The Beachcomber Cafe | Newport Beach
I’m pretty sure every beach town in the world has some place called The Beachcomber - whether it’s a dive bar on the boardwalk or a luxury boutique hotel right on the water. For my money, one of the best so named is nestled right on the sand in Crystal Cove State Park in Southern California. If you find yourself in Laguna or Newport seek out this hidden gem off the stretch of Pacific Coast Highway between the two.
The food at the restaurant is good, though nothing special. The location however is sublime. It feels like you’ve escaped Orange County, maybe the United States entirely, and landed in a little enclave somewhere in Mexico or the Caribbean. The Beachcomber is surrounded by a series of cottages which are available for rent through the State. Sadly many of these remain rundown and unusable, but the effect is such that you do feel “away from it all,” as it were.*
The best times to go? That would be for breakfast in the morning or dinner at sunset. The restaurant maintains a long standing tradition of announcing the sunset with a bugler. It’s silly, of course, but strangely fun. Or you might instead just pop in to the adjacent bar for a cocktail. I recommend their raspberry mojito.
*Note: If the California State Government could ever get its act together, it might recognize the investment opportunity here and refurbish the remaining cottages. The ones that are available for rent sell out almost immediately (like all other state parks and campgrounds, yearly reservations begin on an assigned day and within minutes every weekend is sold out). Of course the California legislature is incompetent and has the state on the constant verge of bankruptcy, so I don’t expect them to grow brains any time soon.
But if you’re looking for a unique place to stay in Orange County, right next to the beach and relatively close to attractions like Disneyland, you can’t beat the Crystal Cove Cottages, if only for the price and proximity. For more information click here to visit the website.
