Thanks for the recommendations! Went to Peking Duck and Ramos House Cafe to which we loved and returned to after Christmas. Peking duck was pretty decent, we were only two and got the duck and some appetizers. Ramos House Cafe was a highlight, what a charming spot tucked away between railroad and active train station and a hidden alley! They offer a pre-fixe brunch menu for $45 pp with one small and one large dish. Our favorites were beignets, squash soup, mac & cheese and lamb ragu.

For the hotel, we were upgraded to 102 at the very end of one of the wings with fireplace facing directly the ocean. Smores kits are $35 and plentiful. Lots of people walking around with dogs. You can absolutely take one of the two paths to the beach - for some reason they only show you one of the paths (southern) as pedestrian-only on hotel maps but the official City of Dana Point maps designated the tram trail as 'public trail' too. Not obvious and probably not taken advantage of but trams are in fact open to public.

The staff also organizes events throughout the week. Since we were there before Xmas, they build a snow mountain and had sledding for kids.