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Newport Beach/LIDO/Laguna are all pretty close together. In May, Evan and I visited Newport; we learned the terms "may gray" and "June gloom." Regardless of these expressions, I thought the weather here was fabulous. The gray dissolved by the end of the day, followed by gorgeous cool sunny weather and beautiful sunsets.
For our trip, we stayed at an Air BNB in Lido. After spending time and driving to Laguna and throughout the city, I would stay in Lido again. It was easy to walk places with direct access to the beach. My must-dos for Newport include taking a visit to the Beachcomber Inn. Try to get a reservation because you will end up waiting about 3 hours if not. The beachcomber inn is pretty unbelievable and hard to explain. The cottages were constructed in the early 1900s by families who vacationed on the island. There is a great hike right by the beachcomber called the Crystal Cove hike. It takes about 2 hours to complete. That is high on my recommendation list. Also, a must is taking the ferry to Balboa Island. Bring cash to jump on the ferry quickly without having to wait in line for tickets. Don't be fooled by all the banana stands that say "best-frozen bananas," and remember, "there is always money in the banana stand"—a little arrested development reference. Balboa Island is super touristy, as expected, but there were some cute restaurants (see below for recs). Next, I recommend booking a round of golf. The top courses that came recommended to me were Pelican Hill & Monarch. Also, a must is grabbing fish tacos from Bear Flag. Hotel Recommendations: Pelican Hill Lido House Bar Recs: Quiet Woman- the famous bar the Real Housewives visit on thier trip to Newport Topside Bar at Lido House- great trendy rooftop bar Workout Recs: Ekam- pilates and yoga studio Grit Cycle- fun cycle studio Restaurant Recs: Mastros Ocean Club- stunning water views Brisas Javiers Nobu Selanne Steak Tavern Red O- A Rick Bayless restaurant in fashion island Bandera Pescadou Bistro Lunch Recs: Bear Flag Lido Bottleworks Malibu Farms Taco Maria Gracias Madre Eastside Mini-Mart Drive Through Coffee Recs: Crew Coffee and Cremerie Blue Bottle Herst Alta Coffee |
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