The Bower brings boutique style to Coronado with rooftop dining and historic charm

The Hotel del Coronado is the undisputed Grande Dame of its charming seaside city home. But there’s a new kid on the block — right across the street. My husband and I checked into The Bower, a chic 39-room boutique hotel along Orange Avenue for a weekend getaway. Developed by J Street, a San Diego real estate firm led by Coronado resident Saj Hansji, the hotel is on the site of what was once the Japanese tea garden of San Diego businessman and philanthropist John D. Spreckels, a former Hotel Del Coronado owner, whose mansion was nearby. In 1956, actress Bettye Vaughen and her mother Dulcie Trowbridge opened the Villa Capri motel on part of the estate’s garden to entertain Hollywood friends and locals. Today, the goal of the new owners is to transform The Bower’s historic site while honoring Coronado’s unique character. 

Staff greeted us with glasses of champagne in the living room lobby and bar by SFA Design, which opens onto a patio and fireplace. In keeping with its early Japanese roots, The Bower embraces wabi-sabi, the Japanese philosophy which translates to an appreciation of imperfection, simplicity, and nature. The décor, in soothing but sophisticated earth tones and textures, extends to well-appointed guest rooms with comfortable beds, Frette linens, walk-in showers, Le Labo bath products, and other amenities. Some have small patios and Juliette balconies.

The Bower’s centerpiece is Dive, Coronado’s only rooftop bar and restaurant, which overlooks The Del, Glorietta Bay, and high-rises along the Silver Strand. Dive is named after the Villa Capri’s iconic neon sign of a diving lady which still glows on the side of the hotel. Over the bar, another neon sign spells out Villa Capri. This stylish, lively spot is the perfect place for cocktails and casual fare for brunch, lunch, and dinner. My husband and I sampled “sunset shareables” that included sesame shrimp toast and chicken nuggets with crème fraîche and a “bump” (or dab) of caviar.

The Bower doesn’t have a swimming pool, but the hotel will gladly book boat rentals and tee times as well as tennis, pickleball, surfing, and standup paddle (SUP) lessons. A staff member even set up an umbrella, beach chairs, and towels for us on the sand near The Del. 

The next day, we had brunch nearby at Little Frenchie bistro, which was included in the California Michelin Guide in 2021-2023 as a “Plate” designated restaurant, which simply means, it serves very good food.

The restaurant is owned by Blue Bridge Hospitality, whose principal David Spatafore, a born-and-raised Coronado islander, opened Moo Time Creamery in 1998 and has since opened a string of restaurants. (Blue Bridge also partnered with Liberty Station on Liberty Public Market in 2016, turning a former military mess hall into a culinary destination, now with more than three dozen vendors selling food, wine and brews, specialty items, crafts and more.)

My husband and I sat at a sidewalk table on bustling Orange Avenue, enjoying petit déjeuner of smoked salmon tartine with scrambled eggs, crème fraîche, red onions, and capers and an herb omelet. Also, on the menu: French toast, crepes, and baskets of house-made croissants and other pastries. The dinner menu includes such French classics as escargot, beef short rib Bourguignon, cassoulet, steak frites, and Le Burger (made with wagyu). The resto will even pack a Parisian picnic and cheeseboards-to-go for parties (with le fromage, of course). 

After brunch, I strolled along Orange Avenue, popping into Bungalow 56, a boutique founded by interior designers and longtime friends Karyn Molina and Jessica Nicolis, offering upscale furniture, home accessories, kitchen goods, and gifts. 

Paris + Me, owned by a mother-duo, stocks chic women’s fashion, and nearby La Mer is a longtime clothing and accessories boutique owned by Mary Ann Berta, a businesswoman, community volunteer, and wife of a retired Navy SEAL.

FL2F (Five Loaves Two Fish) offers ethically made-in-San-Diego kids’ clothes, toys, and books, and Geppetto’s is a delightful store for classic, unique toys designed to inspire creative play. 

The Bay Company sells everything from beach umbrellas to boogie boards, swimsuits to sunglasses, and for some reason, 4,200 styles of novelty socks! And Fuzziwig’s Candy Factory offers more than 400 kinds of sweets including candy apples, caramels, house-made chocolates and fudge, saltwater taffy, toys, and more. 

I also stopped in at the Coronado Historical Association to check out A Jewel in Coronado’s Crown, a fascinating exhibit on the Hotel Del, which just celebrated completion of a 6-year, $500-million restoration and revitalization. According to Vickie Stone, the association’s curator of collections, the purchase price for the Coronado peninsula was just $100,000 in 1885, and 250 mostly Chinese immigrant laborers took just 11 months to build the hotel with an estimated one million shingles on the roof and countless bricks made right on site. The original room rate was $2.50 per day per guest — including meals. The association is open from 10am to 4pm Tuesday through Sunday; the exhibition runs through September. 

Coronado, of course, is a Navy town, so my husband and I checked out McP’s Irish Pub & Grill, founded by the late Navy SEAL Greg McPartlin. The pub, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, offers seating indoors and out on the dog-friendly “Paddy-O,” live entertainment most nights, and 19 big screen TVs to watch sporting events. Choose from 20 different beers and brews, Irish coffee, and cocktails, or dig into such pub fare as shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash. 

Another local favorite is Tavern, co-owned by C.J., Brooke, and Chloe Becky, a brother-and-sisters team. Designed by architect and majority owner John Welsh, the rustic interior features salvaged bricks and repurposed wood. The bar, for example, is topped with planks from a basketball court. The restaurant has a casual, comfortable vibe which extends to menu favorites from Chef Itze Behar that include chicken pot pie, blistered shishito pepper burger, Jidori roasted chicken, fish and chips, and wagyu steak tacos. Sip wine, draft beers, and Brooke’s classic or inventive cocktails made with fresh-squeezed juices, house-made syrups, and infusion. The beet and agave cocktail, for example, combines roasted red beets with blanco tequila mixed with fresh cucumber and lime juice and topped with micro viola flowers. Daily happy hours are from 3 to 5pm. 

That night, we capped off our getaway with dinner at Stake Chophouse & Bar, a boutique steakhouse also owned by Blue Bridge Hospitality. It was a highlight of our getaway due to the quality of the food by Executive Chef Matt Sramek and Chef de Cuisine Paul Arias, a wine program headed up by Wine Director Nate Black, which has garnered years of Wine Spectator awards, and the knowledgeable and attentive waiters, sommelier, and support staff.

Guests can sit in Stake’s upscale, dimly lit dining room, in the more casual bar, or outside on the terrace. We began by sampling a seafood tower filled with fresh, delicious shellfish — oysters, shrimp, crab, poke crudo, and more. We could have stopped right there but we just had to try “The Taste of Wagyu,” splitting a sampler of small portions of perfectly prepared cuts of steak. On a previous visit, I tried the decadent butter-poached lobster mashed potatoes with cognac followed by freshly caught fish. The menu also features bountiful salads and an array of vegetables from the wood-fired oven. If you have room for dessert, go for the seven-layer chocolate cake, worth every calorie. Just don’t count them. 

The next day, after a light brunch at Dive, we bid good-bye to The Bower, strolled along the Coronado shore, and drove around town, looking at neat rows of small houses and stately old mansions. We then reluctantly headed home across the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, resolved to return soon to explore even more of what this storied town has to offer.