Anaheim, California
Once a sleepy agro-business economy, Orange County has morphed into a powerhouse of real estate, biotechnology, tourism, automotives and sports apparel. While the orange groves are gone, trend-setting Orange County (perhaps better known from various TV shows such as "The OC") offers business travelers not only easy access to the Anaheim Convention Center and Irvine's financial and tech district, but also to the region's 42 miles of pristine Southern California beaches.
OC's scenic coastline has always been known for its recreation, shopping, dining and nightlife, so there are many ways to blend business with pleasure at places like Disneyland, California Adventure, Downtown Disney, Newport Beach, South Coast Plaza and historic districts, which are sprinkled throughout the county.
OC is headquarters to industry giants Taco Bell and Allergan, as well as dozens of trendy sports clothing designers and manufacturers like Quiksilver, Billabong and Hurley. Both the Anaheim Convention Center and neighboring Disneyland help drive the burgeoning tourism industry and the region lures almost 45 million visitors annually. In recent years, several world-class resorts have opened along OC's white sand shores, bringing an ever-increasing number of business guests to work in luxury at such famed seaside resorts as Montage Resort & Spa, The St. Regis, Monarch Beach and The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. |
Facts
to Know Before You Go |
Transportation:
Most business travelers use the John Wayne Airport (SNA) as their gateway to Orange County. The Long Beach Airport (the area hub for Jet Blue) and the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are also options, but certainly not as convenient, as traffic from LA to Orange County via the 405 freeway is usually heavy, especially during peak traffic times.
Taxis and Limousines:
Taxis are available 24 hours a day across from baggage claim at John Wayne Airport's ground transportation center. A typical fare to the Anaheim Convention Center runs between $35-$55. To take the same trip by limousine, expect to pay about $75.
Shuttles:
More than a dozen companies offer shuttle service, and most charge approximately $25 for a ride from the airport to destinations throughout Anaheim.
Rental Cars:
With businesses and entertainment options spread throughout this expansive region, renting a car is a smart option. Most national rental car chains are located on-site at John Wayne Airport and have counters next to the baggage claim carousels. Several discount companies are located off-site, yet near the airport. Shuttles to these companies can be found at the ground transportation center outside baggage claim. |
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Information:
The Orange County Register covers general news and includes a daily business section. SqueezeOC.com is the OC Register's online site for events and entertainment with an extensive monthly calendar.
The Orange County Business Journal, the region's dedicated business paper, is printed weekly and offers business news, profiles and lists of top sales leads.
OC Weekly offers local news and outrageous opinion articles, plus the most comprehensive guide to the area's entertainment listings. |
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One of California's largest hotels (a whopping 1,572 rooms and suites), this huge property is adjacent to the massive Anaheim Convention Center and just two blocks from the Disneyland Resort. With its easy access to the convention center, the Anaheim Hilton is geared more toward business travelers than tourists. A large lobby holds several restaurants, including Italian and Japanese, and leads to generous-sized meeting rooms and an enormous fitness center with a sauna, aerobics classes, tanning salons and a basketball gym. The somewhat contemporary guest rooms are spacious and come with high-speed Internet access and a fax machine. |
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This luxury hotel redefines the Disneyland you know and love by providing top quality and even lavish accommodations for discerning theme park and convention center visitors. Featuring classic Arts & Crafts architecture, the hotel offers spacious, quintessentially Californian guestrooms with views of Disney's California Adventure. For business travelers, there's high-speed Internet access and a business center. At the concierge level, guests enjoy an exclusive lounge, featuring a continental breakfast, evening wine and cheese reception and complimentary DVD movies. With lots of indoor and outdoor meeting space, the hotel also offers wine country-inspired California cuisine and a long list of California's best wines at its award-winning Napa Rose restaurant. |
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A quick shuttle ride from the John Wayne Airport takes visitors and business travelers to the Fairmont Hotel Newport Beach. Close to Irvine's financial center, Newport Beach and just 30 minutes from the Anaheim Convention Center and Disneyland, this hotel offers 440 luxurious guest rooms. Its Fairmont Executive Club features a complimentary deluxe continental breakfast, afternoon snacks, evening appetizers, late-night desserts and access to a CD/DVD library. For business travelers, wireless Internet access is available in all meeting rooms as well as high-speed Internet in all guest rooms. Bask in the sun at the heated sky pool or visit the Willow Stream Spa with eight decadent spa treatment rooms for complete pampering. Take clients for breakfast, lunch or dinner at
bambú with its fresh Euro-Cal cuisine. Orange County's sun-drenched beaches are just minutes away, or stop by South Coast Plaza for upscale shopping and fine dining. |
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Business travelers come here for the jet-setting clientele and modern luxurious ambience as well as the central locale, which is just minutes away from John Wayne Airport, Irvine's financial center and Newport's sparkling harbor. Located on a scenic hill across from upscale shopping mall, Fashion Island, the Island Hotel has 295 spacious guest rooms with step-out balconies. Many suites offer sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and Newport Beach . The contemporary guest rooms include wireless Internet and state-of-the-art entertainment systems. The hotel also features a world-class spa and award-winning California cuisine at its Palm Terrace Restaurant. |
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Want to stay at the beach and still be close to Anaheim, Irvine and Newport ? Just six miles from John Wayne Airport, the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa sits directly across from famed Surf City USA and its myriad of recreational, ocean, dining, shopping and entertainment options. This luxury resort has 517 guestrooms with balconies or patios to take in the ocean breezes. A concierge level features a private lounge with continental breakfast and evening cocktails and appetizers. For business travelers, the resort is a prime spot to go for a jog on the beach before starting the day or enjoy a pampering spa treatment after a long day. It's also a great place for the family to vacation while you do business in Anaheim, Irvine or Newport . Internet access is on a fee basis, and the resort offers a business center with a full range of services. This resort also has an array of eateries with true fine dining at The Californian or casual fare at Pete Mallory's Sunset Grille. |
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Antonello Ristorante
South Coast Village
1611 Sunflower Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92704
714-751-7153 |
13/20
$$$$$ |
OC's power elite flock to Antonello's Ristorante for the not-so-noisy atmosphere, good food and great service. During lunch, the main dining room is packed with business people from nearby South Coast Plaza and Irvine 's financial and biotech districts. If you are looking for more privacy, there's a host of options for private dining, from the intimate "cucina" room behind the kitchen or an upstairs wine cellar to an art-inspired room for up to 80 persons. You can't go wrong with the house-made pasta dishes, which are wonderfully tender with light and flavorful sauces. The seafood, veal, chicken and beef dishes come in generous portions and are quite good too. Don't miss the desserts, which show up on a classic cart and are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate.
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Marché Moderne
South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-434-7900 |
15/20
$$$$$ |
South Coast Plaza's fashionista, designer and business crowd show up here regularly for chef Florent Marneau's very reasonable three-course prix fixe luncheon menu, which changes daily with the seasonal availability of top-notch local and international ingredients. Sitting here in this sophisticated setting, your business clients may believe they are dining in one of the world's most cosmopolitan, yet inviting modern French bistros. Chef Marneau is a master at creating fresh and flavorful salads as well as artisan-style tarts in his wood-burning oven. There's also an array of palate-pleasing appetizers and entrées such as the signature sautéed langoustine with a celery root-and-bacon mousseline surrounded by a savory Port emulsion.
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| Napa
Rose
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel
1600 S. Disneyland Dr. (Harbor Blvd.)
Anaheim, CA 92802
714-300-7170 |
14/20
$$$$$ |
Although Napa Rose does not serve lunch, it offers a not-to-be-missed upscale dining experience in Anaheim. Located just off Downtown Disney inside Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, the cuisine is contemporary California with French accents. Chef Andrew Sutton, formerly of Napa Valley's renowned Auberge du Soleil, is perfectly attuned to the complexities and finer points of California regional cuisine. We've enjoyed lighter dishes, such as grilled fish, as well as heartier entrées like the Osso Buco. The wine cellar currently holds more than 17,000 bottles, most of which are from—where else?—California. The main dining room can be rather noisy, so some business travelers opt to entertain in the private dining room, which seats up to 30 and has its own outdoor patio.
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The Ritz Restaurant & Garden still has staying power as one of the best places in Newport Beach to do business in classic style. Located directly across from the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa in Fashion Island, The Ritz has been a business dining institution since 1977. The lively horseshoe bar is where Newport's wealthy business people and their companions hang out for strong drinks and modern pub grub. The restaurant has six posh dining rooms, including a lovely indoor-outdoor garden. Take your business lunch or dinner to a quiet booth in the Escoffier Room or the more intimate Piano Room. Classically trained servers here happily accommodate everyone with equal panache.
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Stonehill Tavern
St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach
One Monarch Beach Resort
Dana Point, CA 92629
949-234-3200
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15/20
$$$$$ |
Stonehill Tavern is perhaps OC's best restaurant to wine-and-dine clients who can only be impressed with the best in food and drink. This Michael Mina establishment feels like a very modern and upscale gentleman's club and has a spectacular view of the St. Regis Monarch Beach, its Monarch Beach Golf Links and the wide blue Pacific Ocean just beyond. The modern American cuisine here is top notch, as are the strong cocktails and impressive wine list. If you are interested in the seven-course tasting menu, make sure you've got a few hours to spend at the table.
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| Downtown Disney
Disneyland Drive
Anaheim, CA
www.disneyland.com
For a little Disney magic without spending the money or energy required for a day at the overgrown theme park, head to Downtown Disney for dinner or a drink. Adjacent to the parks, the development bills itself as a "sports, dining and entertainment complex." Catch a live performance at The House of Blues or Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, or watch a televised game at ESPN Zone. Among several dining options, celebrity chef Joachim Splichal's Catal Restaurant serves a creative Mediterranean menu in an art deco atmosphere. Don't miss strolling into Disney's adjacent Grand Californian Hotel to marvel at the soaring Craftsman-style lobby and to sit by the roaring stone fireplace in cozy rocking chairs.
Irvine Spectrum Center
71 Fortune Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
949-753-5180
www.shopirvinespectrumcenter.com
A complex of modern entertainment, shopping and dining, Irvine Spectrum Center is visited by more than 11 million people annually. This giant retail and entertainment Mecca is one of Southern California's premier destinations for locals and tourists. Located in the middle of the region's automotive sector and in close proximity to Irvine's financial center and the John Wayne Airport, Irvine Spectrum Center houses the only IMAX Theater in Orange County, 21 cinemas and The Irvine Improv Comedy Club. You'll also find more than 120 eateries and shops, along with major department stores such as Nordstrom, Target and Macy's.
OC Beaches
Seal Beach to San Clemente
Pacific Coast Highway and South County Highway
From its northern border (Seal Beach) to the southern tip (San Clemente), Orange County has 42 miles of pristine beaches, quaint coastal towns and world-class hotel and resort destinations. A drive along Highway 1, better known as the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) gives the business traveler a taste of the California laid-back lifestyle, where seaside cottages, surf shops and outdoor cafes intermingle with multi-million dollar mansions, sailing ships and upscale eateries. For sun and surf, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Peninsula, Laguna Beach and San Clemente have stretches of white, sandy beaches and good surf while Newport Beach and Dana Point boast picturesque harbors and marinas. For trendy designer shops, art galleries and many fine dining restaurants, a visit to Laguna Beach offers the business traveler a place to relax and enjoy the funky upscale seaside scenery. Beginning in South Laguna, luxurious resorts hug the coastline such as Montage Resort & Spa, The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Nigel and The St. Regis, Monarch Beach, which all provide luxurious business accommodations and memorable family vacations.
Orange County Performing Arts Center
600 Town Center Dr.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-556-2746
www.ocpac.org
The Orange County Performing Arts Center, which houses the newly-constructed Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, offers the finest in symphony, opera, musical theatre, dance and other musical styles from regional, national and international performers. Located within minutes of John Wayne Airport and across from mega mall South Coast Plaza, the OC Performing Arts Center is home of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Opera Pacific and the Pacific Chorale. Many touring Broadway productions, opera troupes and international dance companies regularly perform at the center. Looking to impress clients? There are tons of fine dining restaurants surrounding the center including Leatherby's Café Rouge (which is located inside the ultra-modern Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall), as well as nearby Mastro's Steakhouse, Savannah, The Clubhouse and Marché Moderne.
Pelican Hill Golf Club
22651 Pelican Hill Road South
Newport Coast, CA 92657
949-760-0707
www.pelicanhill.com
For business travelers who are golf enthusiasts, no visit to Orange County would be complete without teeing off at the world-class Pelican Hill Golf Club. Located in exclusive Newport Coast and part of the Pelican Hill Resort (which is still under construction and will open in fall 2008), these two courses were recently refurbished by legendary designer Tom Fazio, who says "there's no better golf experience than Pelican Hill, no matter where it is." With the two 18-hole courses framed by the natural coastal vegetation and the ocean as a backdrop, Pelican Hill has a "wow factor that goes on hole after hole," says Fazio. After driving and putting the day away, unwind at the Spanish-inspired clubhouse with a cocktail on the terrace or dinner at the Pelican Grill, which features upscale California cuisine with expansive views of the resort and ocean. Other facilities include a driving range, practice tee bunker, fairway and green and an espresso bar. To get to the first tees of both courses, golfers drive their carts across a dramatic, classically-designed bridge that serves as the iconic entrance to the resort. |
Top10 Business Hotels Orange County
Going to Orange County, Calif.? Check our Guide. |
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