SoCal: Walking on Water

by Darin Bunch

As you know, I like dogs.

And I like food.

Yet, I don’t like dog food. But my dogs do. And they like Loews, too. And that’s why Coronado Bay Resort is now at the top of our growing list of Places to take the Puppies. But even without the pets packed for vacation, Coronado is a place that offers the best of ritzy rest and relaxation, fine food ... and golf, too, in an unforgettable yet surprisingly affordable setting.

At Loews, your pets are better tended than some hotels treat their humans. Special snacks on arrival. Logo’d doggy bowls. Outdoor restaurant seating. A convenient “relief” area to stop by during morning and evening walks. And, unlike many other resorts, pets can stay unaccompanied in the rooms for short periods of time. Plus, they are welcome everywhere except the pool areas. In fact, during a recent stay, the restaurant staff even scooped our leftovers into a serving dish to feed our pooch tableside.

All this special attention says a lot about Loews’ commitment to personalized service. After all, with 15 destinations throughout the United States and Canada, a company this size could easily say no to the hassles of allowing furry friends in the halls, rooms and surrounding areas. But they believe in being a family-friendly resort (recently named one of “The 10 Best” by Child magazine), and their definition of “family” extends beyond mom, dad and the kids. For visitors and couples without children, it’s a welcome philosophy. And one that extends beyond mere access to this high-priced resort, where rooms will generally set you back at least a few hundred bucks a night. In fact, starting at $300, Loews Coronado offers the Su’ruff Camp Package, which includes water-view accommodations, surfing lessons at Coronado’s Dog Beach, a copy of The Dog’s Guide to Surfing, a surf ’n’ turf doggy meal and a pair of board shorts for your pup.

Of course, Loews hasn’t gone totally to the dogs. Mom and dad also receive plenty of friendly attention from the staff and facilities. Each of the 439 deluxe rooms is outfitted with comfortable furniture, luxurious beds, well-placed lighting, spacious bathrooms and calming, ocean-lifestyle colors. At Loews Coronado Bay, no detail is left unturned.

Breakfast might be the best evidence. The Market Café’s dockside dining (sit outside and enjoy San Diego’s exceptional year-round weather) is a setting fit for enjoying food rather than merely eating it.

And what enjoyment there is. A meal often overlooked by resorts, breakfast is celebrated at Loews Coronado. Just take a look at these menu items, which include signature daybreak “desserts.”

> Steak and Eggs with grilled onions.

> Huevos Tostados, featuring eggs, crisp tortilla, chorizo, chipotle, black beans, avocado and ranchero sauce. > Smoked Salmon with toasted bagel. > Fruit-Filled Pancakes.

> Breakfast Sundae of cinnamon-almond granola, vanilla yogurt and berries.

The Market Café also offers all manner of smoothies and will custom shake any combination of juice for you, from fresh orange and grapefruit to grape, pineapple, watermelon or tangerine.

But it’s the sweets that will make The Market a morning ritual for you. Frozen Hot Chocolate is a creamy, frothy beverage you’ll dream about all day long. And anyone who passes up the Bear Claw Bread Pudding with vanilla bean sauce should be banned from the resort.

Simply stated, breakfast at Loews is the perfect way to start any day, especially if your daytime activities call for “greener” pastures.

When it comes time to golf, this island community of high-dollar homes — the smallest structure will run you a cool mil minimum on the market — is the ultimate irony. Priced at a mere $25 per round (with another $15 per player if you want a motorized cart), Coronado Golf Course, with its views of the famed bridge and blue Pacific, is FG’s pick for the best value in the West. And although Coronado hosts a mind-boggling 110,000-plus rounds a year, the track remains in excellent condition, with fairways and greens as good as any muni in California.

However, securing one of those 110,000 rounds can be a bit tricky. Hotel packages are available, but you’ll likely pay a surcharge for tee times booked outside the standard two-day window. Same with calling the Pro Shop directly. But it’s the way to go, unless you show up between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. the day you want to play and throw your name in the lottery for a spot at the regular price.

If you’re lucky enough to get on, you’ll find a course that’s fun and challenging, with a unique history.

Although golf had been played on Coronado dating back to 1898 (the originial nine-holer had sand greens), it wasn’t until post-World War II that the Coronado Golf Course as it now stands began to take shape. According to A Short History of Golf in Coronado, compiled by Bill Thomas in September 1992, nearly $1 million was spent in the mid-1950s to build the course, thanks in large part to the dredging of Glorietta Bay to increase the channel depth, which in turn created another 120 acres of tideland. While the construction costs were financed by the sale of other Coronado land to the Navy, the community residents also did their part, donating 250 palms trees from across the island for transplanting onto the new course.

On Dec. 19, 1957, Don Collett (PGA professional and course manager who later moved east to become the director of golf at Pinehurst) hosted Paul Runyan, Gene Littler and Bill Casper — all big-name players with ties to San Diego — in the ceremonial exhibition match that christened Coronado Golf Course.

The course opened for public play the next day. Daily greens fees were $2, with an extra dollar required to play weekends and holidays. Coronado residents, including military personnel on the island, paid $17.50 per month.

San Diego’s growth brought more changes for the golf course as Coronado became accessible by the world-famous bridge at the end of the 1960s decade. Holes were relocated and restructured into the routing golfers traverse today. As a result, when you play from the par-5 No. 2 and par-4 No. 3 fairways today, you’re standing on land that once upon a time before dredging simply didn’t exist. It’s an almost magical feeling, standing on history. And the mystique on a crisp, clear San Diego morning extends throughout the golf course, with the sights and smells of oceanfront golf greeting you at each and every turn. It’s a rare 360-degree panoramic golf course, where the San Diego skyline rises on one side, the bridge on another, the historic Hotel del Coronado on yet another.

And despite the laid-back aura of Coronado Golf Course, perhaps best exemplified by the ultra-friendly Host Professional Ron Yarbrough who motors about in a nascar-numbered cart, it’s 18 holes that will keep you working on your game. In fact, better players will expect to dominate the 6,590-yard layout, only to find, once the final shot has been struck, that their scorecards lack the birdies they had anticipated.

It’s a testament to any great course that you’ll leave wanting to give it another shot as soon as possible. And with a multi-night stay on Coronado, that’s certainly an affordable possibility. After all, how often do you find a high-priced hotel that truly earns its fees paired with a world-class, low-cost golf course only minutes away? Only in San Diego, perhaps.

In the end, the combination of Loews Resort and Coronado Golf Course is like a perfect poker hand of Omaha Hi-Lo — one is at the top of the scale, the other at the bottom, but both are winners. And together, they’re simply unbeatable. FG

Loews Coronado Bay

4000 Coronado Bay Road | www.loewshotels.com | 619.424.4000

AMERICA’S BEST MUNI? We’ll let you be the judge, but for $40 per person (that’s greens fee and cart), Coronado Golf Course, just a quick four-mile drive from Loews, is certainly one of the best bargains in the United States, if not the world. But there’s a catch — the course caters to locals, so if you want a guaranteed tee time more than two days out, you’ll get hit with an additional $38 surcharge per tee time (not per person). Visit www.golfcoronado for more info or call 619.435.3121