JetSet05

If you can't get a beach/ocean view, I personally think the courtyard view the Victorian suit is the next best thing. Very quiet and large balconies, and your not dealing with a parking lot view or noisy people on the outside.

However, if I were to book a basic Cabana room I would try to select one of the few rooms that is facing the green space, which is right below the Sun Deck grill. Fantastic access to the beach and lawn, for a basic room. The only drawback to these rooms is I have heard the wifi access is bad.

pinniped

Yikes. I don't want to think Ramada unless I'm in BFE and the alternative is to think Motel 6!

So I looked into it further and figured out why the agent said Tower King was the best choice: it's because Victorian King was unavailable for one of my three nights. However, since the certificates have to be booked one night at a time anyway, I phoned back and switched my Friday and Saturday night bookings to Victorian King. Sunday night is still Tower King. It seems odd that Sunday night was the odd night out, as that's usually an emptier night in a hotel, but I figure by the time we check in we may get a Diamond upgrade, or pay for some kind of upgrade, so it won't matter. I'll also check back periodically to see if it actually opens up as well.

Worst case, a courtyard view with a balcony sounds okay. Parking lot view would be a buzzkill.

JaysonW

Thanks for the replies to my previous post. Anyone know if they ever offer paid villa upgrades at check-in?

JetSet05

Are you asking about upgrades to the Beach Village at the Del? I think it is highly unlikely, given that online it online it operates as separate entity. Similar to the Ho'olei at Grand Wailea, I would think the only way to get a room in these unique rooms is to purchase a make a reservation in one of the rooms. But of course, I could be wrong.

pinniped

Yeah, not sure what that would look like. From my standard award to a villa? $500/nt.? From the way the website is worded, it's not even clear that the villas are part of Honors. Even if I had a million points I wanted to blow on one weekend...

woodburyhome

Just had a 2 night stay using free weekend night cert for one night and cash for the second. I was cautiously optimistic given some of the reviews I've seen.

Let me start by saying check-in kinda sucks. I didn't want to do digital key because of the two reservations - I figured it would be difficult to link the two even though I booked via phone to ensure they were linked. The lobby was crowded and there is a light that reflects Hilton Diamond on the floor - which is lovely if people aren't standing on it making it impossible to read. After finally reaching the desk I asked for an upgrade - nope not available. As the clerk then went to my second reservation Diamond status was showing (I guess it doesn't show on free nights). He then launched into the most monotone welcome diamond member speech ever. It was actually comical. The he offered to look for an upgrade. Click, click, click...nothing but he said let me give you breakfast coupons instead (instead?....really did I just fall of the turnip truck). Anyway, got a great room overlooking the parking lot. Room was worn, stained carpets, and lukewarm water.

Continental breakfast at Sheerwater is what you get as a Diamond. It's $20 to upgrade to anything hot. We only ate there one morning because quite frankly it's just not worth it. The continental was marginal and the hot offerings certainly aren't worth $20. Not to mention the line. Lines at this hotel are a common theme.

Checked out the pool, it was fine. One bartender and lines.

Beach is nice, but overall the hotel is meh. Definitely not worth paying cash.

pinniped

(1) Would Digital Key have been a working option for you if you had a single room? The last thing I want to do is stand in line to check-in to a hotel. I would use Digital Key even if I wanted to later get a physical key the next morning when there's no queue for the FD.
(2) Were the lines at breakfast simply to get a table? Once you're there I assume it's a buffet, right?
(3) Was there any other option besides the continental buffet? Could you have ordered similar value from the menu? Or give two certificates per person to get something else?
(4) What was your room type that led to a parking lot view? Was that a Tower room or Victorian room?

woodburyhome

Pinniped -

Yes, if I had one room with one reservation number I would have used digital key.
Yes, 30 minutes to get a table. Yes it's buffet.
I assume there was an option to order non buffet food, but we didn't get a menu so hard to say. The certs they hand out at the check in desk specifically say one per person per day no combining.
I booked a Victorian room. It was on the 5th floor and faced the self parking lot and had a very small window. Even though people don't seem to care for the tower rooms in retrospect I might have liked those better for space, light and I assume "hot" water since they are in a totally different building.

JetSet05

1. Can't answer the digital key question but, I stayed here when it was at full capacity, and I never experienced the "long lines". Not at check-in, not at a bar, not in a restaurant.
2/3. Again, I never experienced the long lines when going to breakfast. I walked up, was seated, and then got my food. No lines. Yes there is both a continental buffet and hot buffet. In addition there is a menu you can order off of. Prices were around $25, I think. Certificates can not be used for the a la carte. In addition, there was a coffee shop that served breakfast items, i suspect this may be the only place one would have long lines. Reason being, it is the cheapest place to get breakfast at the resort.
4. Both Tower and Victorian have standard rooms that face the parking lot. If you want to guarantee yourself to not have a parking lot view, use OLCI.

Side note-I found that the water got very hot in my room in the Victorian tower.

pinniped

I imagine we'll avoid the queues at the restaurant simply by waking up at 8AM central time. We tend to do that whenever we go out west, especially on a short 3-night trip.

I was definitely thinking about OLCI on this one: do we OLCI as soon as it opens to ensure a decent choice of rooms, or hold off until the afternoon of the day of arrival when the front desk might do Diamond upgrading? It will probably depend on what kind of availability the hotel still has in the days leading up to our check-in.

Random questions:
- Is there a decent coffeeshop or bagel joint within walking distance of the hotel if, for whatever reason, we decide to skip the continental breakfast one day?
- Does Coronado have the dockless bikes you can grab and ride around the island? I know San Diego has them but I heard someone say Coronado banned the scooters...wondered if that applied to dockless bikes as well.

SS255

OskiBear

BTW - you can make a reservation for breakfast. Since I was there over the busy part of the summer, I figured it would be really busy so I simply made a reservation for a specific time the next morning.

Seabilly

This. Stayed one night on a cert a month or so ago. I called down to the front desk and they gave me a reservation. (I was able to specify inside or outside, although there were more outside reservation times available. Probably because I waited too late the night before to call)

I know many disagree but my wife and I did just fine with the free breakfast. My wife especially liked the cold salmon. Agree that the upcharge probably wasn't worth it for the hot breakfast but the continental breakfast worked for our one night stay.

Jaimito Cartero

pinniped

Any Sunday Brunch reviews from this hotel? Ordinarily, I'd avoid eating at the hotel for something like this - I'd rather go find a great local restaurant doing its own version of a Sunday Brunch - but some reviews on the Internet suggest that this is a rather otherworldly experience. For well over $100 a head, it had better be.

However, I'm there for 3 award nights using Amex certificates and I still have the $250 resort credit to use.

So, either the Brunch...or...are any of the onsite restaurants truly worth their price? Would be willing to spend the money for a one-of-a-kind unforgettable meal.