THE CALIFORNIA LIFE

It is such a treat to spend a few days in Coronado, California. It's definitely a splurge to stay at the Hotel Del Coronado but the deals offered this summer took the sting off a bit.



In August my sister and I usually spend a few days at this pretty resort. We have a favorite room and suprisingly it is not in the main building. We prefer the Ocean Tower because it is just steps from the ocean and at night the sound of the waves lulls us into relaxation. The pictures above are taken from our room as is the next picture.

Look at all of those pretty white umbrellas (above) just waiting to protect the lunch crowd from the intense sun on a cloudless day. And this past week the sun was out in all her glory!

This is my favorite view from our room. And this room is not even a full ocean view. Love, love, love this view.

Above is the new Beach Village at the Hotel Del. These little villas have full kitchens, living room, and separate bedrooms. The porch is gorgeous and has a firepit (you can barely see it in the picture, the dark spot in the middle of the lower wall). Wouldn't it be great fun to gather up all of your friends and rent this out for a great girlfriends week? I think yes!

No need for a rental car when you stay at the Del. We spend most of our time at the Del hanging out on the beach (you know, wearing a big hat sitting under an umbrella slathered with sunscreen). Then we walk or bicycle through the darling neighborhoods on our way to breakfast or dinner. I love the border along the sidewalk in the above picture.

On the way we do a bit of house and garden stalking. Isn't this house pretty?

Gorgeous, purple clematis drapes this little arbor entry way.

A very English cottage a 1/2 a block away from the beach. We think our friend, Leslie, would love this house. And it has a cheery red door which looks great next to the charcoal gray trim.

The house below is my sister's favorite.

Besides living near the ocean I think I'm most envious of the gorgeous hydrangeas that grow effortlessly in coastal areas. The pink and green of these blooms are my favorite color combinations.

We always have breakfast at least once at Clayton's Coffee Shop. There is daily pancake special--the day before it was chocolate chip pancakes, the day we were in it was banana, the following day it was strawberry pancakes.

I figured that the bananas would be mashed into the batter, but no, even better the bananas were sliced and placed on top of the pancakes as they were cooking. This meant the bananas caramelized and required very little syrup. These were the best banana pancakes I have ever had. Aren't they gorgeous?

Another lush and full front yard just beckoning you to come have a seat and breathe in the fresh, fragrant sea air.

Despite the privacy wall there is something inviting about this home. The gray and white are crisp and the American flag looks like the cherry on a sundae.

But, this house below is my favorite in Coronado. I love the second floor balcony--the doors completely open and there is a open family area with a kitchen. Can you tell I've seriously stalked this house? I first noticed it two years ago when a family was living there. We would walk by at night when it was all lit-up inside (every house stalker's dream). I especially love the light fixture on the second floor which you can't see but trust me, it is perfect.

The views of the ocean are from the second floors--if you look to the left you can see an outdoor fireplace to take further advantage of the views. Sadly, this house sold last May so I missed the boat on this one. And although it is about a block away and around the corner from the beach it sold for $4.1 million. If I had only known it was for sale...and had a fairy godmother to grant me dozens of wishes.

The front door is one of my favorite designs. I've seen it in the Phoenix Arcadia neighborhood on a few houses but it is always painted black. This dove gray is just right for the beach.

We stayed three nights in Coronado and then drove up to Newport Beach stopping at San Clemente along the way.

We hit a few of our favorite haunts (Roger's Gardens) and visited a few new places such as Sherman Library and Gardens. We also went to a new little shopping area on Pacific Coast Highway between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach (directly across from Crystal Cove State Park). It had a Red Mango Yogurt shop which was very good, similar to our own Ocean Blue, a casual and yummy restaurant Pacific Whey Cafe and a new favorite home store called Juxtaposition.

We stayed one night at Marriott Newport Coast Villas and then took the last flight out from Orange County to head home. A few days on or near the beach is a nice little freshen-up for the mind. Sigh...