Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel

Description:

• After a sorely needed $40-million renovation to keep up with neighboring resorts such as the Montage and St. Regis, this Dana Point grande dame has recaptured its status as one of the top resorts on the Orange Coast. From its perch on the edge of a 150-foot-high bluff overlooking an idyllic 2-mile-long beach, the view from most every window is spectacular (you can spend hours on your balcony admiring the ocean view). The most welcome change is that every guest room and public space has been completely remodeled with a much more chic and contemporary look (gone are those frumpy prints of English fox hunts). The spacious rooms are now outfitted with 42-inch plasma TVs with DVD players, sumptuous furnishings and fabrics, an Italian-marble bathroom equipped with a double vanity, and the most comfortable feather beds I've ever slept in. The resort's new Restaurant 162' is a dramatic improvement as well, with gorgeous ocean views and superb cuisine (the Ocean Curry is fantastic). Other improvements include a new luxury spa and oceanfront fitness center. As always, lush terraces and colorful flower gardens abound throughout the well-tended property, and service -- in typical Ritz-Carlton style -- is unassuming and impeccable. Garden tours, beach shuttles, surf lessons, and excellent kids' programs are available as well.

  Facilities: 2 restaurants; 1 lounge; 4 outdoor tennis courts; health club; spa; children's programs; concierge; regular shuttle to/from the beach and the golf course; business center; free Wi-Fi; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning; executive-level rooms.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010

Other features:

Goosedown or foam pillows are available in all rooms, as are your choice of robes. The phones are multi-line and feature voice mail that may be customized. The bathrooms feature marble tubs, makeup mirrors, hair dryers and scales, so you can track how much damage you've done in their award-winning restaurants. It also has a complimentary shuttle service to and from the Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego airports.