The Tuscan styled St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort is to Orange County what the newly reopened Plaza Hotel means to New York City and the Monterey Plaza Hotel means to the Monterey Peninsula. Its more of an institution than a hotel, an indelible part of the local landscape and the memories. Not that the St. Regis needs any additional pushing, because the advantages it possesses in terms of location, services, amenities and accomodations is by itself more than enough to fill up the place.

Location: The resort spans 172 acres high up on a bluff overlooking Dana Point, Monarch Beach, midway along the busy Pacific Coast Highway, between Los Angeles and San Diego, with a birdseye view in all directions. Other than the fact that Dana Point itself is a pretty neat beach resort area offering miles of sandy beaches, deep sea fishing, whale watching, and biking and hiking trails, it also happens to be a perfect location for a full tour of the coastal attractions of Orange County & San Diego, from La Jolla and Carlsbad to Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.

All you have to do is drive along the Pacific Coast Highway left and right, and every 10 minutes you’ll bump into one gorgeous beach community after another, filled with landmark buildings, great seafood at restaurants along the coast, quaint shops, art galleries and street fairs with lots of music, shows and entertainment. If you’re looking for a holiday destination with lots of sun, sand, shopping, dining, parties and fun, then this is where you want to be. And if you’re looking for Dana Point hotels, look no further than the St. Regis - Budget permitting. 

Common Amenities & Services: As far as resort facilities go, the St Regis offers an 18-hole Championship golf course - The Monarch Beach Golf Links, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Spa Gaucin is the St. Regis’ spa with full body treatments and expert facials. For business travelers and conferences, the resort offers a state-of-the-art business center with A/V equipment and resort wide wi-fi coverage, meeting rooms and other necessary facilities. The resort also has a long and successful track record as a place to organize weddings and other events, fully catered, with both outdoor events and indoor ballroom dinners and programs.

Dining facilities include the famed Stonehill Tavern - a four star restaurant with American cuisine, and the Motif restaurant - a European styled café well known in the area for its Sunday brunches. Additional diners at the St Regis include Club 19, Monarch Bay Club, the Pool Bar & Grill, Crust Gourmet Coffee Shop, and a Lobby Lounge.

There are three swimming pools located within the resort grounds, and you can additionally rent a Cabana at the Main pool. Each of these Cabanas includes a private patio, and comes furnished with a 32″ flat screen TV, DVD playerand a CD stereo set, fax machine, cordless telephone, ceiling fan, and wi-fi Internet.

The St. Regis offers butler service to guests in all the suites, concierge services, 24 hour room service, twice daily housekeeping and maid services, limo and care rental arrangements including a complimentary shuttle to the beach, baby sitting services, gift, clothing, and jewelry stores along with a spa boutique.

Then there’s the Sandcastle kids club program, specifically designed to keep the kids occupied with creative activities and games under adult supervision, allowing the parents to enjoy the pleasures of a relaxing vacation. The St. Regis is also extremely pet friendly, with specials for pet lovers such as the ‘Pamper Your Pooch’ package, which includes a personalized welcome ‘letter’ to your pet, along with Jimmy Chew toys, silver food and water bowls and a choice selection of pet foods and treats.

Guest Rooms & Rates: The rooms are spacious and elaborately designed, averaging about 535 sq ft with custom furnishings, wooden shutters, marble bathrooms with seperate showers, 47″ LCD television, pillow top beds with goose down comforters,  and private balconies. Rates start at $367 plus taxes, which works out to something just less than $400 per night per room. Rates are based on single person occupancy and extra charges may apply for additional guests. Rollaway beds and cribs available upon request, for no extra charge. In addition, the St. Regis offers various resort themed holiday packages, like ’Unlimited Golf’, ‘Last Hurrah’ (babymoon package) and ‘Romance by the Sea’.

Info: 1 Monarch Beach Resort Dana Point, California 92629; (949) 234-3200; Photos copyright & courtesy St Regis Resort Monarch Beach, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Posted on April 24th, 2008 by PLing
Filed under: Hotels