Peek inside Pelican Hill resort

October 31st, 2008, 3:27 pm · 1 Comment · posted by John Gittelsohn

Two-bedroom villa

What do you get for $1,450 a night?

As construction crews scrambled to complete the finishing touches before the first overnight guests check in Nov. 26, I went on a preview tour of the ultra-luxurious Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast.

The sprawling resort, which overlooks a golf course and the Pacific, has two distinct areas for guests: 204 “bungalows,” where rooms start at $695, and 128 “villas,” with rates starting at $1,450 for two bedrooms and climbing to $2,700 for four bedrooms.

Still under construction are restaurants, where the food will probably be excellent and expensive. The enormous circular “Coliseum Pool” awaits the chaise lounges and curtains for 19 cabanas that ring it like a scene from the glory days of the Roman Empire.

Here’s what I can report about the lodgings:

The grounds are immaculate and the landscaping is surprisingly mature with 750 gnarled olive trees that are up to 100 years old. Sage scented the air.
Bungalow suite
Each villa has a private garage. You can check in and avoid dealing with receptionists or other staff, which is great if you’re Brad and Angelina.
The room interiors are austere, but built with exquisite materials: Alder beam ceilings, travertine floors, fireplaces, fine linens, flat-screen TVs framed like works of art.
The villas’ bathtubs have ocean views, but people on the outside can’t see in. Most bungalows have an ocean view from the beds.
The views throughout the resort are serene. The golf course grass seems blindingly emerald. The ocean is a swirl of blue.
The villas have their own pool, spa and workout room. The villa pool is a quarter the size of the resort’s main Coliseum Pool, but open exclusively to villa guests.
The beach feels far away — as does almost everything else in the world, like the global economic crisis.