A few weeks ago, we spent a long weekend in beautiful Southern California.  Our family friends were tying the knot in Newport Beach, so we decided to enjoy a a few days in Laguna Beach beforehand, and made the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Nigel our home away from home!  It’s also close to the town of Laguna Beach, which we love to visit.  It’s like a sleepy little beach town that is incredibly busy (if that makes any sense!).  There are so many charming shops to explore & great restaurants to try.  Here are our Laguna Beach suggestions if you are planning a trip in the future:

Stay:

• Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel–  Located on the bluff above Salt Creek beach, this property has stunning views of the Pacific.  Each morning we started with Pilates or yoga overlooking the Ocean, followed by breakfast.  We highly recommend the oatmeal w/ fresh berries, and the iced coffee is delicious!  The rooms are beautiful and each room has a patio overlooking the pool or the ocean.  The beach is a quick walk down the bluffs and resort staff will greet you with chairs, towels and umbrellas!  If the beach is not your thing, the resort pool is beautiful with a full service bar and restaurant.  It’s a great setting for lunch!

Eat:

• 180BLU-  The terrace restaurant at the Ritz, this was our favorite place to eat at the hotel.  You can’t beat the views, and the food is amazing too.  We highly suggest the nachos, sweet potato fries, lobster tacos, oysters and hand rolled sushi that is available on the weekends.
• Sapphire–  Located in the heart of Laguna Beach, this restaurant is in what was once a charming beach cottage.  We were thoroughly impressed with each of our appetizers and main dishes.  There were a few that really stood out: the seared hamachi was a favorite of the appetizers we tried, and the whole grilled branzino was a showstopper entree.  For dessert, we shared bananas foster, which was to die for!
• Watermarc–  Every trip to Laguna we find ourselves eating at Watermarc.  And no exceptions for this trip!  We had lunch at Watermarc two days during our trip and it did not disappoint.  We think everything is delicious, but especially the filet mignon sliders, beet carpaccio and ahi watermelon skewers – yum!

Shop:

• Fashion Island– World class shopping just a short drive from the Ritz
• Laguna Beach–  Wander in and out of the little boutiques that line PCH in Laguna

Golf:

• Monarch Beach Golf Links–  Free shuttle service from the Ritz to Monarch Beach.  Beautiful course right on the ocean! Our husbands loved the course and the close proximity to the Ritz
• Pelican Hill– A beautiful course in Newport Beach, our husbands played the South course.  We made a day of it with shopping at Fashion Island and then meeting them at the hotel bar for a drink when they finished their round

Do:

• Beach
• Drive PCH from Laguna to Newport and stop in each beach town
• Relax!

PS: We’ve been sharing a few looks from our trip over the past few weeks.  You can see an adorable palm leaf print dress, our favorite tassel dress in coral, the perfect boho short set and a chambray dress.

Cheers,