When visiting my son in Irvine, I stayed at the Hyatt, Marriott or Crowne Plaza located in Irvine. On the high end we've stayed at the Ritz Carlton and St. Regis in Dana Point or the Surf and Sand in Laguna Beach. I don't know what your budget, but Newport, Laguna & Dana Point are close by as well and would not recommend venturing further to Los Angeles. By the way, The Ritz in Laguna Niguel offers a great brunch on Sundays. Although a bit pricey, the food is endless and phenomenal! South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa about 15 minutes away is a shopping heaven! Although Orange County airport is very convenient we've also found flying into Long Beach sometimes to be cheaper and since you will need a rental car while in Irvine, you might investigate this option. It's about 30 minutes drive. If you post more on what your interests are, budget, dislikes, likes perhaps we can offer more specifics. Hope this helps for the time being.

Irvine is usually very sunny, as is Newport. But in January/February, you have to expect some grey skies and a bit more chilly weather since it IS by the beach. But fog...sometimes, a bit here and there, not so much. I wouldn't worry about it. =) Hopefully you'll be here on a week when it's beautiful, but socal weather is sometimes hard to predict.

Just FYI, the "House of Sand and Fog" is set in Northern California.

That being said, the coastal area does quite a lot of fog. You can be socked-in at the coast and drive a few miles inland (to UCI, for example) and it can be sunny and clear.

I agree Jan/Feb is quite unpredictable. That is technically our "rainy season". But every year is different. We've had several drought years, and a few El Nino years.

I do have a fond recollection of a German friend visiting in Jan/Feb who was delighted by the sunny weather and rode his bike along the beach path every day. How ever the weather was here, it beat his Jan/Feb weather back home!

If you can stand one more suggestion about where to stay -- Marriott's Newport Coast Villas is a timeshare condominium property overlooking the ocean. It's on a hill, not on the beach, but they have two-bedroom units that are very spacious should your son choose to stay with you. You would need to research about their policies of renting to non-owners.

http://travel.discovery.com/converge...wport_acc.html
here's a links with the "best" hotels in Newport listed.

Is he moving to Irvine in Ayrshire, Scotland?

Marrion, as this is the US board, one could reasonably assume it's Irvine in the US.

If you live in a desireable-to-visit location in England, you might even consider a house swap with someone in Orange County. Orange County, especially Newport Beach, is a wonderful place to stay and I'm sure you will have a wonderful visit. Once your son has started school, he may be able to help you find an apartment or house to sublet while you are here (if you are planning on staying for a long visit). Just a suggestion! Best of luck!!!

I love the suggestion Donnasand but our trip to California will be fitted in amongst tight work committments. We ARE lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of England though (North Yorkshire, close to the Dales).
I really appreciate EVERYONE'S help with this. We think we are going to make our base at Newport Beach and we will probably be travelling early 2005 so we have plenty of time to plan. The weather then has GOT to be better (and warmer) than Yorkshire at the same time of year!
My son also thanks you all for the kind wishes. He's so excited at being given this chance to study abroad.
M

Hi Morgana, My husband and I are from England (Midlands). We live less than 10 mins from UCI in Newport Beach. I'd chose a hotel somewhere around the Back Bay of Newport Beach or Irvine. It's really easy access to the beach from there and would be less expensive than a hotel right near the beach. Although, some friends of ours got a good price at Best Western near the beach in March. UCI is 7 miles from the beach. When we used to visit our daughters in college we often found ourselves running back and forth to pick them up and take them out for the day or to dinner. Much more convenient to stay close by to where he is, at least for part of the visit. Marriott have several places very close to UCI. I'd avoid South Coast Plaza area as the hotels are priced for expense accounts!! Also, best to fly into John Wayne Airport (SNA)as someone mentioned. My mother recently came from UK into SNA - Only a few pounds more than flying into LAX. You'd need to change planes in New York or somewhere else. Also, your son should pack up some of his favourite treats. We can get Maltesers, Crunchies, etc., etc but they are a little pricy for a student's budget. Coincidence - I just met a fellow British woman in Newport Beach yesterday so we were reminising. We may try to start a British Women's group here.

You might look at www.biddingfortravel.com and/or www.cleverbidding.co.uk, both sites where users of Priceline post results and reviews for hotels, flights etc. obtained on Priceline (or PL UK). Valuable tips and strategies for Priceline too - be sure to read the FAQ, then read it again.

Of note is the Hyatt Newporter, recently upgraded and re-rated by Priceline as a 4-star property, currently being hit on PL for US$48 per night - around £28. Gorgeous grounds, plenty of on-site recreation and close to upscale shopping, plus their own golf and beach complex located on the abovementioned back bay.

Once you have travel dates, I would certainly suggest you start familiarising yourselves with Priceline - a major means of keeping your stay in California affordable (or anywhere for that matter - try it for a weekend in London sometime.)