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Good value for my points and questions about Newport

Fallenone

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Joined
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Messages
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Location
Reno, NV
Resorts Owned
Marriott Vacation Club Points
Just booked a 4-night stay at Newport in late May with 1200 points. Looked up 2BR rooms in nearby Marriott hotels (one Autograph and one Marriott) for the same dates and they both cost >$6k. Great value for my points, which was one reason I joined MVC.

Now I never been to Newport area let alone this property. My party is multi-gen, three adults and two young kids. Any suggestions? Is the nearby beach even worth going in late May? Good local restaurants? Thanks!
 
Just booked a 4-night stay at Newport in late May with 1200 points. Looked up 2BR rooms in nearby Marriott hotels (one Autograph and one Marriott) for the same dates and they both cost >$6k. Great value for my points, which was one reason I joined MVC.

Now I never been to Newport area let alone this property. My party is multi-gen, three adults and two young kids. Any suggestions? Is the nearby beach even worth going in late May? Good local restaurants? Thanks!
This is a great deal and late May would be nice. It's a great resort but the nearby beach is nothing to brag about and the water is cold (even in the summer). But, you should take the shuttle down to that beach for a quick visit. Suggest you also go to the other nearby beaches which are much more attractive for our family. Balboa island is a fun and interesting outing.
 
Crystal Cove is one of the nicest beaches in the area, the Marriott shuttle will drop you off there to save on the state parking and shuttle fees. The Beachcomber restaurant is nice, right on the beach.

There is a nice upscale Mexican restaurant in the Crystal Cove shopping center - Javier's. It's across PCH from the Reef Cove beach parking lot.

The Marriott shuttle will also take you to Laguna Beach, lots of dining and shopping, easy to walk around the beach area. Try Dolce Gelato for a dessert treat stop. The shuttle stop is on Cliff Dr, a nice cliffside park with public art and artists. Once again, using the shuttle saves on parking issues in the crowded beach area.

You will love the area, excellent location. The mornings may be a little overcast with marine layer (May Grey) but it should burn off in the afternoons, temps in the 70s. Water temps stay a constant 58 so always a chilly dip, it's not Hawaii or the Caribbean latitude.
Crystal Cove State Beach
Crystal.jpeg
 
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Crystal Cove is one of the nicest beaches in the area, the Marriott shuttle will drop you off there to save on the state parking and shuttle fees. The Beachcomber restaurant is nice, right on the beach.

There is a nice upscale Mexican restaurant in the Crystal Cove shopping center - Javier's. It's across PCH from the Reef Cove beach parking lot.

The Marriott shuttle will also take you to Laguna Beach, lots of dining and shopping, easy to walk around the beach area. Try Dolce Gelato for a dessert treat stop. The shuttle stop is on Cliff Dr, a nice cliffside park with public art and artists. Once again, using the shuttle saves on parking issues in the crowded beach area.

You will love the area, excellent location. The mornings may be a little overcast with marine layer (May Grey) but it should burn off in the afternoons, temps in the 70s. Water temps stay a constant 58 so always a chilly dip, it's not Hawaii or the Caribbean latitude.
Thanks for all the info! The shuttle service looks really nice, we will definitely use that.
 
This is a great deal and late May would be nice. It's a great resort but the nearby beach is nothing to brag about and the water is cold (even in the summer). But, you should take the shuttle down to that beach for a quick visit. Suggest you also go to the other nearby beaches which are much more attractive for our family. Balboa island is a fun and interesting outing.
Thanks! We'll check out that island for sure.
 
The Shake Shack is very casual outdoor restaurant on Highway 1 just south of the resort. Hamburgers and the like but known most for their shakes. We like The Cliff restaurant in Laguna Beach. The food is good and the view is great. Laguna Beach is very laid back and has a lot of shops and restaurants.

Last fall we rented a Duffy boat from Duffy Boats in Newport Beach. I believe it cost about $300 and you get the boat for 1.5 hours to go around the Balboa Point area. The boats hold up to 8 people. They are electric, so you don’t go very fast, but it was a fun time. There are several operators that offer similar deals.

Best regards.

Mike
 
We recently discovered a great place for breakfast in Laguna Beach.
Urth Cafe -- not a typo.

Easily walkable from shuttle drop off.

Depending on age of children (or child-likeness of adults)
Take the boat ferry from Balboa Island to Newport Beach.

If you are a shopper, the San Clements Outlets are very nice.
(I don't usually like outlet malls -- but needed a warmer jacket and found one at Columbia store there. It was Christmas time.
 
Newport Coast is very nice. For 4 nights you may not get a great view, Request up the hill in 4000 building if possible. Crystal Cove is amazing and not a bad walk via the park if you are a walker. SmithOP is correct about the shuttles. The beach shuttle comes every 20 minutes.
 
I echo many of the sentiments and suggestions expressed by @SmithOp. One thing I would add is that when our kids and my wife's mom were on a trip of similar duration in February, the highlights were two. One was time spent together on the beautiful beach of Crystal Cove with lunch at The Beachcomber.

The other was an excursion out to Catalina Island. The kids were enchanted by the idea of an island given over to pedestrians and golf carts and we all very much enjoyed our time there. We rented a cart and went sightseeing, saw the Wrigley and a bunch of other stuff. Great restaurants as well.
 
Crystal Cove is one of the nicest beaches in the area, the Marriott shuttle will drop you off there to save on the state parking and shuttle fees. The Beachcomber restaurant is nice, right on the beach.

There is a nice upscale Mexican restaurant in the Crystal Cove shopping center - Javier's. It's across PCH from the Reef Cove beach parking lot.

The Marriott shuttle will also take you to Laguna Beach, lots of dining and shopping, easy to walk around the beach area. Try Dolce Gelato for a dessert treat stop. The shuttle stop is on Cliff Dr, a nice cliffside park with public art and artists. Once again, using the shuttle saves on parking issues in the crowded beach area.

You will love the area, excellent location. The mornings may be a little overcast with marine layer (May Grey) but it should burn off in the afternoons, temps in the 70s. Water temps stay a constant 58 so always a chilly dip, it's not Hawaii or the Caribbean latitude.
Crystal Cove State Beach
View attachment 74623
Sea temps will rise in summer and peak in September just at or below 70 degrees. About 5 degrees less than San Diego.
 
I echo all of the positives…Crystal cove is beautiful for miles of walking the beach and not crowded at all…hubby and I walk it in the mornings(it’s practically deserted then) and family at night for awesome sunsets. For body surfing go to Newport Beach/Balboa peninsula. For surfing, head to Huntington beach. For basketball on the beach, kids play area and tide pools take the trolly to Laguna Beach. We always like to hit Beach Comber, Nobu, Tommy Bahamas, and Duke‘s in Huntington Beach for dinners and Rubio’s for lunch. Crab cooker is fun, too. so much to do…I’m sure there is much more…we just have our favorites and can’t get them where we are now. So enjoy!
 
Its a perfect vacation spot for your group. We took our daughter and 12yr old/6 yr old grandsons last summer. No one was bored. The pools were warm, the Crystal Cove beach was a hit ( rent chairs and umbrellas right at the resort and take to the beach) we did Balboa Island, they played ping ping and basketball with other kids at the resort, spent the day in Laguna…. Great restaurants are close and Trader Joes is literally next door.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
We recently discovered a great place for breakfast in Laguna Beach.
Urth Cafe -- not a typo.

Easily walkable from shuttle drop off.

Depending on age of children (or child-likeness of adults)
Take the boat ferry from Balboa Island to Newport Beach.

If you are a shopper, the San Clements Outlets are very nice.
(I don't usually like outlet malls -- but needed a warmer jacket and found one at Columbia store there. It was Christmas time.
Enjoy the ferry while you can:

BY LILLY NGUYENSTAFF WRITER
MARCH 22, 2023 5 PM PT
The Balboa Island Ferry has operated in Newport Beach since 1919, but a new mandate handed down by the California Air Resources Board has placed its future, for the first time in little over a century of operation, up in the air.

In December, the state board, which aims to attain and maintain air quality, implemented new regulations that require commercial harbor craft — defined as crew and supply boats, fishing vessels, ferries, excursion vessels and the like — to start using renewable diesel fuel this year and begin the process of replacing their engines to reduce emissions and health risks from ports and the movement of goods up and down the state.

Short-run ferries, like the Balboa Island Ferry, are required to use zero-emission engines by the end of 2025.

It’s an admirable intent but one that’s easier said than done, according to Seymour Beek, who operates the ferry business, while his son, David, runs the Balboa Island Fuel Dock, which started operations in 1936.

The elder Beek said they’ve been aware of the possibility they would need to convert the engines of their three boats for at least two years, though it wasn’t official until the California Air Resources Board accepted the recommendations of its staff last year. With a ticking deadline now a little under two years to retrofit and replace, Beek said the cost to convert is astronomical.

“We just can’t afford it,” he said. “It’s $2.5 million to convert the first boat — to do the engineering and design — if it can even be done. The feasibility of it has yet to be proved. We’re not sure we can do it because of our cramped space and so on. Everybody talks about the funding that’s available, but we haven’t found it yet.”

Beek said the business has retained a consultant to help search for ways to fund the conversion, but they haven’t had much luck so far.

“We’re a business that, for the first time, exceeded $2 million in 2022. We don’t make a profit. Some years, we don’t make any profit. Expecting us to spend $2.5 million on the first boat and each boat after, $1 million, plus putting in the battery charging stations on shore ... is probably another half a million,” he continued. “It’s just out of our ballpark. We can’t do it. If something doesn’t give, we’re out of business.”

That’s bad news, not just for the Beeks or their staff of 40 or so employees but for the residents and tourists that come for the ferry, said Visit Newport Beach’s president and chief executive officer Gary Sherwin in a recent call.
 
Crystal Cove is more of a nature lovers beach with lots of rocks and tidal pools. If you want a more traditional beach head over to the Balboa Peninsula. Great beach there and lots of public parking. Go to Balboa Island for the original frozen banana. The main pool can get crowded, but is really nice with an ocean view. One last thing......NCV is on a very steep grade that is well over 100 feet from top to bottom. The villas are on tiers so getting from somewhere down at the bottom (100s) requires a lot of stairs or a decent grade on the sidewalks to get up to the main building, spa, activity center, etc. Anyone with ambulatory issues should keep an eye on this because it really matters.
 
Enjoy the ferry while you can:

BY LILLY NGUYENSTAFF WRITER
MARCH 22, 2023 5 PM PT
The Balboa Island Ferry has operated in Newport Beach since 1919, but a new mandate handed down by the California Air Resources Board has placed its future, for the first time in little over a century of operation, up in the air.

In December, the state board, which aims to attain and maintain air quality, implemented new regulations that require commercial harbor craft — defined as crew and supply boats, fishing vessels, ferries, excursion vessels and the like — to start using renewable diesel fuel this year and begin the process of replacing their engines to reduce emissions and health risks from ports and the movement of goods up and down the state.

Short-run ferries, like the Balboa Island Ferry, are required to use zero-emission engines by the end of 2025.

It’s an admirable intent but one that’s easier said than done, according to Seymour Beek, who operates the ferry business, while his son, David, runs the Balboa Island Fuel Dock, which started operations in 1936.

The elder Beek said they’ve been aware of the possibility they would need to convert the engines of their three boats for at least two years, though it wasn’t official until the California Air Resources Board accepted the recommendations of its staff last year. With a ticking deadline now a little under two years to retrofit and replace, Beek said the cost to convert is astronomical.

“We just can’t afford it,” he said. “It’s $2.5 million to convert the first boat — to do the engineering and design — if it can even be done. The feasibility of it has yet to be proved. We’re not sure we can do it because of our cramped space and so on. Everybody talks about the funding that’s available, but we haven’t found it yet.”

Beek said the business has retained a consultant to help search for ways to fund the conversion, but they haven’t had much luck so far.

“We’re a business that, for the first time, exceeded $2 million in 2022. We don’t make a profit. Some years, we don’t make any profit. Expecting us to spend $2.5 million on the first boat and each boat after, $1 million, plus putting in the battery charging stations on shore ... is probably another half a million,” he continued. “It’s just out of our ballpark. We can’t do it. If something doesn’t give, we’re out of business.”

That’s bad news, not just for the Beeks or their staff of 40 or so employees but for the residents and tourists that come for the ferry, said Visit Newport Beach’s president and chief executive officer Gary Sherwin in a recent call.
Oh no!
My first thought was a Go Fund Me for them.
Second thought was -- there are enough Billionaires living on Balboa Island to start a Private Donation fund. Oh wait, they are the ones who would most likely prefer to keep commoners off the Island.

Maybe a Waiver due to small size of ferry?

It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
 
A visit to Catalina Island is always fun, we start our day there with breakfast and then rent a golf cart. Like others have recommended, eat at Beachcomber and we always enjoy Rose Bakery Cafe which is close by.
 
Newport Coast is very nice. For 4 nights you may not get a great view, Request up the hill in 4000 building if possible. Crystal Cove is amazing and not a bad walk via the park if you are a walker. SmithOP is correct about the shuttles. The beach shuttle comes every 20 minutes.
What Park are you referring to?
 
I have never been to Beachcomber Cafe and just booked a ressie there for breakfast (the only time I could get, almost 2 weeks from now on a Sunday, was 7:00 a.m.!!)

Some evening our group would like to have cocktails and apps on the deck at Beachcomber. Is that what is called the Bootlegger Bar? Does anyone know if they take reservations, or do you just show up, 1st come 1st serve? How crowded does it get? Or do I make reservations for the Beachcomber Cafe and ask to be seated at the bar?
 
Came back from out trip. This is easily the best MVC resort we've been to outside of HI (we're still pretty new and haven't gone to any properties on the east coast yet). So many daily activities for the kids to choose from and they don't have time because they grounded themselves at the water slides. Pools not crowded at all and I can enjoy the main pool all by myself after 9 pm. Easy access to the beautiful Crystal Cove. Maybe we went in shoulder season so the experience was better than peak seasons, but we love it!
 
Exactly!!!! It’s fantastic! We have gone to NCV every year(for the last 18 years, after we moved from southern CA, and now we also fo for spring break!), but we will soon head to Oceana Palms to see how that vacation club compares. Never been to the Florida coast. Your update makes me wish we just would have have gone to NCV! How was the weather? Was there the typical “ June gloom?” I really don’t think it’s a big deal, as it does burn off, and the ocean is just so gorgeous, and the timeshare fantastic!
Anyway, I’m so glad you had a great time! When we bought ncv, our children were very young… they would have loved the waterslides! But soon we will welcome our first grandchild into the world, and I pray they will get to join us at NCV every summer, too, and have a week or two in beautiful southern CA where their daddy was born!
What building did you end up staying in?
 
Exactly!!!! It’s fantastic! We have gone to NCV every year(for the last 18 years, after we moved from southern CA, and now we also fo for spring break!), but we will soon head to Oceana Palms to see how that vacation club compares. Never been to the Florida coast. Your update makes me wish we just would have have gone to NCV! How was the weather? Was there the typical “ June gloom?” I really don’t think it’s a big deal, as it does burn off, and the ocean is just so gorgeous, and the timeshare fantastic!
Anyway, I’m so glad you had a great time! When we bought ncv, our children were very young… they would have loved the waterslides! But soon we will welcome our first grandchild into the world, and I pray they will get to join us at NCV every summer, too, and have a week or two in beautiful southern CA where their daddy was born!
What building did you end up staying in?
This has been a pretty dreary Spring for SoCal. Lots of drizzle and plenty of fog. Ocean temps still mid 60's. But I wear shorts every day. :banana:
 
Exactly!!!! It’s fantastic! We have gone to NCV every year(for the last 18 years, after we moved from southern CA, and now we also fo for spring break!), but we will soon head to Oceana Palms to see how that vacation club compares. Never been to the Florida coast. Your update makes me wish we just would have have gone to NCV! How was the weather? Was there the typical “ June gloom?” I really don’t think it’s a big deal, as it does burn off, and the ocean is just so gorgeous, and the timeshare fantastic!
Anyway, I’m so glad you had a great time! When we bought ncv, our children were very young… they would have loved the waterslides! But soon we will welcome our first grandchild into the world, and I pray they will get to join us at NCV every summer, too, and have a week or two in beautiful southern CA where their daddy was born!
What building did you end up staying in?
This is what we did. We went to NCV for 15 years straight and loved it. But we did get tired of certain things like parking, ants, crowded pools, shuttling driving to the beach, fighting for a good view, etc. Plus with 2 small children and school, it was hard for us to travel across the country for 2 weeks at a time. We decided to try our luck in Florida. We started at the Hilton in Ft Lauderdale, but really wanted that timeshare room experience where we could stretch out, cook our own meals, etc. During our trip to Ft Lauderdale, we decided to drive and check out the 2 West Palm Beach area resorts. As soon as we arrived at Oceana Palms, it felt upscale. There were seats at the pool and employees monitoring for chair hogs. They actually had a clip system at the time. Also, we loved that it was literally on the beach and had a very small footprint since it was a high rise. We also loved the fact that if we reserved Oceanfront, we were guaranteed an amazing view. Free chairs on the beach was another plus. At NCV, I would drag a heavy over packed beach cart up and downt the blough every single day. We also had to pay I think like $150 for a yearly beach parking pass in CA. Also, the ocean is much more enjoyable in Florida. I can take my kids out to the man made reef or down to the pump house to snorkel without much of a worry. We rented at both Oceana Palms and Ocean Pointe and decided to buy resale at Oceana Palms and haven't regretted it. I miss the OC and NCV sometimes (the late summer weather was amazing), and maybe one day will revisit, but for now we are content. I hope you enjoy your visit!

As an aside, we tried Crystal Shores last year for half our trip and found it to be every but as nice. And previous to that we split our trip by doing a week in West Palm Beach and a week in Siesta Key at the Hyatt Residence Club there. Also, a great experience.
 
Exactly!!!! It’s fantastic! We have gone to NCV every year(for the last 18 years, after we moved from southern CA, and now we also fo for spring break!), but we will soon head to Oceana Palms to see how that vacation club compares. Never been to the Florida coast. Your update makes me wish we just would have have gone to NCV! How was the weather? Was there the typical “ June gloom?” I really don’t think it’s a big deal, as it does burn off, and the ocean is just so gorgeous, and the timeshare fantastic!
Anyway, I’m so glad you had a great time! When we bought ncv, our children were very young… they would have loved the waterslides! But soon we will welcome our first grandchild into the world, and I pray they will get to join us at NCV every summer, too, and have a week or two in beautiful southern CA where their daddy was born!
What building did you end up staying in?
I worked and lived in Santa Barbara for two years so accustomed to the morning fog near the ocean in SoCal. However, this year was definitely gloomier. That was the one down side for our vacation. Over the course of about a week, we only had sunshine for about half a day. It was drizzling in the morning/evenings most of the days. But the weather didn't really affect much of our agenda.

We requested a few and got the 2300. I made the mistake of asking for a first floor too so didn't end up with an ocean view. Had we been on second floor I think we would see the ocean directly from the balcony. In the future I think we're going to take the 1100/1200 as it is just next to the waterslides.
 
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