Along the coast there's been a flurry of luxury resort openings in recent years; Laguna's Montage and Dana Point's St. Regis Monarch Beach resorts elevated expectations and were followed by the renovation of Dana Point's Ritz-Carlton and the debut of The Resort at Pelican Hill on the Newport Coast, among others. As a rule, lodging prices tend to rise the closer the hotels are to the beach. If you're looking for value, consider a hotel that is inland along the I-405 freeway corridor. In most cases, you can take advantage of some of the facilities of the high-end resorts, such as restaurants and spas, even if you aren't an overnight guest.
