The Island Hotel located in Newport Beach is 5 star and pure luxury.
It is not very often that I have a chance to stay at a hotel close to home, but the opportunity presented itself and I grabbed it. I have been to the hotel quite a few times over the past few years for travel consultant events, but never to stay. While the hotel was very nice, it was a bit dark and needed some updating. That is exactly what happened a little over a year ago and I was excited to take a look.
They have brought the outside in as far as the color palette. The lobby is light and bright and decorated in beach tones, beige’s, blues and greens. It is beautiful and modern.
The Island Hotel has 294 rooms, with 82 suites. Each guestroom has views of either the coast, the hills or Back Bay. Each room has a walkout balcony which is so nice, even just to get fresh air in the room. If you happen to be staying in a suite, you will have a balcony with a couple of chairs and a small table.
A nice amenity that I recommend you add to your stay is The Island Club. For $35 a day for 2, you will have access to the private lounge on the 20th floor of the hotel. They serve a nice continental breakfast in the mornings, wine and snacks in the afternoon and evenings. There is plenty of space to relax and read the many newspapers offered. There are flat screen TV’s around the room and if you want to hear the news, they have wireless headsets for your private listening. There is a small balcony overlooking the mall and the beautiful coastline along with the bay in the background. Get your light breakfast and head to the balcony to watch Newport Beach come to life. Looking for tea, they have plenty of options. If coffee is your morning addiction, they have it and have a coffee/capuccino machine the size of a small car, it will meet your needs. The staff is welcoming, helpful and there to assist you.
The pool has been redone as well and is a great spot to forget the day. There is a large fireplace that is lit each night around 7:00 pm. Cozy up next to the fire with a drink under the stars, it doesn’t get much better.
The fitness center wasn’t forgotten, it is clean and fresh with large windows in front of the treadmills overlooking the pool with all new equipment.
The hotel has 2 lounges and a restaurant. The Aqua Lounge is a beautiful bar, bringing in the beach colors. Thursday through Sunday they bring a DJ to spin your favorite music. On the weekends this is a hot spot.
The Fireside Cafe is a great outdoor space to enjoy fireplaces, a cocktail and time with friends. Monday through Wednesday they bring in an acoustic guitarist.
The restaurant, Oak Grill is fantastic. I’m not going to say much, I have droned on long enough, but join me later in the week for a blog post on just the restaurant.
The hotel is located across the street from Fashion Island Mall, where you will find plenty of shopping, great restaurants and a high end movie theater where you can enjoy snacks, wine or beer with your movie. The beach is a short 10 minute drive, or rent a Duffy boat to cruise the harbor. The hotel is the perfect place for a group of girlfriends to getaway for the weekend with all of the shopping right at your fingertips. A family would have a great time hanging at the pool, shopping or hitting the beach. If you are looking for a romantic getaway for the weekend, it is perfect.