Newport Beach is all about lifestyle. In this coastal Orange County town you can experience it all: fabulous nightlife,
glamorous
entertainment and luxury shopping. Sandwiched along the Southern California coast between Los Angeles (50 miles to the north) and San Diego (80 miles to the south), Newport Beach sits along a stretch of superbly scenic coastline. Locals live here for the almost always sunny skies, the rolling blue Pacific, the rocky shores and the gleaming white sands. From a new Cesar Pelli-designed concert hall and the regenerated Orange County Museum of Art to the billion-dollar surf wear design industry, there's much more to the O.C. than flip flops and bikinis.
Many who live in the Southland know that Newport Beach is just a car's drive away. If you do fly, try to land at John Wayne Airport (SNA). Renting a car is essential as suburban living in Orange County does not include public transportation. Two other options are to fly into
JetBlue hub
Long Beach Airport (LGB) or Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), rent a car and get ready to make the hour's drive (or longer, depending on LA's infamous traffic.)
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Balboa Bay Club and Resort |
The city of Newport Beach consists of several villages: Balboa Island, Balboa Peninsula, Airport District, Back Bay, Fashion Island, Corona del Mar, Newport Coast, Crystal Cove, Lido Isle and Cannery Village. The fact that almost every inch of Newport's beachfront property is filled with upscale private residences makes for a shortage of hotels directly on the sand.
The Balboa Bay Club and Resort, a historical property and former private club, sits on Newport Harbor in an exclusive area off Pacific Coast Highway known as Mariner's Mile.
The Resort at Pelican Hill is Newport's newest and only mega-luxury resort and is also home to the Pelican Hill Golf Club, which has two Tom Fazio-designed courses. The Island Hotel Newport Beach (formerly The Four Seasons)
has been recently refreshed with a more tropical Zen vibe and
is located directly across from upscale shopping mall Fashion Island; Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa sits on Fashion Island's lovely hill overlooking a verdant golf course and the Pacific Ocean beyond; and The Fairmont Newport Beach is situated far from the shore, but closer to the region's business districts
and directly across from John Wayne Airport.
For something really different, opt for the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort. Part of this fancy trailer park is inhabited permanently by beach devotees, but those traveling in an RV can rent a space by the night. Family-style cottages are also available for rent, plus there's a small market, a boat launch and
the newly renovated Back Bay Bistro.
DAY 1
Newport Harbor is the jewel of the city and deserves to be the first stop on any sightseeing excursion of Newport Beach. No matter where you're staying, start out by driving south on Jamboree Boulevard and right onto Balboa Island. This small, manmade island is home to cute cottages and million-dollar mansions. Many stop for breakfast at Wilma's Patio, a charming morning spot with mostly American fare. For the latest in sophisticated and surf fashion, as well as home décor and restaurants with lots of character, take a leisurely walk along Balboa Island's tiny Marine Avenue.
Next, for only $1 or so, drive your vehicle or walk onto the Auto Ferry. The three-minute ride over Newport Harbor and onto Balboa Peninsula affords visitors spectacular views of the harbor and nearby hills. Sadly, the famed Fun Zone on Balboa Peninsula has closed and is now the Newport Nautical Museum. Happily, however, Balboa's Ferris wheel and carousel remains. If you didn't catch your morning meal on Balboa Island, walk out to the breathtaking end of Balboa Pier for an American-style meal at Ruby's Diner. Right on the water's edge, this circa 1940s diner offers contemporary American cuisine.
The best way to view Newport Harbor is from the water, and Balboa Boat Rentals sits right next to the Auto Ferry landing on Balboa Peninsula. There's a whole fleet of self-propelled boats and kayaks for rental by the hour. The fully-enclosed Duffy boats can seat up to eight passengers and are outfitted with a large dining table and cup holders. Balboa Boat Rentals provides its drivers with a fairly detailed map of the harbor's sites as well as restaurants and public piers. If you can plan ahead, bring food and wine onto the boat for a family picnic, romantic dinner or even a poker party. There are also romantic boat rides offered by Gondola Romance or larger cruises via Hornblower's fleet of party ships.
Only two restaurants in Newport Harbor allow boats to dock. At Bluewater Grill, owner Jimmy "U" may come down to the dock and help you with the ropes himself. If you ask, the chef will come out to explain the day's mesquite-grilled catch or how he sautées the perfect crab cake. The menu also offers traditional New England dishes such as chowders and fish 'n' chips, but there's also contemporary cuisine like sashimi and seasonal salads.
The one ther dockside choice is The Cannery, another iconic on-the-water restaurant serving up fine seafood, sushi and other classic California dishes.
After your boat ride and luncheon, set out on the mile-long walk from Balboa Pier to Newport Pier via a recreational concrete boardwalk. Along the way, you'll pass 15th Street Beach with its on-the-sand playground, surf shop, snack bar
and Fry's general store. Newport Pier has more of a wild side than the rest of Newport. The busy boardwalk here is littered with hip restaurants, neighborhood bars, bikini shops and surf equipment stores. You'll also find romantic dining at 21 Oceanfront, and you can even stay overnight at its
antique-filled, Victorian Doryman's Oceanfront Inn just above.
With Newport Harbor taking up so much of the city's coastline, there's actually little space to enjoy the beach. The shore along Balboa Peninsula is perhaps the most iconic stretch of coastline here with a famed boardwalk starting at 36th Street and going for a couple of miles to The Wedge, a legendary body surfing spot where free-flowing waves and harbor jetty meets for powerful surf. Along the peninsula, the best spots for endless summer activities are near Newport Pier, 15th Street and Balboa Pier. Further south, Newport Coast, Corona Del Mar and Crystal Cove have wide expanses of sand with less crowds, good facilities and more of a back-to-nature feel.
For a Hollywood-style evening, fans of the city's annual Newport Beach Film Festival can watch first-run and independent films at the historic Lido Theatre. This Art Deco movie house boasts red velvet floor-to-ceiling curtains and walls painted with leaping neon dolphins.
Want to eat where the locals hang? Try out some of Newport's more casual, yet still fine dining havens like Bayside, Bistro Le Crillon, Chart House, The Crab Cooker and Wildfish Seafood Grille.
Since Newport is more suburban hideaway than happening beach town, its sidewalks roll up rather early—although there are some places to party into the wee hours. The restaurant-cum-nightclub trend is evident in such spots as
Code Restaurant Lounge, 3-Thirty-3 Waterfront and Landmark Steakhouse.
Bar scenes are also big at Canaletto Ristorante Veneto, Yard House and Javier's.
Continue to Day 2 |
