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Hotel del Coronado

Part of Coronado & South Bay, our guide to Coronado, the South Bay and the bayfront.

The Hotel del Coronado, at 1500 Orange Avenue, opened in 1888. Its Skating by the Sea ice rink runs November 20, 2026 to January 3, 2027. Tickets run $40 to $45 in the first weeks and $45 after December 18, with skate rental included. Parents may not carry children while skating.Checked October 23, 2026.

1888hotel opened
Nov 20–Jan 3Skating by the Sea
$40–$45skating, depending on date
Skatesrental included
An aerial view of the Hotel del Coronado with its red roofs and turret, the green lawn and the beach
The Hotel del Coronado from above. Armandoartist, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Address1500 Orange Ave., Coronado, CA 92118.
Skating hoursNov 20: 2 to 10 p.m. Nov 21–29: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Nov 30: 6 to 10 p.m. Dec 1–17: Mon–Thu 4 to 10 p.m., Fri 2 to 10 p.m., Sat–Sun 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Dec 18 to Jan 3: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Subject to change.
Skating pricesNov 20 to Dec 17: $40–$45 general admission, depending on date and time. Value Skate Sessions $35 before noon on select dates and all sessions Dec 1 and Dec 8. Dec 18 to Jan 3: $45. $5 off for resort guests, members, military and first responders with ID (not on Value Skate Sessions).
Skating rulesNo minimum age. Children under 12 must be with a skating adult. Parents may not carry children while skating.

History as The Hotel Tells It

The hotel says it opened in 1888, with guests arriving from late January 1888, and celebrates its birthday on February 19. It says it was built by Elisha Babcock Jr. and Hampton L. Story at a reported cost of $600,000. It claims the world’s first electrically lit outdoor living Christmas tree in 1904 and the first state dinner held outside the White House in 1970.

Public Spaces

The hotel’s home page names the Garden Courtyard with the Naiad Queen Fountain, Windsor Lawn, the Crown Room and Beach Village. It does not say which are open to people who are not guests.

Hotel del Coronado Open the map. © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What We Could Not Verify

  • Whether people who are not hotel guests can walk the grounds, parking and tours were not stated on the pages we read.
  • The hotel credits the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its National Historic Landmark status (designated 1977); landmark designations are normally made by the federal government, so we say only what the hotel states.
  • We leave out the hotel’s bars, restaurants and spa.

More in Coronado & South Bay

FAQ

When is Skating by the Sea?

November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027, with hours that change by date. See the hotel page for the schedule.

Can young kids skate?

There is no minimum age. Children under 12 need a skating adult with them, and parents may not carry children while skating.

Sources

  1. Hotel del Coronado: history
  2. Skating by the Sea
  3. Hotel del Coronado

Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s San Diego. Cite this page: It’s San Diego (itssandiego.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link to this page; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.