A Heavenly Stay at Hotel Joaquin in Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach is a place that has been on my list for quite awhile and yes I will admit I first heard of it because of the early 2000’s MTV reality show with the same name (which also weirdly seems to be coming back around in popularity now that it’s on Netflix). It’s funny because my brain didn’t totally reconcile being in the same places featured on the show. It’s like young me watching the high school drama exists totally separate of adult me’s physical experience. Nevertheless the town’s charm and sparkling oceans were just as accurate years later. 

We added a stop in Laguna after spending time in LA, which I would recommend since it’s an easy drive about one hour south. (Or you can fly into John Wayne Airport in Newport which is the neighboring town). You probably only need a few days or a weekend to explore - it’s a sleepy beach town so our main agenda was relaxing and venturing to the small downtown. 

I can’t say enough good things about our heavenly stay at the Hotel Joaquin. It’s a quaint resort with only 22 rooms and in 2016 was gut renovated and redone with inspiration from St. Barths and southern California beach culture. We loved being surrounded by the neutral room decor, the texture of the hand cut bathroom tiles and soaking up the sunsets on the patio or sitting by the fire. And I haven’t even mentioned the pool! We spent a few hours each day here, stretched out on the daybeds with tasty mezcal margaritas. It feels like you’re in your own secluded backyard, making Hotel Joaquin the perfect seaside escape.

Where We Eat & Drink

Laguna’s food and drink establishments are extremely casual. There’s the occasional upscale restaurant at some of the hotels (like the Montage and Surf and Sand), but we kept it low key and visited some local favorites. During the day we walked along the gorgeous ocean facing walking path (about a mile from our hotel) and in the evenings caught the free trolley that goes into town. It conveniently picked up a block away from our hotel and there’s a trolley tracker website so you can time it pretty well. 

Restaurants

Heidelberg Cafe and Bistro: After the morning drive in from LA we refueled here with a stack of blueberry pancakes and a breakfast burrito. It’s a crowd pleasing place with something for everyone (classic eggs, omelets and pastries are also on the breakfast menu) and they serve sandwiches and burgers if you’re there for lunch. 

Alessa: If you’ve watched a little too much Laguna Beach like me you’ll wonder where Pomodoro (where everyone goes on dates) is and it’s actually now Alessa. I’m not sure if it’s just a rebrand or new ownership, but it’s in the same space and still serves Italian food. The menu is huge and can be overwhelming (my boyfriend stress ordered he was so hungry when we sat down) so I’d say go in with a plan, but with literally hundreds of options you’re bound to find what you like. 

Carmelita’s: This place is great to roll into after a day spent on the beach mere blocks away. While the restaurant itself doesn’t feel fancy the food is solid with taquitos, a variety of enchiladas, and fresh seafood dishes. The best part is the free black bean dip you get as a starter so don’t be shy about asking for more (we did!)

The Farmer’s Market: If you’re there on the weekend the Farmer’s Market is open Saturdays 8am - noon. We stroll our own Farmer’s Market pretty often and it’s fun to be local and go when visiting other towns. We sampled some spicy salsa and ogled the dogs that were around. 

The Deck: This is an anytime of the day kind of place. We popped in to grab a drink before brunch, enjoying a bloody mary on the deck that overlooks the beach below. I can only imagine how busy and popular it gets for sunset. 

230 Forest Ave: Laguna Beach is known for being an artsy town with events during the year. When I looked up 230 Forest Avenue it gave off a good local vibe with art framed on the walls and it ended up being one of my favorite meals! The menu has a variety of appetizers, soups, salads and entrees, which was great for sharing. The highlights for us were the tuna tartare, croquettes, warm parker house rolls (how could we not?!) and the pork chop for our entree. 

Marine Room Tavern: Laguna is full of great dive bars and this one delivers. There’s a pool table, fireplace, and when we were there a rowdy birthday party that clearly had some sort of sparkle attire theme had taken over. Go before or after dinner and expect to drink mostly beer or your wine choices will be limited to “red” and “white”.