinks and snacks with a view.
What struck me most about The Del on my first visit was the feeling that you really are in your own little world, even though you’re just six miles from Downtown San Diego on quiet Coronado Island. I wasn’t over the rainbow, but I guess you could say I was having my own Dorothy moment over the San Diego–Coronado Bridge.
