Loews Coronado Bay Resort & Spa-San Diego, CA

At the park at the community center overlooking the bay.
Hotel Del Coronado
San Diego Zoo
Snuggle session in our room at Loews

My daughter was about two months old when my husband had a last minute business trip to San Diego. I had to think about it a split second, as I would never have traveled with my first child so early, but we threw caution to the wind and headed out west! It was a little off season, late April/early May, it was chilly, but the weather was much warmer than the East Coast and the trip was perfect for us and the kiddos. This is the trip that started my wheels turning on finding babes and tot friendly places.

I found Loews Coronado Bay Resort from my sister, who had seen it on Parents.com. It was ranked in the top ten places in Best Family-Friendly Resorts in the U.S. and the Caribbean. I wasn't sure if this meant toddler friendly, but it ended up being terrific! As I mentioned, we went off season and there weren't many children activities planned, but we found plenty to do. Upon check-in, my son was given a Fisher-Price toy of his choice and the front desk staff not only was friendly, but so welcoming of little ones. What a huge difference, where other places seem to want you to hide your kiddo away and make sure they are seen and not heard at all. Not the feel here at Loews. The hotel itself was gorgeous, and the rooms where incredible with a huge bathtub that my son LOVED! I killed a lot of time at bathtime since I was still getting used to putting two little ones to bed at that time. They also had the most adorable crib set up for us, with cute bedding, bumper, blanket and all. We opted for the two queen beds and it worked perfectly with the kiddos.

Along with 24-hour room service for those nights when the kids are just too tired to go out, or you are not in a betting mood to see whether or not the kids blow up at the table, the restaurants let the kids eat free. There is also a little cafe for sandwiches, snacks and coffee, which we frequented often. There were tons of places a few miles down the road that were good for carry out as well. Here is a link to some other fun family dining places in the area.
http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/coronado-ca-kid-friendly_13sd.html

For daytime activities on the grounds, there is a playground right to the left of the entrance gates (if you are walking from the hotel) and we used that a lot. There are also several pools, including a big kiddie pool, whirl pool, kibanas to keep the kiddos in the shade, outdoor chess and checker games, outdoor ping pong, and three tennis courts. Across the highway and via a private pedestrian underpass was direct access to Silver Strand State Beach. There you can ride bikes, rollerblade, waverun, go sailing or even rent paddle boats. And there is an on-site surf and paddle board school. I was told you can rent all of the above, and a pay for a gondola ride and more, but we never made it down to the beach as it was just a bit too chilly/windy for us with an two month old that week. For indoor activities, there is an award-winning Kids’ Club designed by Pottery Barn Kids and Teen Lounge and Teen Spa Room designed by Pottery Barn’s PBteen. We took many excursions around the area, so didn't use these rooms, but they looked fantastic.

For a date night on the grounds, there was a great fine dining restaurant, Mistral, which used all the herbs that came from the hotel's 3,800-square-foot organic Herb Garden. And for a spa experience, Sea Spa featuring 15 treatment areas for massages, facial and body services; spa manicures and pedicures; steam, sauna, relaxation lounge; and complete fitness center and aerobic studio with group and private classes.
Loews Coronado Bay
4000 Coronado Bay Road
San Diego, California, 92118
Phone: (619) 424-4000
Fax: (619) 424-4400
http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Coronado-Bay-Resort

Loews Coronado Bay Hotel is set a little off the beaten path. It is three miles down the road from downtown Coronado, but walkable if you are into putting the kids in the stroller for a long stroll. The NAVAL SEAL training facility is along the walk to downtown Coronado, and you can peak through the fence and sometimes see them training on the beach. Of course, if you are not into such a long walk, you can drive and we found parking easy enough on the street.

Downtown Coronado was a fun play to walk around. We found parking on the street and walked around checking out the shops. We walked around the ground of the Hotel Del Coronado and the beaches. If you plan your trip right, you can hang out at the Babcock & Story Bar and watch the sun set with a glass of wine or an amazing bloody mary--one of the best I've ever had and I've been here several times now. There is an ice cream shop called Moo Time Creamery too that the kids will love and an extraordinary brunch at the famous Crown Room, which is continuously voted San Diego’s best. Brunch is available every Sunday from 9:30am to 1pm.

Hotel Del Coronado
1500 Orange Ave, Coronado, 619/435-6611
http://www.hoteldel.com/

We frequented many parks and play areas along the way. There is a great park at the The Coronado Community Center, overlooking Glorietta Bay at 1845 Strand Way. There it a tot lot adjacent to the bay and on your way back to the Loews hotel, on the right hand side. You can BBQ there too!

We left the hotel and the Coronado area to visit with friends and family often and took in many of the sites and attractions nearby. Again, we are a military family, so we were able to take advantage of the discounts at a few of the San Diego attractions.

We loved the San Diego Zoo. A one day pass was $37 for ages 12 and up, and $27 for ages 3-11. If you are active duty military, you receive free admission with a military ID. Having small children, we were able to enjoy the zoo for $27 for the whole family--the price of just my ticket. What a bargain for such an amazing zoo. Beware, the new polar bear exhibit is so fun and exciting, so your kids beeline it for the maze, but there are multiple openings, so be ready to man each exit. It is a small enough maze, but when it is crowded, it could be very easy for a little wee one to sneak on through and get lost in the crowd. Also, make sure you wear some good walking shoes and not the adorable sandals I had on...I know, I know, I should know better. But this zoo is hilly and pushing that stroller up some of the hills was quite a workout even for those in shape. I am referring to the hubby as the in shape one, not me.

San Diego Zoo
2920 Zoo Drive in Balboa Park
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/

There is also the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which used to be the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. The name changed to better reflect the experience, that is per the Web site. Same pricing as the zoo, and there are packages that give you a discount to do both. We opted not to do that with our little ones, but would have split it up between two days had we had more time. My sister lived out in San Diego and said it was fantastic. Anyone been and want to tell us more, we'd love to hear!

Sea World was also a hit and with the military discount we got in for free--the entire family, thanks to the Here's to the Heroes program, which allows active duty military to enter the park for free with three dependents. For some reason, my son couldn't focus on the aquariums, and was more into the lights, vents, fans and escalators, so I was thankful that we didn't spend a fortune getting in, but we did have a good time and my son got to run around and release all that energy he harnesses. We did loose a croc (shoe) in the flamingo pond...Don't try taking a picture too close to the fence, but it was a teachable moment for us. Find someone to tell because we don't want the flamingos to get sick... And watching the staff fish the shoe out of the water was fun for the kiddos too. The staff was so friendly and didn't blink an eye. Apparently, it happens all the time. Slippery little shoes!

Sea World San Diego
500 Sea World Dr.
San Diego, CA 92109
http://www.seaworld.com/sandiego/default.aspx
Our trip was short, but there were so many things we wanted to do. I know Lego Land is in nearby Carlsbad too, but we thought our two year old was just too little to make it worth while. Just driving around and taking in the sites was just amazing. Be sure to drive by La Jolla--La Jolla Cove is breath-taking and La Jolla Shores is the most family-friendly beach. Really, there isn't anything you can do in San Diego that you can't make babe and toddler friendly. I often wished we lived there...now back to reality!