Some like it hot in southern California

HAVING a ghost in your hotel and being rich in Hollywood history is good for business, writes Jessica Hurt from south of Los Angeles.

Outside San Diego ... not only have Hollywood's elite retreated to Hotel Del Coronado, they also made movies here, most famously the 1959 comedy Some Like it Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe.

THE tables are laden with trays of every conceivable delicacy.

There's lobster bisque and sushi at one station, a juicy chunk of meat ready to be carved at another, every type of cheese you can think of, a chef making omelettes to order and even a station devoted to Chinese dim sum.

For the sweet tooth, caramel flans compete for attention with pastries and containers filled with candy, while chocolate streams out of a fondue. Do we start with the eggs and then move on to the seafood and other savoury delights or do we just go straight for the desserts? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the smorgasbord of treats we sit down and ponder our "mission" ahead - with a glass of Moet in hand.

Welcome to Sunday brunch at Hotel Del Coronado, or "The Del" as the locals affectionately call it.

The seaside hotel is in the quaint beach community of Coronado, about a 15-minute drive from downtown San Diego, connected to the city by a 3.7km bridge, in California.

It is an elegant example of Victorian architecture - the grand dame of hotels. And brunch, in the Crown Room, so-called because of the crown chandeliers which were designed by Wizard of Oz author, L. Frank Baum, has become an institution in San Diego with people coming from far and wide to enjoy it.

The huge room has hosted banquets for the Prince of Wales and was the site of the first state dinner held outside the White House.

It may be a grand old dining room but everyone is welcome here. Ladies in their Sunday best share the magnificent room with parents (kids in tow), who have wandered in from a morning on the beach.

Built in 1888, the massive hotel is considered one of America's most beautiful resorts and is situated on 11 ha along the seafront.

The hotel's sweeping silhouette and a whimsy of turrets and towers, not to mention a spectacular sea setting, have helped it become instantly recognised across the country and around the world.

The hotel hosted its first wedding in 1887 when it was still under construction.

Today its beautiful architecture and seaside location continue to make it a popular spot for weddings and romantic getaways, while young families take advantage of the beach right at their doorstop.

The view from my balcony is breathtaking. Down below, bright green palm trees contrast sharply with the resort's pretty red-roofed cottages and white walls (part of the Beach Village, a gated compound favoured by celebrities and featuring services such as personalised concierge, private pools and hot tubs).

And beyond this is endless beach. Locals and holiday-makers can be seen enjoying the last of the afternoon sun, getting some exercise or soaking up the rays on a beach towel.

On one morning we rise early and start the day with a yoga class on the beach, part of the wide range of services offered to guests.

Despite its history, the hotel is careful to move with the times.

Guests can shop for souvenirs in the high-end boutiques, have a massage in the day spa, go for a jog in the fitness centre, sip cocktails at the outdoor bar, or have a wine-tasting experience with cheese and chocolate at the ENO wine room, part of the resort's recent massive $150 million renovations.

Coronado's close proximity to Los Angeles, about a two-and-a half-hour drive south, has made the hotel a popular spot with celebrities over the last century.

Not only have Hollywood's elite retreated here, they have also made movies here.

In the early days celebrities were commonplace including Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Mae West, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Rita Hayworth and Ginger Rogers.

The Del's famed red turret has also been the backdrop for dozens of movies, most famously the 1959 comedy classic Some Like it Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon - the movie recently heralded by the American Film Institute as the best comedy of all time.

During the war years part of the hotel was used by the navy for housing and the hotel became a magnet for military men and their sweethearts. It also hosted celebrities including Kirk Douglas, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and Bette Davis, while after the war celebrity sightings included Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

Liberace was playing piano at the Del when he was discovered in 1950 while in the 1970s and '80s a new wave of celebrities arrived including Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Burt Lancaster, Goldie Hawn and Sylvester Stallone. And more recent celebrity sightings have included Kevin Costner, Jodie Foster, Demi Moore, Oprah Winfrey, Madonna and Sharon Stone, while Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have been known to rent out suites in the private gated area.

Eleven presidents, starting with Benjamin Harrison in 1891, also have visited the resort.

The sprawling property also has royal connections - it is here that King Edward VIII is thought to have met Coronado divorcee Wallis Spencer Simpson, during his visit in 1920.

As well as celebrity guests, the hotel is rumoured to have its own resident ghost, Kate Morgan, a beautiful young woman who checked in in 1892 and never checked out. Kate took her own life at the hotel after spending five lonely and lovesick days at the hotel waiting for a man who never arrived.

Today her spirit is said to have remained at the hotel, with guests in her former room reporting everything from breezes that come from nowhere to a television set that turns itself on and off.

Coronado, home of The Del, is a charming little peaceful town, 26km north of the Mexican border and about 193km south of LA.

It's an ideal base for exploring San Diego without the hustle and bustle of staying in the city.

The best way to get there is to spend a few days seeing the sights and enjoying the buzz of Los Angeles, before taking the coastal highway about two-and-a-half hours south to San Diego, stopping off at the beach communities along the way. The coastal drive is dotted with seaside towns. It's quintessential California with palm trees, lifeguard towers, people playing beach volleyball and boardwalks full with locals rollerblading, running, walking and riding their bikes, often with surfboards tucked under their arms.

If you have the time it is worth spending a few days investigating the towns such as Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya and Spanish for "jewel").

Or hire a house and spend a few days doing nothing but relaxing.

Stop for lunch at Wild Note Cafe in Solana Beach, a quaint seaside community with boutique shops, learn about the history of surfing at the California Surf Museum in Oceanside, or hit the water at Mission Beach and go sailing or jet-skiing.

And once you have spent a few days relaxing, get back in the car and continue on to The Del.

Just make sure you time your stay to take advantage of the famous Sunday brunch.

The author travelled to California as a guest of California Tourism, Creative Holidays and Air New Zealand.