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Balboa Island
Beautiful homes along South Bayfront We had nothing planned for the day and thought we would sleep in. What’s sleeping in for us? Waking up around 8:00am and taking it easy. We decided to walk up to Coliseum Grill for breakfast. Again, I was impressed with the staff’s uniform and appearance. Casual and yet professional, matching the turquoise color of the Coliseum pool. There were a few families around us. But in general, the restaurant was not full at all.
After another hearty breakfast, we headed back to our bungalow. While Lauren was getting ready, I studied the map to find easy destinations around us. I also decided to go to Google Earth to verify the preferred destinations. I then showed my recommendations to Lauren and we decided to head out to Balboa Island, right off Newport Beach.
Balboa Island is a small community that is part of the City of Newport Beach. It is connected to the mainland by a short two-lane bridge on the northeast corner of the island. It is home to about 3,000 residents and has one of the most expensive real estate markets in USA outside of Lower Manhattan, NY.
Balboa Island was only a 15 minutes drive from
Balboa Island
On one of the public piers along South Bayfront our hotel. Jamboree Road led us to Marine Avenue that crossed the bridge on to the island. Marine Avenue was lined with gift shops, galleries, restaurants and specialty boutiques. It is the main commercial street that is filled with weekend pedestrians. It was practically impossible to find a parking space on Marine Avenue.
I turned right at Park Avenue and drove slowly in order to admire this charming seaside paradise. The homes were small but they were very well maintained. There were signs in front of some of the houses for summer vacation rentals. But I hardly saw any “For Sale” signs. We reached Agate Avenue and turned left, following the sign for the ferry crossing. That was when I realized that this narrow street would take me directly to the line of cars waiting for the ferry. So I found a very narrow alley and turned right to go around the block. Back on Park Avenue, I finally found a parking space. Lauren and I would now explore the island on foot - much healthier.
We walked back to Marine Avenue and joined the rest of the tourists. Marine Avenue was lined with wooden benches and flower
Easter bunny
Balboa Island beach decoration pots along the street. Yep, the women walked into the boutiques and the men waited outside on the benches! Very typical? Not me though - I walked in with Lauren, circled the boutique and then walked out to take pictures. Actually, a number of people asked me to take their pictures … using their cameras. Carrying a big digital SLR camera, I must be a walking billboard for a photographer.
We walked past St. John Vianney Chapel and reached the two lane bridge back to the mainland. So we crossed the street and headed back down Marine Avenue from the opposite side. There were tourists from all over the world enjoying the same thing … sunny and cool California weather. We turned left at Park Avenue this time and reached the Grand Canal a block away. From the top of the bridge, we got a view of the waterfront homes with their small wooden deck and private boat docks. It was a movie-like setting and we were the main characters.
We continued walking along South Bayfront, with a view of the busy waterfront. There were a number of bigger houses here - worth a fortune. But big or
small, they all had their own character. With Easter and spring, some were beautifully decorated with Easter bunnies and Easter eggs. A number of kids were running around on the sandy beaches and the public piers were occupied by fishermen. An artist was trying to capture the beauty of Balboa Island while selling his earlier work. It was such a calm and peaceful setting.
Lauren and I walked till we reached the ferry crossing. Then we turned at Agate Avenue and decided to have lunch at Park Avenue Café - at the corner of Agate and Park Avenue. Sitting outdoor, we were able to see the constant traffic going to the ferry crossing, while enjoying the comfort of the ocean breeze. I had to keep an eye on the birds though. One was definitely keeping an eye on my fish and chips.
After lunch, we decided to drive down south on Pacific Coast Highway. We thought about stopping at Laguna Beach but it was so busy there. And I really did not feel like circling around to look for parking space. So we continued driving south till we reached Monarch Beach.
The crowd - and traffic -
Monarch Beach
The view from Ritz Carlton Hotel was more manageable here. I pulled into a city parking lot and we crossed the street … arriving at Ritz Carlton Hotel. It’s a beautiful hotel on top of a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We crossed the minimalist lobby and walked outside. From the patio, we had a nice view of the beach, a park on the right hand side and the hill dotted with ocean view homes. The afternoon was getting much warmer and the beach was rather busy.
We decided to follow the path down towards the beach. Why not? Nice afternoon sun and a little more walk after our lunch. The park was spacious with an area for basketball and volleyball. A group of men were playing volleyball; others were just laying out or having a picnic. It was an easy and relaxing southern California lifestyle.
With the afternoon approaching 4:00pm, we decided to start making our way back to the hotel. We paid for it already and we wanted to maximize our time there. Lauren and I decided to walk to the Rotunda (as mentioned in my earlier blog) that had been cleared out from the wedding the previous evening. Good view of
The Rotunda
At Resort at Pelican Hill the Coliseum pool and the bungalows from there.
What else should we do on a vacation? How about Happy Hour? It was past 5:00pm and we headed towards the hotel lobby. Off to the side and before reaching the hotel’s main dining room was a small bar with windows looking out towards the ocean. We found a small corner table by the window and made ourselves comfortable. Our waitress, a former airline stewardess, was like the others throughout the resort - very charming and attentive to our needs. This was the place to go for anyone who wanted to be pampered and treated like royalty.
We made dinner plans with Po and Anne at Andrea, the main dining room at the resort. We walked around the resort with them first to work out an appetite. As we were completing our walk around the Coliseum Pool, we were captivated by the sunset along the horizon. The blue sky had turned orange along the horizon and the sun slowly came down, hiding behind the cloud temporarily before sinking below the ocean level. It was stunning.
The restaurant was full. Our waiter, with a European accent, informed us that it
Happy Hour
Each vacation needs a Happy Hour was jazz night at the lobby and some of the local residents would come out and enjoyed dinner at Andrea before heading out to the lobby bar to listen to some good music. Andrea offers true flavors of Italy, particularly Tuscany. The restaurant used mostly organic ingredients. That was such a treat for Lauren and I who are fans of Whole Foods. The pasta was also made fresh everyday in their Pasta Room using “the finest and simplest ingredients”. Check mark there too!
The service was impeccable - someone was always around to refill our water or to change our utensils. It was definitely a production. We enjoyed our dining experience which was concluded by the restaurant’s complimentary petit fours. It was a satisfying meal and like what I said the night before …. a nice day with my wife, good food, great friends! What else could I ask for?
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