I was looking for a nice surprise treat for my wife on her birthday today.  I managed to get my shift covered so that we could spend it together--just the two of us.  We made plans to go sailing with friends on her birthday (today, Monday) and when the busy Sunday schedule suddenly cleared out, I thought: maybe I'll find us a room in Coronado, sort of a busman's holiday.  ;-)

eCoronado.com is my home page and I happened to see Fred Eckert asking for a nice place for visiting guests to stay and all the positive replies recommending the 1906 Lodge (including one from the 1906 Lodge themselves complete with photo!)  So I called up at the last minute hoping they would have a room and spoke to a very nice lady who told me she would be able to fit us in.  Score!  I could hear all those "Husby Points" racking up already . . . .   ;-)

( . . . image shamelessly stolen from their webpage at: www.1906lodge.com )

I told them I was a quasi-local (I've spent a third of my life in Coronado for almost 20 years) and they gave me the "locals discount" which I hear they offer to all residents of Coronado.  I also told them it was my wife's birthday and when we checked in to our room she found a nice surprise waiting for her on the bed:

My wife absolutely LOVES almond roca, so it was a huge hit, but also such a thoughtful touch.  We would notice many such thoughtful touches during our stay, like all the seating to enjoy the many views of the grounds, every wall covered with historical pictures of Coronado, the self-serve car care center in the garage to clean your windows and even the old-style cradle phones (with subtle little push buttons where the dial numbers were).

The 1906 Lodge is perfectly charming: historic, but not shabby; cozy, but not cramped; elegant, but not ostentatious.  There's a great German word for this that has a denotation beyond just "cozy or comfortable" definition you find if you look it up: "Gemütlich".  With the full breakfast in the morning, the wine and cheese happy hour in the evening, and the turn-down service, it felt like a cross between a Bed and Breakfast and the finest hotel.  Everyone we talked to was very pleasant and helpful.  The room was perfect and the grounds and common areas were lovely.  It's located just off of Orange Ave so it's close to everything in the main business district and yet the room and the various patios outside are quiet.  The plantings are beautiful and the many water elements add to the serenity you feel as you first walk up.

I've been to the old site a few times in a professional capacity in the last 19 years and I am SO grateful to the new owners for the WONDERFUL job they've done with the old lodge/manor.  They've preserved the historic original building and obviously went to considerable care in their renovation.  There are small private dining and meeting rooms downstairs as well as ample secure underground parking.  They managed to expand the lodging capacity and bring it up to today's standards of luxury, yet retained the original charm of the Hebbard and Gill masterpiece.

The 1906 Lodge is truly another glistening jewel in Coronado's crown.