Luxury Hotels - Luxury Travel Magazine

excerpted from Luxury Travel Magazine online...

Top 10 List: April 1, 2006
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Top 10 California Luxury Beach Resorts

The Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most stunning drives in the world, taking you out of the cities and into spectacular nature, with the golden sunset and Pacific Ocean glistening...follow our top ten list from sunny southern California beaches to the stunning northern coastline...

ST. REGIS MONARCH BEACH RESORT & SPA - DANA POINT Situated on 172 oceanfront acres, this hilltop retreat has Tuscan-style terraces, courtyards, and fountains throughout the property. All 400 rooms feature luxurious amenities such as high-speed Internet access, down comforters, 300-thread-count sheets, flat-screen TVs, and DVD players. The resort offers all the facilities a sophisticated traveler would wish for -- an 18-hole golf course, eight tennis courts, a private beach club, an extensive spa, and a fitness center. The resort is close to several major Southern California attractions including South Coast Plaza known as one of the premier shopping centers in the country; Disneyland; Universal Studios in Los Angeles; and the San Diego Zoo, Sea World and LEGOLAND in San Diego. Other area activities include the Ocean Institute, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, Dana Point Harbor, Mission San Juan Capistrano, Whale Watching and Dolphin Safaris. This stunning new resort has become a favorite of Hollywood celebrities.
		LODGE AT TORREY PINES - LA JOLLA, with a pine forest on one side and the crashing Pacific on the other, the Lodge is a tribute to California Craftsman lodges of the early 20th century. The hotel overlooks the ocean and is next to Torrey Pines Golf Course’s 18th green. The lobby features views of the golf course and ocean, is furnished with Morris chairs, and warmed by a fire. A spacious outdoor terrace right off the lobby affords the same views. Aficionados of California Craftsman architecture appreciate this meticulously designed Five Diamond Resort, which features original Gustav Stickley furniture. The elegant decor in the 175 guestrooms features leaded-glass table lamps, Italian linens, marble baths, leather easy chairs, CD players, and high-speed Internet connections. The acclaimed restaurant, A. R. Valentin, serves fine California cuisine. Luxury amenities include a Spa offering facial and body treatments, outdoor yoga and tai chi. Beyond the 6-acre grounds are the Torrey Pines Golf Course and scenic trails that lead to the Torrey Pines State Beach and Reserve. The village of La Jolla is a 10-minute drive away.
SHUTTERS ON THE BEACH - SANTA MONICA is the only luxury hotel in Los Angeles nestled right on the sandy beach. The lobby boasts two large wood-burning fireplaces, intimate conversation areas and a large balcony overlooking the ocean. 186 gracious rooms and 12 suites in a design that recalls the colorful architecture of the historic beach resorts and cottages characteristic of the southern California coast during the 1920's and 1930's. Guest rooms evoke a sense of comfortable luxury that one would experience in a grand yet unpretentious beach home. Featuring the finest in appointments and furnishings, the rooms are configured so as to yield ocean exposure, most with panoramic coastline and Pacific Ocean views. Spectacular ocean views await you at the most spacious pool deck of all luxury hotels in Los Angeles. Indulge in full restaurant and bar services or unwind in the Jacuzzi while watching the waves. Also a popular spot for al fresco business meetings and surfing the internet with the hotel's high speed wireless internet service.
		FOUR SEASONS SANTA BARBARA is located in the privileged Montecito area. This exclusive Spanish colonial-style resort is more than a beachfront Four Seasons — it's been a glamorous Santa Barbara institution since opening as The Biltmore in 1927. A place where early film legends Greta Garbo, Errol Flynn, Lana Turner, Bing Crosby, and other Golden Age movie stars once played croquet on the front lawn. Recently renovated rooms feature Mission-style antiques, local art, Spanish tile, decorative ironwork, rain showers and deep soaking tubs, 42-inch plasma screen TVs with surround sound, DVD players, wireless Internet. Sunday brunch, oceanfront dining, and bar with live entertainment attract locals and tourists alike. Guests of the resort enjoy preferred tee time privileges at nearby Sandpiper Golf Course on the ocean. The Serene Spa and Fitness Center, features 10 treatment rooms for signature pampering inspired by West Coast botanicals and the sea; facilities also include whirlpool, sauna, steam rooms, lap pool and a full-service salon, with acclaimed styling professionals.
POST RANCH INN - BIG SUR uniquely designed to embrace the dramatic beauty of Big Sur's coastline, this incredibly romantic resort is situated in one of the most extraordinary locations on the face of the earth. The Post Ranch Inn is set amongst giant redwoods, majestic mountains and the blue Pacific Ocean. All rooms have a rustic elegance with luxury and comfort in every detail. Each features a king-size bed, an indoor spa tub, wood burning fireplace, satellite music and private terrace. Wine Spectator's Grand Award-winning Sierra Mar restaurant offers an awe-inspiring setting overlooking the Pacific sunset, perfect for a romantic dinner for two. Hike the trails, relax by the pools, awaken your senses with a spa treatment, yoga, Tai Chi and stargazing. From here you can explore all that nature has to offer, or take a short drive to the picturesque towns of Monterey and Carmel and along the famous 17-Mile Drive where seals bask on the beaches and pelicans perch on rocky cliffs.
		VENTANA INN & SPA - BIG SUR is perched 1,200 feet above the Pacific Ocean on the dramatic Big Sur Coast. Seeming at peace with its surroundings, the hotel comprises low wooden structures, hidden around the sprawling 243-acre grounds and connected by winding pathways. Fifty-nine enchanting and romantic rooms and suites are divided among twelve separate buildings, designed by the architect to blend seamlessly into the natural surroundings. The hotel's Cielo restaurant serves Mediterranean-influenced cuisine set against the backdrop of the Pacific and the wide blue sky. Pools, Jacuzzis and Spa services offer relaxation amidst the dramatic, ocean scenery. The Ventana Inn & Spa has been a hideaway for the Hollywood set ever since its early days -- Larry Spector, producer of Easy Rider, conceived and operated the hotel in its early years and stars like Barbra Streisand, Goldie Hawn, Robert DeNiro, Francis Ford Coppola, Steve McQueen, Ali McGraw, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey and many more, have been guests since it opened in 1975.
THE RITZ CARLTON LAGUNA NIGUEL is a peaceful sanctuary situated atop a 150-foot bluff overlooking the ocean, half way between Los Angeles and San Diego. The resort features breathtaking views of the Pacific surf and Catalina Island. The lobby welcomes guests with marble floors, ornate rugs, and a large fireplace. Guestrooms offer patios or balconies facing the pool, gardens or ocean and feature 42-inch flat-screen plasma TVs with DVD players. Restaurant 162', named for its location 162 feet above sea level features Pacific Ocean views and serves superb California cuisine, with a focus on fresh fish and other seafood. Leisure facilities include two outdoor pools, a sea-inspired spa, an ocean-view fitness center, four tennis courts, and access to a scenic beach along the Pacific Ocean. Just 5.5 miles from the Ritz-Carlton is the Mission San Juan Capistrano, founded 200 years ago and site of the famous return of the swallows celebration in March. Guests visiting between January and April should also watch for California grey whales swimming past on their annual migration.
		RITZ-CARLTON HALF MOON BAY - NEAR SAN FRANCISCO This luxurious resort, opened in 2001 along a remote stretch of Northern California coastline, is just over the mountains from Silicon Valley and only 30 miles south of San Francisco. The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay is designed to resemble the grand seaside lodges of the 19th century with traditional Shingle Style architecture. Every guest room offers the finest "estate" style accommodations with English and Portuguese influences and art. This seaside hotel offers spectacular ocean views, two championship golf courses, tennis courts, a restaurant, and a 16,000-square-foot oceanview spa, beauty salon, and fitness center. Half Moon Bay is a prime locale for watching the annual gray whale migration November through April. Recommended for: Golf, Spa, Tennis, Families, Romance, Weddings LUXURY TRAVEL MAGAZINE subscribers can type hotel names in Search box at top for more detailed hotel and booking information.