MYSTERY SHOPPER
Spa at the Del Hotel del Coronado
Tis spa is hailed as the jewel in the crown of San Diego wellness facilities, but our mystery shopper felt the only real gem was her therapist ANNI HOOD » GLOBAL SPA AND WELLNESS SPECIALIST
T
he Hotel del Coronado is a stunning piece of archi- tecture with interiors that take you seamlessly back in time. Located at the ocean’s
edge, this now 757-bedroom property first opened in 1888 and attracts as many day visitors as it does overnight guests. In addition to the spellbinding loca-
tion, the hotel boasts a wealth of retail therapy – selling everything from clothes and chocolates to books and homeware items – and is clearly a mammoth hit with the locals. Te hotel launched its new Spa at
Te Del in January 2007 and only a year aſter opening it was named one of the top 20 hotel spas of the world by Travel + Leisure magazine. Te spa cov- ers 12,500 sq ſt (1,160sq m) and was designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates.
THE VISIT
The offer Located on the beachfront, the Spa at the Del has 21 treatment rooms and offers day packages, massages, facials, scrubs and wraps. Shorter, 25-minute treatments for teens are also available. Te product houses are Babor and Epicuren. Other facilities include a hair salon, retail/reception area, fitness centre and outdoor infinity pool and lounge, as well as gender specific areas comprising a changing room, relaxation area, whirlpool, sauna and steamroom.
Booking
Te initial booking experience was excel- lent. Te person who took my call was very
thorough, knowledgeable and efficient. I explained I wanted to bring a friend who wouldn’t be having a treatment and she was expansive about the use of the facilities, spe- cific about cost and nothing was a problem.
Access
Te spa could only be accessed through the resort: not a grand entrance. And car park- ing was tricky – we could only get a ticket from the resort and this was refundable against our bookings. However, if you go over the three hour limit (very easy on a spa day) there is a charge is us$35 (€25, £22). Tis was not pointed out to us until leav- ing and considering that I had spent over us$400 (€285, £254) on products, it did sour the experience somewhat.
Disabled access VITAL STATISTICS
Unfortunately, women had to use the men’s spa area on the day we visited
Address: 1500 Orange Avenue Coronado, CA 92118 Prices: 50-minute massages range from us$155-165 (€111-118, £98-105); 50-minute facials are from us$160- 165 (€114-118, £101-105); day packages, which last for three and a half hours, cost us$490 (€349, £311) each. Haircuts in the Yamaguchi Salon start at us$65 (€46, £41) Times: Friday and Saturday, 10am- 7pm; Sunday to Wednesday, 10am-6pm; closed Tuesday To book: +1 619-522-8100
62 Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital
Disabled access was good and I spotted a few wheelchairs. Most of the spa itself was flat, however, some parts – especially in the male area – could have proved problematic.
Design & layout
I was surprised at the design – I was expecting something to match the stunning grandeur of the property but the spa fell short of that. Te design was based on a colonial theme, but it looked dated and flat. Entering the spa, you’re immediately
immersed in the retail offering with the reception desk at the rear, but there was no lounge or waiting space. Tere was no cooling experience in the
sauna/steamroom area and I wondered whether space was the issue, but an ice fountain doesn’t take up much room. Being
SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84