Coronado: Where the Beach Sparkles

Look out from the shores of downtown San Diego and the ocean won't be the only thing in view. San Diego Bay is sheltered to the north by Point Loma and from the south by an island and land-connecting spit covered by a naval air station and the small city of Coronado. It's there, on the over 10 miles of land sliding upward from Imperial Beach, where there's plenty of undeveloped coast to enjoy.

Coronado is home to some fascinating history, the longest open portion of the the Bay Shore Bikeway (as well as a nugget of the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route), and the longstanding Hotel del Coronado, where a beachside rarity can be had: food and drink service while lounging on the sand, a stone's throw from the waves.

Wherever you end up on Coronado's small share of the California coast, it's sure to be nice. After all, it often earns a place on those"best of" beach lists.