JohnRain

Thanks, I see what you mean. Out of curiosity, would you rate the Montage Laguna Beach in the same league, above or below the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel?

FlyerEC

Can ' t rate as haven't stayed at RCLN , am not usually at RCs .
The Singapore RC is ok - would say better than Montage if it's this one . Can ' t recall which others I stayed at , but 2 are now no more , Pasedena & HK ( old one was in Central by where HK Club is , across square from MOHK ) , were disappointments & are perhaps the reasons I avoid RC .

JohnRain

Understood, thanks. If someone else could chime in here, I'd be very interested in reading a direct comparison of the Montage Laguna Beach & the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel.

ABG

Is the Grand Del Mar too far south for you?

JohnRain

Thanks for your suggestion, ABG. I must admit that this hotel wasn't on my radar screen at all and that it looks good. It might be a bit far south and it's not on the beach, but I'll look into it in more detail. I never really associated the Fairmont brand with luxury, but it's true that some of their properties are quite nice (Plaza, Savoy, Montreux Palace are the ones I've been to).

WheelsFirst

As others have said it all comes down to location. My suggestion would be to split between Orange County and Los Angeles. The Pelican Hill Resort is the nicest resort hotel in OC, the Montage Laguna has a better location but the rooms and facilities at Pelican are a level above in my opinion.

Montage Beverly Hills has the best location in LA, you can walk to so many different things and BH is very central. Casa Del Mar is great if you want to be in Santa Monica, Shutters on the Beach is their sister property and would be my preference between the two.

If you want Santa Barbara you can't beat Bacara.

Grand Del Mar just became Fairmont so is likely still at a higher end in terms of quality, people love it and love San Diego too.

bhrubin

Newport Beach resident here. Montage Laguna and Pelican Hill are both very nice. As some others have indicated, most would say the Montage has the better location (seaside) while Pelican Hill is on the interior side of Pacific Coast Hwy. Montage feels more Cape Cod, PH feels more Italianate. PH has larger accommodations for the price, but it is a sprawling property. Both have great views. Dining is better at Montage--we know all too well. Andrea at PH is a disappointment, but Studio at Montage is outrageously pricey. There are great restaurants off-property in both Laguna and Newport--but few that are Michelin level. My husband says the Montage spa is among the best and most beautiful anywhere, but he also likes the PH spa. So go for the best benefit/rate. Laguna is more interesting than Newport for tourists, IMO, but the 2 resorts are roughly same time driving to the Laguna main beach area. It's a choice of style more than substance IMO between the two. If you golf, PH wins since its course is one of the best courses in the country. PH has the slight edge in that it has a shuttle to the nearby Crystal Cove beach, which is lovely and usually uncrowded--and always less crowded than Laguna Beach.

There also is the StR Monarch Beach, but it is even more sprawling--with golf. I'd say it's nicer than the RC Laguna Niguel but the RC has direct beach access and better views. The StR has better dining (Stonehill Tavern is one of our faves in OC).

bhrubin

I live in Newport so I've been numerous times to both properties (as well as StR Monarch Beach and the Pelican Hill Resort).

I'd say Montage has the better, more dramatic location and overall service, but the RC has the true beach right there. Montage is newer, has the better spa and dining between the two. I'd give the edge to the StR over the RC in terms of service and dining, usually, as well--but both have great rooms.

RCLN and StRMB are a bit further south but almost literally across the street--PCH--from each other. Montage is in S Laguna Beach, so it's closer to Laguna, which is more interesting, with lots of restaurants and a nice beach and galleries, shops, etc. Laguna is a real gem, one of if not the best in SoCal on the coast.

I don't think you can make a bad choice here, honestly. We have a plethora of great resorts here from which to choose between those and Pelican Hill, as well. All are wonderful...but they aren't Amans. They all have pretty good service, pretty good views, pretty good spas, beaches on property or very close, and golf on property or close. Montage is the one where you'd have to drive a wee bit further to get to the beach, but it's not that big a deal unless you're a beach lover.

Big_Foot

What? You go down the stairs, 3 minutes and you are on a really nice beach.
I'd say Montage by far is the most picturesque. Not amazing as far as rooms etc,
but the location is super nice. Food is OK too.
Ritz is old an dated, quite awful to be honest.

The nicest beach in So Cal BTW is El Matador in Malibu. You can drive there
from Santa Monica - 30 minutes.

A few of my pictures from El Matador:

JohnRain

Thank you all for your very useful comments and Big_Foot of course for some amazing photos as well. I don't know why I didn't think of the StR Monarch Beach, as I'm a fan of the brand. This changes the situation a bit, as it introduces the points and (Amex) benefits angle. I'm not a golfer and proximity to the beach is important to me, so I guess Pelican Hill is out. That leaves RC, Montage & StR. From what I've read above, RC seems to be the least attractive option. That leaves Montage & StR. Decisions, decisions...

stimpy

If you have Starwood status, that makes the StR the easy choice. It's a very nice property and very picturesque. It's been years since I stayed there, but I seem to recall walk across PCH to the beach. Maybe they can drop you off with a house car or golf cart.

One other thing I recall. The bellman brought us up to our nice upgraded room, and I tipped him extra well. And he then asked if I would like a nicer room. He rang down, had a quick talk with someone, then brought us to a huge suite overlooking the ocean.

tfung

Rooms at the StR is kind of old and dated... both Montage and PH have much better hardware....

WheelsFirst

StR feels like an overpriced Hilton, there's just something really off about the vibe there.

bhrubin

As locals who have friends staying at all of the OC resorts (Pelican Hill, Montage, RC Laguna Niguel, StR Monarch Beach), I think many here are reflecting more of their own personal foibles and situational specifics than the general reality of the resorts.

I don't think you can go wrong at any of them--despite the rhetoric to the contrary about some. All are wonderful--but none are Aman (though some have better dining than most Amans!). All are reasonably equivalent to most FS type resort properties in our opinion. Each has its own pros and cons. Service at all is pretty good in our experience. Rooms at all are pretty good, depending on the specific category which you prefer. Our friends who have stayed at all of them have all had a great stay. Those who have stayed at multiple properties have indicated that all were great stays with different pros and cons.

It's really more about which style you prefer, if resort restaurant quality matters, availability of other local restaurants, how much you like nearby golf, spa preferences/rates (Montage is my husband's fave but also the priciest by far), if you must be overlooking the actual beach (only the Montage and RC do that, PH and StR are on the interior side of PCH though both have nice views with edge to PH), which town or not that you prefer (Newport Beach--PH--vs Laguna Beach--Montage--vs Dana Point--RC and StR), etc.

Calling the StR MB a glorified Hilton is reasonably ridiculous to me, I'm sorry to say. But to each, their own. Of all of them, Studio at Montage and Stonehill Tavern at StR are the best restaurants--though Studio is outrageously overpriced IMO. Andrea at PH is the most overrated restaurant--woefully inadequate on too many occasions for us.

All of the resorts offer wonderful opportunities for a great holiday stay. Just depends on what you prefer/prioritize.

Getting to the beach from the StR isn't all that different from PH, to be fair. You're splitting hairs a bit.

The StR has the least impressive ocean views since it sits with more obstruction and the narrower view to the ocean, FYI. But it is a very nice property--a bit Vegas like for us, but some love the Italianate/Bellagio feel. PH has similar feel to us with larger accommodations. But the StR does give SPG benefits and often is the least pricey of the properties, depending on season.

PH often hosts part of the Saudi Royal family for a month or so at a time in July, so beware--they really can "take over" the property with their massive entourage. Many of the luxe shops nearby plan their entire year around that. :-)

mike_la_jolla

I wonder if Lodge at Torrey Pines Inn fits the bill. If not, Montage probably would be my recommendation. Pelican Hill doesn't have a beach vibe and I find the thing too sprawling. I'll refrain from discussing the Grand Del Mar. The guy that still owns a portion of that resort is known to retaliate and he knows me.

Old Newport Beach resident here ... My college degrees are from UCI. I agree with other posters that Laguna Beach is the place to visit. LB is just a magical little beach city.

If you still are looking at LA, my vote goes to the Pen with FS LA a close second. I don't like FS BW, and I can't for personal-reasons-that-will-irritate Kage recommend/go to Hotel Bel Air or Beverley Hills hotel.