It’s become a bit of a joke in our family that no vacation is complete without Brian squeezing in a boat ride!

He got his wish once again during our anniversary adventure in San Diego as we caught the roundtrip Coronado ferry for an afternoon on the island.

The ferry was traveling back and forth from the downtown convention center every 30 minutes, and we walked up JUST as they started to board. We frantically bought tickets from the kiosk and were the last two people to step on the ship! The ride was brief and beautiful – not a cloud in the sky – and we were able to sit on the first floor deck with seating to ourselves and views of the San Diego skyline.

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The ferry landing on the island was very busy – people enjoying the beach, hopping in and out of the shops and restaurants, and riding bicycles and pedal carts around.

We decided to walk to our primary destination on the island, the Hotel Del Coronado, by making a loop along the waterfront and golf course to the hotel and then returning via the straight shot along Orange Street.

If you have nice weather, good walking shoes, and some extra time, I would recommend this approach. The views from the sidewalk along the water and golf course were lovely, but I was blown away by the homes on the opposite side of the street. Gorgeous residential dwellings that all had their own personality – I found something new to gasp about at each one.

We also learned that custom driveways are apparently a thing – many of the houses had intricate drives made of different types of materials, with different designs incorporating strips of grass or rows of rocks in between where the car tires would roll. I had no idea that was the latest trend!

About 3 miles later we arrived at the acclaimed Hotel Del Coronado. Confession: I was hot and in need of water when we arrived, and these things may have tempered my enthusiasm. I thought the hotel was very interesting and had been looking forward to grabbing a snack and some water at one of the many oceanside restaurants where we could admire the hotel and surrounding view. But there were TONS of people everywhere, and I honestly didn’t have the energy to wait them out.

We had a nice stroll along the sidewalk and sand but ultimately skipped out on a more thorough visit – maybe next time!

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Brian bought me a water, which helped revive me long enough for our 2-mile walk along the strip to Coronado Brewing Company where we grabbed a late lunch.

Apparently we share a palate with the brewers – we really enjoyed our tastings as well as the big bowl of nachos were shared. Maybe I was just ready for a break after all of our walking, but this place hit the spot and was the quiet, laid-back atmosphere I sorely missed at the hotel.

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We had no trouble walking the last few blocks to the ferry landing and catching a ride back to downtown San Diego. We did, however, see several people get turned away because they didn’t have masks. One guy was able to run up to the shops and purchase one so he could board, but another couple refused and were left to find a different method for making their way downtown!

I definitely recommend taking the ferry to Coronado Island as part of a trip to San Diego. It’s a short and fun ride, you get wonderful views of both the San Diego skyline and island from the water, and the island itself has tons of things to do whether you’re interested in shopping, eating, spending time on the beach, or simply walking around and admiring the view.