We have stayed many years at the El Cordova Hotel in Coronado. We absolutely love staying there as it is a nice, clean and historic hotel with a fabulous location. We will not be making our annual trip this year as the management and service has gotten worse and worse over the past few years.

We went to the hotel based on the other readers' recommendation.

On the plus side the room was very spacious. We had a 1 BR with a mini kitchen/dining area and it more than met our expectation. The walk-in closet was curiously huge (would have been better if it's smaller and the adjacent bathroom bigger). The location can't be beat - it's right across from the Del and the beach.

The negative: parking is not onsite. You have a choice of street parking or parking at another underground building across the street.
Luggage transfer is a problem, especially if you have a room on the second floor (as we did). The swimming pool was not heated, and was actually rather dirty with fallen leaves. Soundproofing is pretty inadequate - we can hear the hotel guests downstairs.

No breakfast provided, but there's a good cafe (Bino) at the front of the complex.

My wife & I originally booked for 2 nights at the El Cordova, but because we were so impressed with the quaint atmosphere, clean & comfortable room and "Spanish village" open air courtyard (complete with small shops & cafes), that we extended our stay an extra 2 nights.
The hotel staff was extremely accomodating, when, after having to cancel our initial reservation due to the uncertainty of continuing with our vacation plans (because of the San Diego wildfires) we were immediately assured of getting the same discounted room rate that we had originally booked for. The hotel location is excellent for strolling the shops along Orange Avenue and enjoying all that the beaches have to offer. My wife and I plan on returning to Coronado Island, and would not hesitate in the least to make the El Cordova our home away from home. As my wife says, "Why stay at the "Hotel Del" when you can stay at the "Hotel El?!" All the charm as the Hotel Del, half the price, and quieter, too. We can HIGHLY recommend the El Cordova!

My wife and I honeymooned in Coronado / San Diego this past week, and the El Cordova was our first stop on the trip. We really enjoyed our stay there. The rooms are found throughout the courtyards and are clustered into sections. The grounds have a neat Spanish village feel to them and there are many shops to visit. The room was very nice and had an "old-style" feel to it, with plush carpet and an attractive sleigh bed. The staff was very helpful as well. Our AC stopped working one afternoon (right in the middle of a heat spell), so they switched us to a huge suite next door. The location is great too...right across the street from the Hotel Del Coronado and walking distance to lots of shopping and excellent restuarants. Overall, we had great experience there and would highly recommend the El Cordova!