425 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA, 949-494-1151,
RATES: Summer season $140-$335. Fall and winter $120-$310.
STAY HERE IF YOU: Love the ocean. A little funky, but you’re 50 yards from the Pacific in all its wave-crashing glory. No pool, though.
IT’S CLOSE TO: Denver – less than a two-hour flight from DIA to John Wayne Airport (SNA). Then it’s a short drive to Laguna. The hotel is on the beach in the center of town, easy walks to excellent restaurants, clubs, bookstores, shops, art galleries.
THE ROOMS ARE: Very basic, small and not updated. The bathroom showerhead comes to your chest, and the water is just warm enough to bathe. The beds are fine, the windows rattle, but they can face the ocean. No air conditioning, but none needed with the ocean breeze blowing in. Cable TV, radio, phone, safe.
THEY PUT ALL OF THE MONEY INTO: Location. The historic hotel, built in 1930, is “old California,” Fawlty Towers with sand. Every time you turn a doorknob you think it’s going to come off in your hand. But what a spot! Spend the day on the hotel’s private beach on a chaise longue. The friendly staff brings you cocktails and snacks. The outdoor patio overlooking the Pacific is great for sunset.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Reasonably priced (for this part of California) in a charming town. Eat at 230 Forest and Sorrento Grille, dance at Marine Room Tavern (where aging hippies noodle-dance to cover bands). Take the cliff walk north of town above the crashing surf.
– Bill Husted
