Four miles down the Silver Strand, the Cays are a self-contained boating community: ten villages wound around inlets, with more than 600 boat slips in San Diego Bay.
- The feel
- Spread out and water-focused, with its own parks, tennis courts and yacht club.
- The homes
- About 1,200 condominiums, townhomes, tract homes and custom homes, some with docks.
- Getting around
- About four miles south of the Village along the Silver Strand; most trips are by car.
- Ask before you buy
- Slip ownership, seawall and dock condition, dues by village and the algae response in the waterways.
A day here
The Cays run on water time. Residents walk the greenbelts, play on the tennis courts, take a boat out from the back door or meet at the Coronado Cays Yacht Club. It is calmer than the Village and noticeably more spread out, so most owners drive for dinner and groceries and accept that in exchange for the setting.
How it came to be
The Cays opened on September 13, 1969, promoted as the first residential marina in San Diego County. The land is tidelands that were dredged and filled, and the community was fully built out around 1990. The Coronado Cays Homeowners Association says lots sold in 1969 for roughly $29,500 to $126,000 and homes for $49,000 to $74,900.
The homes
A mix of about 1,200 condominiums, townhomes, tract homes and custom homes. Some sit on an inlet with a private slip, others are set back from the water and cost less to enter. Each village has a slightly different feel, so tour more than one.
Ask before you buy
- The slip. Slips can be deeded, assigned by a village dock association or leased. Confirm exactly what conveys and what it costs each month.
- Seawall and dock. Hire inspectors who look beyond the house to the bulkhead and the dock.
- Dues. They vary a good deal by village and home type. Ask for the budget and the reserve study.
- The waterways. The city extended a local emergency in 2026 over invasive Caulerpa algae in the Cays. Ask the association how the response affects boating and whether any costs reach owners.
Sources: Coronado Times, 50 years of the Cays; Coronado Times, June 15, 2026 council agenda. See also Rudy's note on getting on and off the island.
More Coronado neighborhoods
- The Village — Orange Avenue, Spreckels Park and the cottage streets around them, the most walkable part of the island.
- Coronado Shores — Ten condominium towers on Avenida del Mundo with the beach at the front door.
- Country Club Estates — The residential streets on the northwest side of the island that grew up on the old Coronado Country Club grounds.
- Golf Course and Marina Homes — Homes beside the municipal golf course and Glorietta Bay, with boats and fairways in the view.
- Bayfront Homes with Skyline Views — First Street and the Ferry Landing end of the island, where the bay and the downtown skyline fill the window.
General information only. Boundaries are informal and details change, so confirm specifics for any property you consider.