Laguna Beach, United States

Hotel Joaquin

Price per night from$495.61

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD495.61), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Good vibrations

Setting

Seasprayed SoCal

Adults-only Hotel Joaquin is where the surfboard swagger of Montauk meets the beach chic of St Barths, at an unplugged oceanside bungalow just an hour outside Los Angeles. Art-filled interiors bathed in sunlight conjure a soulful, relaxed mood, topped up by a vinyl soundtrack played out on record players dotted around the hotel. Its poolside bar feels pretty wholesome, too. And Laguna Beach’s waves are just a stroll away… 

Smith Extra

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A bottle of sparkling wine on arrival

Facilities

Photos Hotel Joaquin facilities

Need to know

Rooms

22.

Check–Out

Noon, and check-in is from 3pm, but both are flexible, subject to availability.

More details

Rates are room-only but an optional resort fee includes a light breakfast at Saline.

Also

Hotel Joaquin has one ADA-compliant king room, Motu, with widened doorways, lowered controls and a modified bathroom. If you have mobility issues, you'll still be able to access all of the hotel's communal spaces, including the pool which can be reached by an elevator.

At the hotel

WiFi throughout. In rooms: air-conditioning, record player and a selection of vinyl, minibar, free glass-bottled water, bathrobes, slippers and local bath products.

Our favourite rooms

All 22 rooms have an enticing polished-beach-house aesthetic, brought together with blond woods, whitewashed beams, curated art and curios. Within each category, rooms vary in layout and decor. Deluxe Kings dominate and worth the upgrade from Classic Rooms for their extra lounging space and more tucked-away feel. Joaquin King Ocean View rooms are top-of-house, and top-floor Deluxe King Ocean Views have our hearts for their sweeping Pacific vistas.

Poolside

The sceney saltwater pool is heated, and flanked by palm trees and day-beds (open 8am-9pm).

Packing tips

Leave the laptop at home — Hotel Joaquin is all about unplugging and unwinding.

Also

The hotel's Adventure Collection is stocked with stuff to borrow, including city bikes, bodyboards, snorkeling kit, beach umbrellas and chairs.

Pet‐friendly

All rooms at Hotel Joaquin can take one well-mannered cat or dog under 30lbs for a non-refundable deposit of $150 each pet. See more pet-friendly hotels in Laguna Beach.

Children

Hotel Joaquin welcomes over-18s only.

Sustainability efforts

Local collaborations are woven into the DNA of any stay at Hotel Joaquin, which works with everyone from yoga teachers to surf instructors to enhance your time here. The hotel eschews single-use plastics, uses ethical, local bath products from Salt & Stone, and filters its own water into glass bottles for your room. Its owner, Common Thread Hotels, allocates a portion of its budget for stays to donate to local philanthropic projects.

Food and Drink

Photos Hotel Joaquin food and drink

Top Table

Some spots on the awning-shaded patio are backdropped by glimpses of the ocean.

Dress Code

Saline has a super-casual, homey feel, so there’s no need to dress up — and no sweat if you’ve come straight from yoga.

Hotel restaurant

There’s no restaurant at Hotel Joaquin, but a light breakfast is served daily at Saline Bar, with options such as yogurt and granola, egg bites and house-baked muffins.  

Hotel bar

Saline Bar is at the heart of the bungalow, with a cozy lounge in front of the counter and tables spilling onto an ocean-breeze-cooled terrace. Its signature cocktails are set to become favorites — the Skinny Dipper is the starred house take on a margarita, for instance. Wines by the glass or bottle, beers and hard seltzers are also available. 

Last orders

Breakfast is served from 7am to 10am, and barkeeps pour at Saline until 10pm.

Location

Photos Hotel Joaquin location
Address
Hotel Joaquin
985 North Coast Highway
Laguna Beach
92651
United States

Hotel Joaquin is on the sea-facing side of Highway 1, on the edge of Laguna Beach in Southern California.

Planes

John Wayne Airport in Orange County is the handiest place to arrive — it’s just 12 miles from the hotel (25 minutes by car), and has domestic routes from cities including Seattle, Dallas and Atlanta; Long Beach airport is an alternative, a 45-minute drive from the hotel. LAX airport is the nearest international hub, around an hour’s drive away if you’re lucky with traffic.

Trains

The nearest station is San Juan Capistrano, around a 20-minute drive from the hotel, with trains running north to Los Angeles’ Union Station and south to Oceanside.

Automobiles

This is car country. The road that runs past the hotel entrance happens to be the legendary Highway 1 – for the classic California road trip, follow it south to San Diego or north all the way to San Francisco. There’s free valet parking.

Other

If you’re coming by boat, dock at Laguna Beach or Newport Beach and take a taxi to the hotel.

Worth getting out of bed for

Hotel Joaquin flaunts ocean views from a host of angles, and it’s easy to get up close to those Pacific blues too, thanks to a staircase that takes you down to Shaws Cove, which is walkable from the hotel. If you want to explore the coastline's full breadth, a free trolley service runs frequently between the north, almost as far as Newport Beach (in summer), and south to Main Beach — where you’ll find a boardwalk and volleyball courts — and then Dana Point.  

The hotel’s Adventure Collection has city bikes you can borrow, bodyboards and snorkeling kit. Staff can arrange surfing lessons, or yoga on the lawn. You can borrow deck chairs and umbrellas for the beach, too, or just set yourself up on a day-bed by the pool.  

Walking paths through bluff-top Heisler Park offer a serene way to soak up your surroundings and starred for breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Downtown’s soulful architecture, characterful stores and The Laguna Art Museum are strong away-from-the-surf options.  

Local restaurants

Cafe Heidelberg does the simple things well – among them organic omelettes, fresh-baked pastries and fruit-laden waffles. The best cuppa in town is at Urth Caffé, a specialist purveyor of premium coffees and teas. Old-school diner Penguin Cafe is all about syrup-drenched pancakes, chunky burgers and chili dogs. For pizzas and pasta, try the Neapolitan Alessa. Nick’s Laguna Beach is your go-to for market salads, freshly prepped fish and barbecue specialties. 

Local bars

The rooftop bar at 1929-built La Casa del Camino is something of a Laguna Beach institution – pair the Pacific views with a fresh-fruit mojito for the full experience. Deck on Laguna is a prime spot for sundowners, and you can pop upstairs for shucking-good oysters and a steak dinner at Driftwood Kitchen afterwards.

Reviews

Photos Hotel Joaquin reviews

Anonymous review

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this design-led hotel in California and unpacked their board shorts and beach reads, a full account of their oceanside break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Hotel Joaquin in Laguna Beach…

Adults-only boutique bolthole Hotel Joaquin doesn’t really feel like a hotel. Sure, it’s got a serene bed-bordered pool and a full-service bar, but a few nights here feel more like you’re staying with a friend — a friend who has an awesome, art-filled bungalow by the beach.  

Better still, this isn’t one of those friends who invites you round just so you can look after their kids (there aren’t any), or forces you to watch TV because there’s nothing better to do (there aren’t any of those, either). There are lots of better things to do, of course, mostly out in the salty ocean air. Borrow a bike, bodyboard or snorkeling equipment from the hotel’s adventure locker, ask staff about arranging surfing lessons, or just pull on your boots and walk on the bluffs. Late afternoons are for hanging back at the bungalow, admiring the light-filled interiors, and biding your time for another dip in the pool… 

Book now

Price per night from $495.61