Hi guys! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to share Ben and I’s amazing weekend adventure at the insanely gorgeous St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, California. After generously inviting us for a visit, we headed there a couple of weekends ago for a romantic getaway and, of course, some fun in the sun. It’s one of our absolute favorite hotels (ever) – you might remember when we stayed there last summer as well as when we celebrated our first wedding anniversary there in 2013.
When we arrived and checked into our gorgeous suite, I couldn’t help but run to the patio to take in the stunning views of the amazing oceanside property. Our room sat just above their par-70 championship golf course, which of course got my hubby all excited.
The rooms were recently redesigned to reflect its oceanside home in a pretty palette of crisp whites and cool blues and greens. I particularly loved the ocean-inspired artwork and textiles because it made our beach getaway all that more encompassing.
After taking in the breathtaking views and checking out the room, our butler (yes, you read that right, our suite came with a butler) arrived to introduce himself and help us unpack. Talk about feeling like royalty, you guys! He delicately folded and hung our clothes so that we could scurry off and explore the property. He even steamed out the wrinkles in some of our clothes that had appeared during our flight.
After a quick change, we headed up to their beautiful terrace to take in an overview of the property and watch the glowing sun fall behind the ocean as the butlers saluted the picturesque view with a ceremonial champagne sabering (which they do nightly while sharing local history). They were so sweet and dedicated the ceremony to Ben and I so we got to enjoy the delicious bottle, making us feel even more spoiled (if that was even possible at this point already).
After the ceremony, we headed down to the beach to enjoy a private dinner next to the ocean, followed by s’mores and berries and cream for dessert. It was literally the most romantic dinner and Ben and I just had permanent smiles on our faces while we danced around the fire.
The next morning, our butler (I still can’t get used to saying that) delivered coffee, juice and breakfast to our room before we headed off to hit the links at the Monarch Beach Golf Links. And ok, I am not much of a player but I had so much fun!
The oceanfront course offers a variety of play so it’s great for players of all levels, and you seriously can’t beat the sweeping views of the sea. There was a little bit of cloud coverage, which I am insanely grateful for because there’s nothing worse than sweating your life away under the beating sun (and I didn’t have to have hat hair for the rest of the day). But it’s always summer in California so the temperature was just right!
After golf we enjoyed lunch at their golf club restaurant, Club 19, which was sooo good (try their famous bloody mary)! Afterwards we decided to head back down to the beach to relax and enjoy the rest of our afternoon by the ocean. I mean, with the water at your backdoor, why wouldn’t you?! We even stayed oceanside and enjoyed an intimate dinner on the patio of the Monarch Bay Club, their beachside restaurant. Rosé, anyone?
For our last morning, we ordered breakfast in bed again (who would want to leave this pretty room)? After a quick dip in the pool we headed back down to the beach for a surf lesson that the hotel had set up for us. Ben and I took turns shredding (ok, he shredded while I mostly fell so I will spare you those horrendous images of my open-mouth screams and salt-water eyes). The water was actually really nice and not too cold at all, which is what I was expecting. Thankfully, I wore my one piece swimsuit this time (so as to avoid mooning beachgoers when my bikini bottoms inevitably come off in a wave or two again… true story guys).
We pretty much spent the rest of our day in the sand before having to head back to Arizona. I will mention though that I did cut my foot while surfing and our butler was so kind as to bring me a few bandaids, rubbing alcohol (ouch!) and neosporin. They are so sweet.
All in all, as you can tell from my bagillion photos, we had the most incredible time at the St. Regis Monarch Beach. So much fun that I got too many good photos that I couldn’t wait to share with you (so sorry for the overload). But there’s no such thing as too much of a good thing, am I right?
Can we just head back to this beautiful hotel already? I am ready to move in. Who’s with me?!
Thank you to Starwood Hotels & Resorts for partnering on this blog post and to the St. Regis Monarch Beach for hosting my husband and I for such a delightful stay. All thoughts and opinions contained in this post are my own.