West Coast Road Trip: Newport Beach- Hotel Irvine
As we continued our journey into Southern California, we
planned a stop at the Hotel Irvine. It is located just 10 minutes outside Newport
Beach in Irvine, CA.
The property had a modern look and character, which featured spacious guest rooms and many onsite amenities. Some of our favorites were the fully stocked 24/7 marketplace and the Club 12 lounge on the 12th floor. The deck outside of Club 12 was a great place to enjoy breakfast or happy hour and take in the great views.
For our daytime activity, we made the short drive to Newport
Beach Harbor to set sail on a Duffy Boat. We did a 2 hour rental which allowed
us to comfortably make a big lap around the whole harbor and take in the
sights. In addition to the beautiful waterfront houses, the boats on display
throughout the harbor were a sight in themselves and had our jaws dropping for
the whole 2 hours. Duffy boats are electrically powered boats that make it easy
for non-boaters and boaters alike to operate. It’s a great way to tour a new
area from a unique perspective.
After an afternoon of working an appetite up on the water, we
sat down to enjoy a meal at Hotel Irvine’s restaurant, EATS. Executive Chef
Jason’s menu features pub style food with a creative twist. For appetizers, the
chorizo & potatoes tacos, along with the steamed buns were fantastic. For entrees we had the butcher steak and
shrimp & grits which were also delicious. In addition to the food, EATS also
featured a variety of craft beer, wine, and cocktails.
Matt & Kristy with Check Jason |
While we were only in Irvine/Newport Beach for a day, it felt like we packed a whole weekend’s worth of activities into this beautiful region of the country!
Kristy Albano & Matt Pickering