I spotted this thread a few weeks after you started it so I hope my response is still helpful.
Last time I attended a conference at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort I booked a hotel in downtown San Diego because it was much cheaper. Many of my colleagues asked, "Why so far away?" Look at a map of the area and you will see that Coronado is a small island, and the hotel is on a very narrow part of it. There are very few choices unless you accept a 30 minute commute. I did, and found that the drive between downtown San Diego and the conference site was not that bad. Plus, the weather was poor at the beach at night (stiff winds and chilly air) so I had the last laugh at everyone who thought I was foolish for shunning the isolated "resort" in favor of a walkable downtown location next to restaurants, clubs, etc.