Top 10 Activities at Montage Laguna Beach

Author: Jill Weinlein
Date of Trip: March 2016

Once you check into the lobby of the Montage Laguna Beach you are pampered with first class service. Walk into the Lobby Lounge balcony for breathtaking views of their signature sunburst pool, rocky cliffs and Pacific Ocean beyond.

The Montage will please all of your senses with its sights, smells and sounds. Here are 10 Things to See and Do to enhance your visit to Laguna Beach.

1. Standing at the Lobby Lounge, look down to the Montage Mosaic Pool. The tiled sunburst is made up of 500,000 tiles. There are plenty of white umbrellas for those seeking shade under relaxing lounge chairs.

2. Checking into room 526 we had marvelous views of the walkway leading down to the beach and the Pacific Ocean. It was an ideal spot to sit outside on the balcony to watch the sunset with a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne and two flutes.

3. Explore the coves below Montage Laguna Beach. There are beautifully landscaped paths leading down to beaches with waves crashing over rocks creating waterfalls into sea water pools. Examine sea life in the tide pools. Put your toes in the sand and take a dip in the Pacific Ocean.

4. Explore the lawns at twilight to see the resident bunnies. At night look up and see a multitude of stars, while they are out nibbling on the grass.

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5. Dine at Studio to experience Executive Chef Craig Strong’s Tasting Menus. Sit outside on the patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean and underneatth the palm trees named Lucy and Desi. These trees were featured in the 1953 movie, The Long Long Trailer with movie stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

6. Watch the surfers skimboard along the shoreline. Lifeguards from Laguna Beach created this fun sport. They took a thin and short board to surf along the shorebreak that is too shallow for surfboards. It’s similar to surfing, with skimboarders perform aerial maneuvers and pull into the barrel of the small wave.

7. Be sure to enjoy an afternoon tea in the Lobby Lounge or before a dinner cocktail. Live music is performed by two talented pianists Steve Sio and David Allen Baker. Sit back, listen to music and watch the soul of the resort come alive with guests entering and enjoying the views.

8. The hot spa tub near the mosaic pool offers elevated seats, so you can sit for a warm soak, yet still look out at the ocean.

9. Take a tour of Executive Craig Strong’s edible garden next to his Studio restaurant. There are raised planters filled with herbs, flowers and vegetables. You might even get to meet the chef, as he harvests his garden for the evening’s menu. He has been at Montage Laguna Beach for seven years and is a really nice and talented chef. His vegetarian multi-tasting course is creative and filled with earthy flavors.

10. Step into the spa and fitness center. The 20,000 square foot spa offers a variety of rejuvenation treatment packages. Relax in the eucalyptus steam rooms, dry redwood saunas, ocean air whirlpools, fireplace lounges, and state of the art fitness center overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Take a swim in the lap pool or curl up with a good book on a lounge chair. When you leave, go for a walk down to the beach and notice the enormous sea life mural below the spa pool area. It’s an exquisite glazed ceramic art piece by Dora De Lorios that she made in 2005 and named Life Force.