If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD378.25), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
It’s a coastal California holiday moodboard brought to life: introducing Pendry Newport Beach. Equal parts laidback and luxurious, this resort-style stay is a flip-flopped flit from the city’s sugary beaches, splurge-worthy shopping and yacht-dotted harbour. Dine with a clear conscience at the hotel’s organic, sustainable steak and sushi restaurant. The pool scene is all palm fronds and picante margs, plus there’s a bells-and-whistles spa so serious about stress-busting you’ll emerge with a tough-to-shake case of involuntary vocal fry syndrome. It’s just, like, sooo chilled here…
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 4pm.
Prices
Double rooms from £297.96 ($372), including tax at 15.25 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional resort fee of $57.63 per room per night prior to arrival.
More details
Rates at Pendry Newport Beach include a classic breakfast counter spread, plus an à la carte line-up of all-American allstars, such as fluffy pancakes, eggs benny and avocado toast.
Also
There are fully accessible King Rooms, Double Queen Rooms and Corner Suites, with ADA-approved bath tubs or roll-in showers. All of Pendry Newport Beach’s communal areas are wheelchair accessible, too.
At the hotel
Fitness center, yoga studio, kids’ club, and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: smart TV, Bluetooth speaker, Vittoria tea- and coffee-making kit, a minibar, and MiN New York bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Specialty Suites have separate kitchen and dining areas, so you can entertain your cool new Cali pals with elaborate suppers. For full penthouse spoiling, Pacific views, grand piano and all, plump for the Pendry Two Bedroom Suite. Otherwise, we’re fond of the Corner Suites for their extra-spacious balconies and end-of-the-hall quiet.
Poolside
There’s a palm-fringed outdoor pool, complete with private cabanas made for getting up close and personal with a piña colada.
Spa
Book in with one of Spa Pendry’s expert practitioners for some tailored TLC. They’ll map out a bespoke massage based on your preferred pressure level and areas of focus, then weave in your choice of add-ons including hot stones, CBD therapy and scalp treatments. Otherwise, choose from a menu of MediSpa facials, body wraps or, if you fancy going full space-age with your anti-ageing, cryotherapy. Plus, there are eucalyptus steam rooms, a yoga studio and a fitness center with Peloton bikes and Technogym equipment.
Packing tips
Round here, you can’t move an inch for indie boutiques, and across the street there’s a place called Fashion Island – in short, this is prime treat-yourself territory, so save some suitcase space for the inevitable splurges.
Also
Flex your Lululemon finest at the free, instructor-led yoga classes, held at 8am, from Tuesday to Friday.
Pet‐friendly
Four-legged pals are welcome, as long as they steer clear of the hotel’s pool and restaurants. There’s an additional pet fee of $150 a room. See more pet-friendly hotels in Newport Beach.
Children
Little Smiths are welcome, and the kids’ club can keep tots aged five to 12 busy for full- or half-day sessions. Cots can be added to rooms for no extra cost, and all suites have a double sofa-bed.
Best for
All ages are welcome, but over-fives will get the most out of the fun-packed kids’ club schedule.
Recommended rooms
All suites have a double sofa bed. Connecting options can be arranged for King Rooms, Double Queen Rooms and suites.
Crèche
Little Smiths aged five to 12 can join the party at Paintbox, the hotel’s kids’ club. Half- and full-day programs of arts and crafts, cookery and games, all with lunch included, run daily. Under-fives can also attend, but they’ll need to be kept company by an adult.
Activities
Newport Beach has sandy beaches in (buckets and) spades. Little Corona del Mar is a tucked-away local favourite with step-free access. For old-school seaside larks, Balboa Fun Zone should be top of your bucket list – we’re talking a retro arcade, a waterfront ferris wheel and family-friendly whale-watching boat trips.
Meals
Little poppets can pick from pancakes, French toast, berry cups and more on the Pavilion’s separate children’s breakfast menu. Childhood classics including chicken tenders, mac and cheese and PB&Js, as well as fruit- and veggie-packed plates, can be ordered all day from the kids’ room service menu.
On sun-kissed SoCal evenings, an alfresco dinner à deux out on the leafy terrace takes some beating.
Dress Code
Natural glamour is the name of the game here, so go for slinkily cut silk and tailored linen.
Hotel restaurant
Set Steak and Sushi is Pendry Newport Beach’s leafy, light-flooded main restaurant. Here, Chefs JJ Jung and Jojo Ruiz make appetising use of carefully selected prime cuts, premium shellfish and seasonal produce, all sustainably sourced and organic – this is surf and turf in its Sunday best. Much-loved menu mainstays include the Wagyu ribeye and Japanese-inspired bluefin tuna pizza. But when you’re marking an occasion (birthday, anniversary, a Wednesday), our tip is West Coast oysters on ice and the specialty nigiri flight. The Tree Shack poolside bar and grill is your go-to for a post-paddle refuel. Breezy, Baja-inspired bites include birria tacos, citrus-doused ceviche and ensaladas so packed with bold Mexican flavours they feel like an indulgence. And sleepyheads should seize the day at the Pavilion, where the fortifying menu of breakfast favourites is enough to put a pep in the most sleep-deprived of steps. Huevos rancheros, fresh-baked brioche and pillowy buttermilk pancakes will set you up for a hard day’s wave-catching or window-shopping, but we won’t blame you if you’re seduced by a poolside cabana – it’s only steps away.
Hotel bar
Slip on something slinky and pad down to Bar Pendry, the hotel’s sultry lounge bar where retro glamour meets mould-breaking mixology. There’s a thoughtfully curated wine list and selection of small plates, plus a craft cocktail menu putting a cutting-edge spin on the classics – the espresso martini is the perennial popular kid, but our eye is on the Garden G&T, made with apricot liqueur, muddled berries and finished with flamed absinthe.
Last orders
Breakfast at the Pavilion is from 7am to 10.30am. The Tree Shack is open from 11am to 4pm. Set serves dinner from 5pm to 10pm. Bar Pendry is open from 12pm to 12am; Fridays and Saturdays, till 2am. Pick up a pick-me-up from the coffee bar until 2pm.
Room service
Round the clock room service will see to any midnight munchies. A full menu is available from 6am to 11pm, with a curated, comfort-food-heavy menu to carry you through the wee hours.
Pendry Newport Beach is at the heart of the OC’s well-heeled coastal poster town, close to some of SoCal’s coolest beaches and within tote-swinging distance of Fashion Island’s big-name boutiques.
Planes
Direct flights touch down at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport from US hubs including JFK, Chicago O’Hare and San Francisco. From there, it’s a 15-minute drive – the hotel can hook you up with a transfer.
Trains
Glide into town from Los Angeles or San Diego on Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service. Irvine Transportation Center is your nearest stop, around a 20-minute drive from the hotel.
Automobiles
The concierge can arrange a car to whizz you down to the best local beaches, but for full freewheeling-along-palm-lined-boulevards flexibility, you’ll want your own wheels. There’s indoor valet parking at the hotel, from $60 a night.
Worth getting out of bed for
Days at Pendry Newport beach could kick off with a yoga class in the studio or a pulse-raising Peloton sesh in the fitness center. But where’s the rush? You’re on Cali time, now. Catch your breath with breakfast out on the terrace, then curl up in a cabana by the pool. You might have every intention of asking the concierge about days out, but don’t be surprised if the eucalyptus lure of the steam room sidetracks you. Offload any residual real-world worries into capable (and extraordinarily moisturised) hands at the spa. And after a long, hard day’s holidaying, a craft cocktail or three at the hotel bar makes a fitting footnote.
Look, there’s a place called Fashion Island mere steps from your front door – we’re no fortune tellers, but we foresee a spree in your future. The open-air mall is home to luxury big-hitters from Alice and Olivia to Zadig and Voltaire, as well as a handful of local indie labels and the holy quaternity of department stores – Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Macy’s and Nordstrom. A short drive away, Lido Marina Village has a curated selection of SoCal-based slow fashion and beauty boutiques. Stock up on beach essentials – sustainably made swimwear and a new signature summer scent, that is – pausing only for a sea-facing, small plates and Sauvignon pitstop.
Corona del Mar (CdM to those in the know) is a buzzy neighborhood with a family-favorite beach, where sea salt-sprayed cafés and bars cluster among luxury cottages along the coastline. Crystal Cove State Park has the whole gamut of Golden Coast allures – undisturbed stretches of honey-hued sand, prime scuba diving and snorkelling, plus hiking and horse-riding trails climbing away to the chaparral canyon, should you fancy swapping your wetsuit for spurs and a stetson. There’s some of SoCal’s best surfing to be had round here, too. Beginners will fare best with 36th Street’s gentler waves, but for super-size breakers, head for the Wedge. And budding Attenboroughs can catch a whale-watching cruise from Balboa Peninsula or Newport Harbor – this stretch of the OC coastline is a hotspot for blue whales and humpbacks.
Local restaurants
For an authentic Mexican feast (and as many margs as you can manage), make for Red O. Low lighting and live DJ-spun beats supply a scene-y feel; bonus points for being just across the street in Fashion Island, so you’ll only face a short stroll back after gorging on carne asada.
Bello by Sandro Nardone has elevated Italian fare down to a fine art. Inspired by his Atina upbringing, Chef Sandro spotlights local, seasonal produce prepared with traditional methods. His menu of house-made pasta, steaks and finely spun seafood has put him firmly on the Michelin radar.
Local cafés
Over in Lido Marina Village, organic sourdough bakery Rye Goods takes its name from its all-important rye starter, nicknamed Winona Rye-der. The fun continues with a seasonal menu of sweet treats – a spiced cranberry donut or pumpkin muffin in winter, perhaps – plus deli sandwiches, pastries and enough artisanal loaves to feed a small army.
Local bars
Tucked between quaint waterfront cottages on Balboa Island, Royal Hen is a bijou, local-favourite spot with Cali craft beer on tap and an expertly curated wine list. For late-night larks in stumbling distance, Joey has you covered. This Fashion Island spot has a patio and firepit made for champagne-fuelled alfresco evenings, plus a gallery wall of local artists and a Bocci light installation, so you can practise your best cultured nod over mezcal-muddled cocktails.
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 ocean-gazing hotel in Orange County and unpacked their designer scores and outrageously large sunnies, a full account of their coastal break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Pendry Newport Beach in California…
Selling Sunset’s glitzy OC offices might be just down the road, but the stiletto-heeled reality realtors can take the day off – Pendry Newport Beach’s SoCal charms speak for themselves, no sales pitch necessary. Sleek, art deco-accented interiors capture the chilled out vibes of the quintessential Cali cool girl – nonchalantly chic, magically making neutrals look fresh…and plant-based, thanks to a liberal scattering of ferns and ficuses. Leisurely days here involve plenty of look-at-me laps of the pool, sustained by a diet of the three major food groups – steak, sushi and ceviche, that is. Arm yet to be twisted? A stint at the eucalyptus-scented spa will soothe you into submission.
And as neighborhoods go, a prime spot in Newport Beach is like winning the postcode powerball. Luxury boutiques line fairylit boardwalks, surfers and sun-seekers brush golden-tanned shoulders on the town’s butter-soft beaches. As for the hyper-glam realtors – they’re mainlining rosé down at the chicest marina-front hangouts. When it comes to La Vie en OC, consider us sold.
