Pelican Hill is a true 5 star resort! It is exquisitely beautiful, quiet and out of the way. Perfect for golfers, spa-goers or people who just want their privacy. We stayed for 2 weeks in a king bungalow overlooking the Ocean. The rooms are not directly on the ocean but they have ocean views and are spacious, comfortable, new and clean. We had a double fireplace, huge bathrooms, huge bedroom- everything was perfect. The staff was amazing and everyone bent over backwards to make sure we were taken care of. The property is very large so it never appears crowded or busy- even over Christmas. The landscaping and property are impeccable. We played a lot of golf. Both the North and South courses have stunning views. We preferred the North as do most people our caddies told us. The only complaint (which I can't even really complain about) was the driving range had mats not grass but I believe in the summer they use grass. We had massages at the spa and I had manicures, pedicures and hair- all were excellent! The food was excellent- our waiter Mauricio at Andrea's was especially helpful! Breakfast and brunch overlooking the pool was great. Only food downside was meals from room service were good/ok but not over-the-top like everything else. We had a chance to check out the villas. If we came back with more people we would stay in the larger South villas. The smaller North villas were nice looking but I thought the bungalows were a little more personality. If you are staying in the villas you have a private clubhouse and pool. The pool for the rest of the resort is so gorgeous and convenient that having the villa pool would have just been an added bonus. This place may be considered "expensive" compared to a lot of places but we felt we more than got more than our money's worth. Hope to be back soon!

Stayed here for a corporate retreat in January 2012. The rooms are lovely and they all seem to have magic views of the ocean. The staff is exceptional and went out of their way to make sure we had a wonderful time. On our first day there, one of the shuttle drivers gave us an impromptu ride down to Crystal Cove beach for lunch. The grounds are so large that you need either the shuttle bus or the ubiquitous golf carts to get around, otherwise you have to walk a lot. Wasn't a big problem for us, as we liked the exercise.

Restaurants were nice and the food was quite delicious. Access to the beach was nice, but again, you probably need the shuttle rather than walking down.

Overall it was a great experience and we loved our time there.

I stayed at the resort at pelican hill recently on a business trip with Porsche ( who i work for ), I was lucky enough to have my room paid for for a few nights while i paid for a few nights myself as i extended my stay.

I arrived at John Wayne airport and picked up my rental car ( i believe its about a $30 cab ride ), the drive to the resort took about 20 minutes and it was easy to find ( using my GPS :) ), i pulled into the reception area and was checked in in minutes, i was greeted warmly and everyone had a smile and a greeting for me.

I had a bungalow reserved, which i had one of the employees lead me to it in a golf cart while i followed in my rental car , i was staying in 439 which while offering a great view is a little far away from some of the amenities ( more on that later )

My bungalow was a very nice warm place to be, i had a private terrace with a great ocean view, and a nice bathroom with a huge walk in shower, one minor complaint is that while there is a good size fridge in the room it was fully stocked with ( expensive ) sundries and if you want to store anything to keep cool you will have to get creative, i think with all the storage options they offer in the room a little mini fridge to keep your own things cool would be a nice idea.

In the room is also a nice flat screen HDTV with an impressive BOSE audio system built in.
As i mentioned earlier, being in room 439 i found myself a little far away from such amenities as the pool and restaurants along with the spa and its around a 10 minute walk to get to some of those features, if you can try and get yourself a bungalow in at least the 300 block, or maybe even something in the lower numbers as you'll find yourself spending less time walking and more time enjoying.

While im on the subject of amenities, the restaurants on site are amazing a little expensive ( which you would expect in a resort such as this but my favourite feature is the coliseum pool, its breathtaking and one of the most impressive pools ive come across.

I didnt get to experience the golf course, but it also looked amazing, if youre looking to treat yourself to a beautiful resort in the beautiful setting of Newport Beach california then this should be high on your list.

This hotel is great. Perfect beds and room service. Stunning views. No doubt I will come back