Laguna Beach

MARIA DIEGO
My family lives in Southern California, spread out between the cities of Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. We try to visit at least twice a year for a family vacation, and no matter how long we go for, it never feels like enough time. There are so many kid-friendly things to do in Southern California like outdoor parks, hiking, farms with petting zoos, fresh fruits and vegetables, horseback riding, museums and of course, the beaches. One area that had always evaded us was Laguna Beach, which was left for us to discover over our summer vacation.
As most of the country was just reopening and still dealing with restrictions, we planned a long weekend trip to Laguna Beach to discover three new luxury hotels in this Southern California area, known for its beautiful cliffs, great restaurants and shopping, and tons of outdoor activities like surfing and hiking. In this blog, I’m going to highlight where to stay, what hotel will be right for your family vacation, and break down the differences between Montage Laguna Beach, the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel, and the Monarch Beach Resort.
Perfect For: Romantic Getaways | Honeymoons & Anniversaries | Families | Surfing | Golfers | Shopping

About Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach is 7 miles of coastline located between San Diego and Los Angeles, with more oceanfront hotel properties than any other area of California. The topography of Laguna Beach includes coves, tide pools, unique beaches, sea caves and oceanside bluffs, making it one of the coolest regions to explore with kids. Laguna Beach is home to some of the world’s most famous surf breaks, making it a favorite of surfers and stand up paddle boarders. It’s also home to a fun arts and culture scene that includes year-round festivals, galleries, public art exhibits, and fun educational programs for kids.

Getting to Laguna Beach, California
Whether you are planning a honeymoon, a family vacation, or just a beach weekend getaway, Laguna Beach is a great option as a sole destination, or a stopover while visiting the entire California coast. Laguna Beach is easily accessible by flying into John Wayne Airport (SNA), which is the closest but smallest of the airport options. Alternatively, you could fly into either San Diego International (SAN) or Los Angeles International (LAX) and make the approximately 1.5 hour drive from either direction, depending on traffic. If you have never visited California, I would recommend either starting in San Diego or San Francisco and driving the entire coast, if you want to make a fun family road trip and experience the best of California. However you choose to explore California, we always recommend a rental car so that you can see and do as much as possible.
Montage Laguna Beach
Monarch Beach Resort
The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel

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The Best Hotels in Laguna Beach
The Best Hotels in Laguna Beach
While Laguna Beach has a ton of great hotels and resorts for honeymooners, couples getaways, or family vacations, I selected the top three luxury resorts in Laguna Beach that I wanted to compare for my clients. I am going to break down the differences and pros and cons of my top three resorts in Laguna Beach and let you know which one is right for you. Without further ado, here are the best hotels in Laguna Beach.

The Monarch Beach Resort
This 400-room Monarch Beach Resort is a massive 175 acre property set further back from the beach, but offering gorgeous views of both green hills and ocean. The 18-hole golf course runs perpendicular and slightly downhill to the beach, which makes it an ideal beach and golf resort. In 2019, they completed Laguna Beach’s only beach club, which offers a beachside restaurant and private beach access with chair setup and service. This beach club is only open to hotel guests and club members, which is a nice bonus of staying at Monarch Beach Resort.
For me, the downside was the commute to the beach. You have to arrive by golf or shuttle cart, which takes about 10-15 minutes, plus the wait time when you’re ready to go. It’s not a huge deal if you plan to go to the beach and stay put, but if you have little ones and need to go back and forth to the room, it would be a challenge.
Other important features of this resort is that it is very kid-friendly and dog-friendly. Dogs have designated run zones and and trails around the property. Monarch Beach Resort does have a kids club, though it was not open during our visit. They created outdoor kids activities and even relocated the gym equipment to an outdoor tented area to allow guests the continued use of the ‘gym.’
The resort has 3 pools – the 2 main ones are nearly side-by-side, separated by a restaurant and gates with one being the family pool and the other being the adults-only pool. I did feel the pools were on the smaller side for being such a large resort. The third pool is located in the Miraval spa, which is also adults-only.
While they have many different types of accommodations, a resort favorite is the fireside junior suites for their ground floor easy access to the outdoor spaces and fire pits that are nice and cozy in the colder months of the year.
Book Monarch Beach Resort with Diego Travel to Receive the Following:
- Upgrade at time of booking, subject to availability
- Daily full breakfast, for two guests per bedroom in AVEO Table + Bar or via room service ($80 credit per day)
- $100 USD Resort credit, to be utilized during stay (Cannot be used for room, tax, valet or resort charge, not combinable, not valid on retail items, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
We Recommend Monarch Beach Resort For:
- Large families or family reunions
- Golfers
- Corporate or incentive travel
- Large weddings
- Large reunions that require large outdoor spaces
- Those looking for a more lively scene

Laguna Beach in a Nutshell
To summarize, whether you’re planning a 2-night stay as a stopover or a week-long summer vacation, Laguna Beach is a great option for a honeymoon, family vacation, or couples trip. We spent three nights, but felt like we could have spent a lot more, and didn’t even leave the hotels to explore around town. When you book your vacation with Diego Travel, we provide all the above listed amenities at no extra charge to our clients. Direct hotel bookings are always complimentary, and when planning or concierge service is involved, there is a minimal custom trip planning fee. Next time you’re planning to travel worldwide, feel free to reach out to see how we can enhance your travel experience.
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