Southern California's style, charm, history and scenery all seem to converge in that magical island named Coronado.

Just 2.3 miles across the bay from downtown San Diego, Coronado Island is an island retreat in every sense you can imagine - it's still relatively quiet, studded with swaying palm trees, blessed with some of the best beaches in California, and adorned by some of the most magnificent and historic buildings in San Diego County.

But lest you think this sounds like a great place to live as well, be assured that the price of admission will keep out all but the most well-heeled - unless of course you're willing to live on bread and water while you make mortgage payments so high they each could buy a late-model car.

But that's why it's so fun to visit Coronado. It's like appearing in your own episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," if only for a few days at a time. Stroll through the famous Hotel del Coronado and marvel at fine jewelry and designer clothing, or visit the fashionable downtown boutiques and trendy restaurants. Sit at an outdoor café and people-watch to your heart's content, carefully distinguishing between the everyday tourists and the tony CEO's, families in tow, everybody stylized to the hilt.

No question, the grand dame of Coronado is the Hotel del Coronado and this island's life simply revolves around that property. No one comes to the island without paying homage to the hotel, meandering through its bars and lobbies and garden pathways and then stepping out onto one of the broadest beaches in all of California. There are constant reminders that, yes, this was the filming location for "Some like it Hot" and, yes, Marilyn Monroe once stood right where you are standing. Even some of Ms. Monroe's more tasteful pin-up photos are displayed at the hotel's entrance.

But surprisingly, the "Hotel del" as locals Hotel del Coronado entracne call it, is not the only game in town and, whether because of price or a desire not to be staying smack in the middle of all the activity, many visitors opt for one of several other lodging options on the island. Our stay at the Glorietta Bay Inn was quite a different experience from the Hotel del, even though the grand dame is located right across the street.

Staying at the Glorietta Bay Inn was an opportunity to experience a historic San Diego mansion - the one that was built by John Dietrich Spreckels, a figure well-known in the city as someone who played a key role in developing San Diego during the late 1800's and after the turn of the century. He bought the utility company, street car system, water company and eventually he controlled even the Hotel del Coronado. Visitors to San Diego's Balboa Park will recognize the name from the famous Spreckels Pavilion, where visitors attend concerts given on the very organ Spreckels gave to the park when it was opened during the 1915 Pan-American Exposition.

The mansion itself is an impressive piece of architecture - Italian Renaissance style, all white, multi-story with dramatic lines. Inside, the wide marble staircase was our pathway to Room 126 - the Albright Room, a spacious second-floor with an open, airy feel and views to the yacht harbor, the Coronado Bridge and, in the distance, the mountains east of San Diego. Decorated in a French Country motif, the room featured flowers, tasteful paintings and floral bed quilts with matching drapes. Almost the size of a suite, this room was furnished with classic furniture reproductions befitting the era in which the house was built.

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