Montage Laguna Beach Getaway

This past week I had the opportunity to spend a few days at the Montage Laguna Beach Resort & Spa. The Montage is one of the most premiere luxury resorts, not only in Orange County/California, but pretty much in the entire country.

The Montage is located in picturesque Laguna Beach, which is about an hour drive South of LAX. If you plan on visiting, I recommend flying into John Wayne County Airport, which is only about a 15 minute drive. The resort is also located a mere 2 miles from downtown Laguna Beach, which is a quaint little beachside town filled with shops, art galleries, and restaurants.

You may also know it from the popular MTV show from several years ago, which is when I personally became obsessed with all things Southern California….“Steeee-phen!”

The Montage property is perched atop a 50-foot bluff, overlooking the perfectly breaking turquoise waves of the Pacific. The water down in Orange County is so much bluer than the LA county beaches, supposedly due to the reef breaks located here.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the valet, and the front desk reception personally walked us to our room after a brief overview of the property. It was a great personal touch!

Our room was decorated very country-chic and was very spacious. The beds featured some of the most luxurious, feathery soft bedding I’ve ever experienced, and I was also quite impressed by the full marble bathroom and soaking tub, complete with a metal bath tray and head pillow.

Our room also had a balcony overlooking the Pacific, as well as a grassy lawn area below us that was set up each day for lunches & ceremonies.

As part of the turn down service that night, the hotel delivered a couple bottles of water and 2 locally handcrafted chocolates, which were melt-in-your-mouth good. One was a caramelized chocolate banana flavor and the other was a cinnamon pear. To. die.

I woke up the next morning and walked to the Lobby Lounge to grab a quick beverage before I started out exploring the grounds. After browsing the menu and reviewing what seemed like endless options for fresh brewed coffee & tea, I decided on a Bourbon Vanilla Rooibos tea that was steeped right in front of me in a mini teapot.

I tend to not order these types of drinks because I like to stay away from caffeine in my diet (Yes, I’m aware that 0% of you can relate to this, ha!), but the menu offered several rooibos teas, which are completely caffeine free!

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After one sip of this tea I was hooked because, to me, rooibos tastes just like black tea, but with zero caffeine. I drank it all morning, and when I was finished all I could think about was ordering another one the next morning! I don’t usually rave about drinks like this, but this tea was so unique and extra flavorful. It was so delicious I plan on ordering myself some loose leaf bourbon vanilla tea to brew at home as soon as I can find a supplier…

Anyway, later that morning I was able to explore the grounds a bit more. I was stunned at the natural beauty, and I literally felt like I was wandering around in a tropical island paradise. There is a walking path that spans the length of the property and around the coastline, as the Montage boasts over 30 acres of beautiful oceanfront land to explore!

While wandering around I even spotted a little hummingbird hiding out in one of the succulents. I cannot believe he stood still long enough for me to snap this pic. Can you spot him?

And the sunset that night was so gorgeous, I couldn’t stop taking pictures of it. It just got better & better as the sun went down. Sorry for the sunset spam, I just can’t help myself…I’m a sucker for a good sunset!

We spent the next day lounging, exploring, and eating, but nothing all that interesting happened that I need to report, haha. All in all, it was a nice relaxing getaway.

On the day of checkout we weren’t quite ready to leave, so we decided to grab lunch at Mosaic, the poolside restaurant. When we woke up that morning I thought it was a bit chilly out so I put on a light sweater, but by noon it was sunny & sweltering!

We had already loaded our bags into the car so I had to have the valet guys pull it back up so I could grab my swimsuit and a cooler short sleeved outfit. Between loading the bags, me changing outfits, and then me losing my purse (!!) (more on that later) I think we had them pull the car up 3-4 times within the hour. But they were more than accommodating and never made me feel like I was being a burden to them (even though I would be totally annoyed if I were them, ha!).

After all, the Montage is used to hosting many high profile and celebrity guests who I’m sure are way more annoying and high maintenance than I am! Or let’s hope…lol.

Before we sat down for lunch, I wanted to make sure to check out the famous Spa Montage at the hotel. The Spa is renowned and although I didn’t have enough time on this trip to enjoy any services, I wanted to get a tour of it so I knew how to prepare for next time. (And yes, there will definitely be a next time!)

I couldn’t take any photos inside the spa (obviously, cuz naked ladies and such), but it was pretty epic. It’s a 20,000 square foot peaceful sanctuary, complete with eucalyptus steam rooms, dry redwood saunas, and indoor/outdoor lounge areas you won’t want to leave.

However, you should be prepared before you go — the prices at the spa are anything but cheap, (a 90-minute spa mani/pedi will set you back around $245 and a 90-minute massage around $335). Access to the spa grounds without a service costs $65 per day if you are a guest at the hotel, and $125 per day on weekends. I inquired about day passes in case I want to treat my mom when she visits, but day passes are not available unless you are a guest at the resort or unless you spend a minimum of $245 on services.

It’s definitely a splurge, BUT if you are looking for something extra special to do as a treat, this would be the place. Along with the Montage spa services, you also get access to a private, adult-only pool that overlooks the ocean and the coastal walking path. It doesn’t get much better than that!

After my spa tour, we ate a quick lunch at Mosaic and then spent a couple hours by the pool before we had to head back up to LA.

OK, SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT POOL.

The pool service is beyond amazing and several cabana boys were at our beck and call, bringing us towels, water, drinks/food and anything else we needed, without even having to ask.

Another crazy/cool thing about this resort: the Montage employs a “falconer” who walks around the grounds all day with an actual, real-life falcon strapped to her arm (!!). She launches the bird at the trees to scare away the noisy/annoying black crows that disturb the guests who are lounging at the pool. I’ve truly never seen anything like it!

By the time we were done lounging, we went up to the valet one last time to get the car. This is when I realized my purse was missing. (I figured it was in the car all this time, but it was not).

Between the chaos of the morning and switching outfits, I had several extra bags with me: a bag with new outfit to change into, my pool bag with sunscreen, etc., my camera bag, my small clutch with phone & key card. So between all those bags, my actual purse somehow got lost in the shuffle. And I’m not someone who loses things very often!

Interestingly, I was not panicked at all, because I knew the clientele at the Montage would never “steal” someone’s lost purse. I had confidence it would be found & returned, and it was! Matter of fact, I didn’t even bother to check to see if anything was missing from it until I thought about it later that evening when we arrived home.

That is how amazing and luxurious this hotel and its clientele are. Like your own caring family keeping a watchful eye out for you. Can’t wait to come back and visit, fam!

I want to thank the Montage Laguna Beach for our wonderful stay…I’ll definitely be back soon!

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