The lawns at Hotel del Coronado gave our active boys plenty of room to run and play.
The moment you step into the lobby at Hotel del Coronado, it feels like you’ve been transported back in time. Between the red turrets, Victorian architecture and its incredible beachfront location, The Del is one of those hotels that feels like part of the vacation—not just somewhere you sleep.
The Del has also been part of my family’s San Diego trips for as long as I can remember. When I was little, we would stay at the hotel or at least spend an afternoon at the beach and eat at one of the restaurants. Now I love bringing my own family here. My oldest son even took some of his first steps at The Del when he was just 9 months old!
Our trips look a little different these days.
We now travel with two very energetic boys under 5, which means I judge a family hotel on some very specific criteria: Is there room for them to move? Can they get their energy out without us constantly loading everyone into the car? Can we walk to food? Is the pool actually enjoyable with little kids? And, importantly for us, is there enough floor space for two inflatable toddler beds?
Hotel del Coronado checks a lot of those boxes.
Between the enormous beach, pool, lawns, family activities and several casual places to eat, it is one of those resorts where you can arrive, park the car and spend most of your vacation right on the property.
One of my favorite memories at The Del: my oldest took some of his first steps here at just 9 months old.
Is Hotel del Coronado Good for Kids?
Yes—especially if your kids like being outside and staying active.
The beach alone gives kids an enormous amount of space to run, dig and play, but you don’t have to spend your entire vacation covered in sand. We also found lawns to run around on, a family-friendly pool and plenty to explore just walking around the resort.
The Del also offers beach rentals, bike rentals, surfing and other water activities for older kids, plus seasonal activities including beach movies and bonfires.
One thing to know before booking is that The Del is a large resort made up of five different neighborhoods: The Victorian, The Cabanas, The Views, Shore House and Beach Village. Shore House and Beach Village have more residential-style accommodations and their own exclusive pools and amenities, while The Victorian gives you the classic historic Hotel Del experience.
For our family, room space and outdoor space matter more than almost anything else.
Our large Victorian room had an incredible balcony overlooking the resort—perfect for relaxing after the boys went to bed.
Family-Friendly Rooms at Hotel del Coronado
We bring our Regalo inflatable toddler beds whenever we travel with our boys, so even though we don’t necessarily need a suite, we do need enough open floor space to put two toddler beds down at night.
We’ve stayed in two very different rooms at The Del.
Our large Victorian room had plenty of space for our family—and enough floor space for the boys’ inflatable toddler beds.
Our Large Victorian Room
We stayed in room 32128, located just above the lobby in the historic Victorian building.
This room was huge.
We had plenty of room for the boys’ toddler beds, our luggage and everything else that seems to come along when traveling with little kids. Even better, the room had a gorgeous view.
Because the Victorian is the original 1888 hotel, the rooms aren’t cookie-cutter hotel rooms. The Del even notes that Victorian rooms vary in shape and size, so your room may be very different from ours.
That’s part of the charm—but it also means that if floor space is especially important to your family, I would ask about it when booking.
Our Victorian room also had a surprisingly large closet—very helpful when traveling with all the extra gear that comes with little kids.
Our renovated Victorian courtyard room was smaller than our previous room, but still had enough space for the boys’ toddler beds.
Our Victorian Courtyard Room With a Patio
On another trip we stayed in renovated room 32073, just off the Victorian tower with a view of the courtyard.
This room was definitely smaller than our previous room, but we could still fit both toddler beds on the floor.
The real winner, though, was the large outdoor patio.
Once the boys were asleep, we could sit outside instead of whispering in a dark hotel room at 8 p.m.—something parents of little kids will understand immediately.
If you’re traveling with toddlers or preschoolers who go to bed early, I would absolutely consider paying a little more for a balcony, veranda or patio if your budget allows.
The current Victorian room options include courtyard-view balconies/verandas, ocean-view balconies and oceanfront rooms, although the configuration varies by room type.
The renovated Victorian courtyard room also had a bright, updated bathroom with a large walk-in shower.
The iconic Victorian entrance and red-roofed turrets are part of what makes arriving at Hotel del Coronado feel so special.
Things to Do at Hotel del Coronado With Active Kids
We have two energetic little boys who frequently need to RUN.
Luckily, The Del is a pretty easy place to let kids get some of those zoomies out.
Play on Coronado Beach
The obvious answer is the beach.
The hotel sits directly on a huge stretch of Coronado Beach, so you can go from your room to having little feet in the sand within minutes.
Our boys could run, dig and play without needing any organized activity at all.
The Del also rents beach chairs, umbrellas and daybeds if you want to turn it into a full beach day rather than just running down for an hour.
Pro Tip: Before heading into the ocean, check current Coronado Beach water-quality conditions. Conditions can change, and The Del provides a link to real-time water-quality and ocean updates.
The main pool at Hotel del Coronado was a big hit with our kids, with plenty of shallow space for younger swimmers.
Swim at the Pool
Our boys loved the pool.
During our stay, we found the main pool easy to enjoy with little kids because it doesn’t suddenly become extremely deep. Obviously we still stayed right with them, but it felt much more manageable than some resort pools we’ve visited.
There is also a large hot tub nearby. It was VERY hot during our visit, so while it was nice for the adults to warm up, we were cautious with the boys.
The Del’s pools are heated throughout the year to approximately 80–85°F, which is a big perk if you’re visiting San Diego outside of summer.
Just keep in mind that pool access depends on where you’re staying. The Cabana Pool is the main resort pool, while Beach Village and Shore House each have pools reserved for guests staying in those neighborhoods.
Run Around on the Lawns
This ended up being one of our easiest activities.
There are several large lawn areas around The Del where the boys could simply run around. The turf also meant we weren’t dealing with muddy shoes afterward.
We saw other families hanging out and even having picnics on the grass.
Our favorite was the lawn near the restaurants with an ocean view. Sometimes you don’t need another attraction or scheduled activity—you just need open space and 20 minutes of running.
And we definitely found that here.
Ocean Explorers Kids Club
This is a particularly exciting addition for families because Ocean Explorers is new to The Del in 2026.
The supervised kids club is designed for children ages 4–12 and includes ocean-inspired activities, creativity and discovery. The resort offers half- and full-day supervised sessions; during the current fall schedule, Ocean Explorers is offered Thursday through Sunday. Because programming can change seasonally, I’d check the current schedule before your trip.
For families with younger kids, The Del also works with itavi for private in-room childcare.
During fall 2026, Ocean Explorers is offered Thursday through Sunday. Because days and programming can change seasonally, check The Del's current schedule before your trip.
Beach and Taco Shack at the Del
Family-Friendly Restaurants at Hotel del Coronado
One of my favorite things about staying at The Del is that you don’t have to get everyone dressed, loaded into the car and driven somewhere every time someone gets hungry.
There are several restaurants right on the property, ranging from Nobu and Serẽa to pizza, tacos, casual beachfront dining and ice cream.
With two little kids, we gravitated toward the casual options.
Sun Deck ☀️
Sun Deck is one of my favorite places to start a trip to The Del.
It’s outdoors overlooking the ocean, with fire pits, drinks and casual food. The atmosphere is nice enough that it still feels like vacation for the adults, but it’s relaxed enough that I’m not stressed about bringing two little boys.
During our visit, the kids menu included familiar options like cheeseburgers, chicken tenders, PB&J and hot dogs—basically something even a very picky eater should recognize.
We ordered the birria nachos and a couple of beers and sat looking at the ocean.
Not a bad way to start a vacation.
Sun Deck currently operates as a walk-in restaurant rather than taking regular reservations, so that is worth knowing if you’re traveling during a busy weekend.
Beach + Taco Shack 🌮
It doesn’t get much more casual than eating tacos with your feet practically in the sand.
The Beach + Taco Shack is located right on Del Beach and serves tacos along with tropical cocktails, beer and wine. The tortillas are made with fresh masa, and the restaurant also has live music on select days.
This is a particularly easy option when the kids are already playing at the beach and you don’t want to completely stop your beach day to find lunch.
Of course we had to stop at Sundaes for ice cream—one of our favorite sweet treats at The Del.
Sundaes 🍦
This would not be a Sweetest Escapes post if we didn’t talk about ice cream.
The Del’s current ice cream shop is called Sundaes, serving gelato and paleta popsicles.
When we visited, there wasn’t a small kids scoop, so we ordered a medium cup with three scoops and asked them to put the scoops into separate cups for the three of us.
Problem solved.
I got coffee chocolate chip, and my boys picked strawberry and chocolate.
Of course I tried all three.
They were delicious.
Great Family-Friendly Restaurants Near Hotel del Coronado
You certainly don’t have to leave the resort to eat, but Hotel del Coronado is also close to restaurants along Orange Avenue if you want a change of scenery.
Garage Buona Forchetta
Garage Buona Forchetta 🚗
If your kids love cars, Garage Buona Forchetta might be one of the most fun restaurants in Coronado.
The Italian restaurant is built around a garage theme with vintage automotive details throughout the restaurant. It serves Neapolitan-style pizza, fresh pasta and other Italian dishes, and there’s also an Italian market and café attached.
Our boys loved all the cars, and there are even tables incorporated into some of the automotive displays.
It has a little bit of a Radiator Springs feel—which obviously made it a hit with our family.
The Henry
The Henry
The Henry is another easy option when staying at The Del.
Located on Orange Avenue, it serves breakfast, brunch and dinner, plus it has a coffee bar.
I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, the coffee, and breakfast burrito I consumed!
It gets busy, so try to beat the brunch or dinner rush and arrive early!
Christmas at Hotel del Coronado With Kids 🎄
I have to give Christmas its own section because The Del during the holidays is magical.
And yes, there is an ice rink next to the beach.
For the 2026 holiday season, The Del’s theme is A Holiday Through Time, running from November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027. The famous two-story Christmas tree returns to the Victorian lobby, along with holiday decorations inspired by different eras of the hotel’s history.
But there is much more for kids to actually do than simply look at decorations.
Families can go Skating by the Sea on the beachfront ice rink, watch holiday movies on the beach, decorate gingerbread houses, reserve a holiday beach bonfire, take photos with Santa and watch the complimentary Lightshow Spectacular on Founders Lawn. The light show runs every 30 minutes from 5–9 p.m. during the holiday season and finishes with snow flurries.
New for 2026 is the Holiday Lodge inside The Del’s historic Laundry building, with food, holiday shopping and children’s activities including cookie and stocking decorating.
And if you happen to be in Coronado on December 2, 2026, The Del’s Holiday Festival sounds especially fun for kids. Santa literally skydives onto Del Beach at 4:30 p.m., followed later by the light show and fireworks over the beach.
Honestly, Christmas is one of my favorite times to see The Del.
There aren’t many places where you can go ice skating, see a giant Christmas tree and then walk down to the beach all in the same afternoon.
Holiday activities, dates and pricing change each year, so check The Del's current holiday calendar before your visit.
Is Hotel del Coronado Worth It With Kids?
Hotel del Coronado is definitely a splurge.
But I think families get the most value out of The Del when they plan to actually use the resort.
If you’re going to spend every day driving around San Diego and only come back to the hotel to sleep, you may not take advantage of what you’re paying for.
But if your ideal family vacation includes walking out of your room to the beach, swimming in the pool, letting the kids run around outside, grabbing tacos without getting in the car and watching the sunset while the kids are still happily occupied—The Del is pretty hard to beat.
After visiting this hotel as a child and now bringing my own kids here, that’s what I love most about it.
It’s beautiful and historic, but it doesn’t feel like somewhere I have to constantly tell my boys not to touch anything or sit still.
There is room for them to be kids.
And for our family, that’s what makes Hotel del Coronado such a special place to come back to.
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Planning a stay at Hotel del Coronado with kids? Here’s our family review of The Del, including the best rooms for families, pools, beach activities, kid-friendly restaurants, the kids club, Christmas at The Del, and tips for visiting with active young kids.