I'm really excited about this property. As others have mentioned, luxury beach front resorts in southern California are few and far between (and if you want to use points, even fewer and farther between), so I have high hopes for this property. It also looks to have a ton of standard rooms, so hopefully award availability will be decent.

How does the beach in front of the property compare to others in southern California? I've always liked the beach in front of the old St. Regis and Ritz, and Crystal Cove beach over by Pelican Hill is also great, although the surf can get pretty rough around the Ritz.