Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites - Chef & Hotel Profile

A short drive up the coast from Los Angeles is the ultimate great escape resort to share a

blissful weekend with friends and family, or take a corporate team for a work/pleasure adventure or share romantic moments overlooking the Sea. The casual but sophisticated hotel is nestles high on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in historic Dana Point. This expansive property offers 378 spacious AAA Four Diamond guest rooms and suites surrounded by sprawling lawns, pools, lush gardens and a panoramic ocean view. Balcony patios feature comfortable lounge chairs and are the perfect spot for whale watching over a great cup of coffee. It is a property for all seasons, providing services to fulfill the requirements and needs of a wide variety of guests.

The area surrounding this Dana Point jewel of a property offers some great dining

destinations, surfing at Doheny Beach, visits to the Ocean Institute and viewing of replicas of Richard Henry Dana’s hide brig Pilgrim and the privateer Spirit of Dana Point. The hotel is a short trip to a variety of California tourism destinations like Disneyland by car or Catalina Island by boat, but who wants to leave the lazy afternoon experience of lounging blissfully at this fantastic get-a-way. Guests can also spend the entire day being pampered at The Spa at Laguna Cliffs, a full service spa that offers the best treatments and skin care products to enhance your stay.

The lawns overlooking the ocean are a favorite place for weddings, or family fun every day of the week, and Laguna Cliffs features two heated outdoor pools, one for adults and one that is a dream scene for kids called the Splash Zone in the Kahuna Laguna kid’s Club, where the whole family can join in for fun. The tennis courts are great or try the Fitness Club for 24 hour workouts on Life Fitness and Star Trac Equipment while enjoying the latest news on flat screen TVs.

Vue Restaurant offers the best in coastal cuisine for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Sunday brunch is a fun family experience and the hotel restaurant staff is stellar at keeping everyone happy. Vue has a dramatic ocean view and a lovely outdoor eating area, where by the name you know has wonderful views while dining. In the evening fire pits provide a warming and romantic touch to savoring the tapas menu with a great glass of California wine.

Enjoying a wonderful dinner at Vue Restaurant is guaranteed as this room becomes warm and romantic in the evening, and the versatile menu offers some old favorites and some divine new creations from Executive Chef Erasmo Rodriguez, which integrate the best in seafood, beef, and fresh produce all prepared with culinary excellence and served by attentive servers.

Some popular menu favorites include lobster risotto, Ahi tuna, Kobe short ribs, lobster bisque, yellow tomato soup, organic greens, wild arugula, heirloom tomato and baby romaine salad, wild king salmon.

prawn linguini, Peruvian risotto, blackened ahi tuna, Chilean sea bass, twin lobster tail, Kobe short ribs, coffee crusted rib eye, filet mignon, filet mignon & lobster, free range chicken. The menu offers six ‘fit for you’ items which offer heart health dishes. The chef also offers a prix-fixe menu of baby romaine, filet mignon and chocolate bombe cake for $50.00. The wine menu is extensive and the staff is happy to give pairing recommendations. Desserts are also plentiful and totally sinful. They may be enjoyed with appertif's or dessert wines.

The ending to a perfect evening at the Laguna Cliffs is to enjoy an after dinner cocktail in the lounge, where wonderful entertainers provide great sounds from the surf-city era. Couples dance and join the musicians in making music and singing old favorites. In the morning this venue becomes a quick breakfast stop with fresh fruit, Danish and Starbucks coffee, where once again you are inspired to begin another lazy day of sun and fun.

I really cannot say enough about how outstanding the service of the staff is at this hotel; from check-in to check-out everyone is wonderful. General Manager Jim Samuels can be so proud of this great hotel team who really go beyond to insure their guests comfort and enjoyment.