What to See
& Do | Where to Eat |
Hotels
Newport Beach & Balboa
Of all the Southern California coastal beach towns,
this is the one of our favorites. The beach area,
cheek-by-jowl with a vibrant beachfront community on the
Balboa Peninsula, is a lively reminder of the first half
of the 1900s. This was an era when people not only lived
by the beaches but came from afar by train, boat and
later by car -- to savor the sea air, stay in fine little
hotels, have fun in amusement parks, and then dance the
night away in pavilions built over the water.
The inland community of Newport
Beach (with some of the most expensive real estate in
already wealthy Orange County) is largely hidden behind
high bougainvillaea-covered walls. To the east is John
Wayne Airport and Irvine. To the north is Huntington
Beach -- a fine, long beach but without the ambience --
and to the south is Laguna Beach and a series of state
beaches which offer camping.
But Newport Beach has the atmosphere
brought by a lasting combination of a timeless seaside
resort with distinctive places to stay; a charming
permanent community set on the long spit and lagoon
islands.
The year-round resort area lies west of the
Pacific Coast Highway, accessed by driving on either
Balboa Boulevard or Newport Blvd. Newport Blvd. takes you
past city hall and an older part of town and then meets
Balboa Blvd. This is the peninsula road which
leads south, down the middle of the 4-mile sand spit with
beach houses on each side.
What to See and Do
There are two major beach resort areas
along Balboa Blvd. The first is Newport Beach --
with a public pier (a seafood restaurant is at the end)
and the beach is fronted by a picturesque collection of
restaurants, B and B inns and shops. Balboa Beach
is closer to the top of the peninsula, with another great
public beach and pier plus more inns and cafes on the
ocean side. Clustered near the entrances to the beaches
are commercial areas which contain distinctive inns and
restaurants.
Across the spit is the building which
defines the beach area -- the historic Balboa Pavilion,
which serves as a departure point for cruises to Catalina
Island. This 1905 palace on a pier now has a restaurant
on the lower floor, and the ballroom remains on the upper
level. It's sad to note that the regular dances, which
made the building famous during the swing era, have
disappeared. The room can be rented, but the days of
Harry James and Stan Kenton are over. Still, it's a
thrill for jazz fans to see the floor where many of the
great dance bands became famous.
The car and passenger ferry to Balboa
Island (providing access to Newport Beach) docks
beside the Pavilion. The ride takes about three minutes.
Newport Beach is two communities: the posh
inland city, and the beach town (Balboa). You can stay in
a deluxe hotel -- a mile inland at Fashion Island -- or
in the business park close to John Wayne Airport. Or, you
can head for the shoreline, particularly to Balboa
Peninsula, for a beachside inn.
