St. Regis Monarch Beach
 

Is anyone familiar with this resort and the surrounding area? We will be staying there in early January for the Rose Bowl. Is there much shopping nearby? We will have 2 18-year-old girls with us who want to see Laguna Beach. How about restaurants outside of the resort? Thanks so much!!

Well, it is just down the street from our house.
It is about 2 hours to the Rose Bowl in traffic. If that is your ultimate destination, why are you staying in Dana Point?
We have a gorgeous area and several great shops and shopping centers within 30 minutes to the hotel. South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island are about 20 to 30 minutes north depending on coast (Fashion Island) or freeway route. Both have stores that rival Beverly Hills and NYC in 2 walkable developments. Mission Viejo mall is about 15 minutes inland off Crown Valley Parkway. Laguna Beach and San Juan Capistrano has lots of fun boutiques.
Lots of restaurants in the area. Pick your menu and most ethnic tastes and we have them. Ask your Concierge.

Delor, thanks for the info. We are staying at Dana Point for the Rose Bowl because fortunately we are invited guests of a large corporation who is hosting a Rose Bowl getaway for some of their clients. They are flying us to Ca. and putting us up at the St. Regis. They have a party bus to bring our group to the game, so even though it's 2 hours away, it will be a blast, and one doesn't bite the hand that feeds you!

arc,

Lucky you! =:) (That's me, green with envy). You have gotten good advice about Orange County shopping. I think your girls will love Laguna.

I just wanted to add something very fun that I recently read about the St. Regis. They now offer your very own "Surf Butler" who will take you down to the beach and teach you to surf. This may or may not interest your girls. In January, the water will be coooold, but I'm sure they also offer wetsuits.

Hi,
Such a great pick for a hotel! We stayed there this summer and loved it! The pools are great and so are the beach. When you stay at the St. Regis you get access to the private beach club. We had one of the best dinners ever there. The club is right on the beach. I loved it! Laguna Beach is really nice and there are a lot of restaurants. We usually ate at the St. Regis though because it is just so beautiful. In Dana Point, we ate at The Chart House. It has awesome views of the harbor and it is a really interesting restaurant architectuly. The food was good too. Your girls will have tons to do, maybe they will even see some of the stars of the show on MTV. Definitly visit Fashion Island, it has every store imaginable. Have fun! I'm jealous!

As long as you have a ride to the game and don't have to deal with the drive and parking, you're golden!
Go USC!!!