Bite Sized Travel Guide- Laguna Beach, Newport + More
A GUIDE TO MY FAVORITES IN ORANGE IN LAGUNA BEACH, NEWPORT BEACH + MORE
Welcome to my Bite Sized Travel Guides series. What exactly is a Bite Sized Travel Guide, you ask? Well, it’s essentially a short and sweet travel guide, a summarized version of where to eat, where to stay, what to do and quick tips, my favorite “bites” of a destination, if you will. Because sometimes I haven’t spent enough time in a location, or don’t know it well enough, or don’t have enough professional photos from somewhere, to qualify for a full blown travel guide, but I still want to share the spots I do know, love and recommend, as well as ones I have bookmarked for future visits, in a simple, minimal and easy to digest format with small tips and tidbits as well as any relevant and correlating blog posts and links. The Bite Sized Travel Guides are perfect for someone just looking for quick recommendations, and not wanting to scroll through a whole guide and paragraph after paragraph just to find a spot for dinner. The Bite Sized Travel Guides will also be added to and refreshed anytime I re-visit the featured location and have something new to add. I hope you’ll find these bite-sized bites of a destination just as tasty as I do!
I’ve been to Orange County (Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente and surrounding areas) many times on many a day trip, as a stop over on the way down to San Diego and a few quick overnight getaways. And yet somehow I still don’t have proper guides to the area here on my site. So you know what that means, I’m giving you a quick bite travel guide to some of my favorite places in Orange County to tide you over until I can properly get full guides up. Below, you’ll find everything from coffee shops to places to eat to hikes I love and hotels I’ve stayed in.
WHERE TO EAT + DRINK
COFFEE
HERST (Newport Beach at Lido Village)
HUSKINS (Newport Beach in Balboa Island)
VACANCY COFFEE (Newport Beach)
JEDIDIAH (Laguna Beach)
RAPPORT (Laguna Beach + San Clemente)
DAYDREAM (Costa Mesa, also a cool surf shop)
SUR COFFEE (San Clemente)
FOOD + BEVS
RYE GOODS- They can do no wrong in my book. Love everything from their breads to baked goods to meals. (Newport Beach at Lido Village, Laguna Beach, Tustin)
AHBA- For brunch/lunch or a casual dinner, get the burger or breakfast burrito, skip the cauliflower hash (Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa)
HAUTE CAKES- Great for breakfast, brunch of lunch; fresh and delicious with lots of options and something for everyone (Newport Beach)
ZINQUE- Great for any time of day, but especially love getting happy hour since this location is right on the water (Newport Beach at Lido Village)
ECOLOGY CENTER (San Juan Capistrano; for provisions, produce and breakfast or lunch) (San Juan Capistrano)
HERITAGE BBQ- Some of the best bbq I’ve had in a while; expect a bit of a line/wait, especially during peek hours (San Juan Capistrano)
SOUTH OF NICK’S- Love the chips and salsa trio they bring to your table and the birria tacos are unreal (Laguna Beach, San Clemente)
BEAR FLAG FISH CO. - Get the fish burrito. Just trust me. But also, you can’t go wrong with anything else here. (Newport Beach, Crystal Cove, Huntington Beach)
THE DECK- for oceanside drinks and/or food and the sunset vibes; the food can be a bit hit or miss, it’s definitely more about the location and vibes; also expect it to be extra vibey around happy hour/sunset during peek season (Laguna Beach)
ACTIVE CULTURE- froyo, smoothies and healthy bowls (Laguna Beach, San Clemente)
FOLKS PIZZARIA- I literally dream of this pizza and am willing to drive from LA just to get it, it’s that good! (Costa Mesa)
CRYSTAL COVE SHAKE SHACK- super casual burger and seafood shack overlooking the ocean; great burgers, fries, shakes, etc.; go for sunset, but expect a bit of a wait, especially during peak hours/seasons (Newport Beach)
SEMITROPICS- natural wine bar and wine shop (Costa Mesa)
LOST PIER CAFE- very random but don’t sleep on the watermelon margs at the beach cafe at Aliso Beach (they’re made with fresh watermelon juice and are so refreshing!); also their food looks great (definitely not your typical beach shack kind of food), but I haven’t personally tried it (Laguna Beach)
WHERE TO STAY
CASA LOMA- It’s giving Mediterranean escape + the location is great, super walkable + right on the beach; chic, design-forward and perfect for anyone looking for an aesthetically pleasing stay that’s also centrally located and doesn’t require driving to get to restaurants, shops, etc. (Laguna Beach)
CASA LAGUNA- Pretty mission style architecture, great pool and ocean views, a bit removed from the downtown area so the down side is distance to restaurants and such, but the upside is it’s more quiet and relaxing (Laguna Beach)
LA PETIT PALI- One of the newest Pali locations, looks super cute, albeit the location is definitely farther removed from the downtown Laguna area (Laguna Beach)
HOTEL JOAQUIN- Been on my list of places to stay for years, looks so chic and dreamy and perfect for those who prefer a more curated and intimate boutique hotel (Laguna Beach)
WOODS COVE- I haven’t personally stayed here but it looks like a lovely design-forward boutique hotel option from the Marriot Sonders group (Laguna Beach)
MONTAGE- For those looking for a more luxurious 5-star vacation (Laguna Beach)
WHAT TO DO
Shops, hikes, beaches, etc.
LAGUNA BEACH BOOKS- You know I love a good bookstore and this one doesn’t disappoint!
ABODE- Right next door to the book store (they’re actually connected) is this cute and perfectly curated boutique filled with aesthetically pleasing home goods, provisions and other lifestyle items.
A LA CARTE- a natural wine shop; stop into grab a bottle + some snacks
RENT A BOAT- Rent a duffy boat and cruise around Newport; there’s a few options available if you want to go out on your own, but if you prefer to let someone else do the work and you just enjoy the ride, Dave and I love the Boat People, which we did for our anniversary a few years ago.
BALBOA ISLAND- get a coffee at Huskins then walk the canals and, of course, don’t forget to get a frozen banana (obviously)
LIDO VILLAGE- for shopping (like Jenni Kayne and Amber Interiors) and restaurants; a few of my favorites that are here include Rye for baked goods, Herst for coffee, Bear Flag Fish Co. for a quick meal, Zinque for happy hour and Nobu for a nicer meal overlooking the water
GO FOR A HIKE- Top of the World, a trail that’s part of the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, offers panaromic views of the Pacific and is one of our faves down that way. Crystal Cove Park is also lovely for great hikes with great ocean views.
EXPLORE THE BEACHES (Le duh)- So many beautiful options, you can’t go wrong! Of course there’s the iconic Main Beach, right in the center of town, but Aliso Beach, Thousand Steps Beach, Victoria Beach, Treasure Island Beach and Shaw’s Cove
STROLL THROUGH HEISLER PARK- This oceanfront park is the perfect place for any early morning or sunset walk, a picnic (there are tons of picnic spots along the trail + even some grilling stations), or watch the waves crash along the rocky bluffs. Expect it to be packed and busy during peak hours and seasons.
EXPLORE DOWNTOWN LAGUNA- Head to Forest Avenue and browse through the boutiques or pop into one of the many art galleries that are scattered throughout (Laguna is a longtime artist colony).
THINGS OF NOTE
TRAFFIC- Traffic can be pretty nuts, especially on weekends and during the summer months so be sure to plan accordingly (it can legit take over an hour to get through the downtown area in prime summertime).
PARKING- On that note, parking can be a bit tricky, especially during the summer, so get there early, park further out, use the trolley system and once you do find parking, stay put and stick to exploring on foot.
BEST TIME TO VISIT- The climate in Laguna is mild and lovely, making it ideal to visit year-round. April through October is better for sunny beach days, but it gets really busy once summer hits, and of course there’s still May gray and June gloom. We love going in the fall/winter months as there are fewer crowds, and while it’s not quite beach weather (and you might even need a sweater at times), it’s still lovely and so pretty.
HOW MANY DAYS TO VISIT- You can easily do the area in a day trip, but obviously, the more time you have, the more you get to explore, so an overnight or weekend getaway is always great, and if you want time to relax or throw a beach day or two into your trip then you could easily stay for 3-4 days or more.
DID YOU FIND THIS GUIDE HELPFUL?
Follow along on INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more tasteful travel inspo, and if you happen to visit any of these places, please snap a photo and share it, tagging me on INSTAGRAM or PINTEREST so that I can see. Truly nothing makes me happier than when I see others enjoying my travel recommendations!
