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Kelly Hornberger

Newport Beach California Vacation: Things to Do & See

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Hey there! This summer we had the chance to go visit some of our dear friends in Newport Beach, CA in June. We then were able to take a family trip – just the 5 of us – to the Pacific Northwest in July.

Lido House Newport Beach

Both trips were absolutely epic, and I always get so many questions about where we stayed, what we did, places to eat and things to do…especially with kids involved.  So, for this blog I’m going to go over the amazing Newport area and then our next blog will be all about our epic PNW trip!

So…pour your favorite drink while I grab my martini, settle into a comfy chair, and let’s start with some California love.

P.S. this blog post first made an appearance in my Happy Hour with Kelly emails! If you want to be the first to receive these fun emails and get updates on any KHP announcements, sign up for my email list here!

Surfing at Newport Beach

Things to do in Newport Beach

See photos you love in this blog?  All of Kelly’s fine art prints can be purchased here.

We may have been MOST excited about the weather! To escape the Houston summer heat & humidity and arrive to all sunshine, with NO June gloom & doom, was such a blessing!

Where to Stay in Newport Beach

First things first, I have to give a major shout out to where we stayed.  

The Lido House and spent every night on their amazing rooftop bar, the Topside Roof Deck.  I’m telling you, if you go to Newport you MUST stay here. It’s incredible!

Lido House Newport

Places You HAVE to Eat at in Newport

Any great vacation involves great food, so here’s our list of faves!

1) Herst Coffee Roasters for morning coffee & delicious croissants.

2) Grab a sandwich from Rye Goods and head to the beach!

3) The Cannery – THE most fun happy hour upstairs, half price cocktails and sushi.  NOMS.

4) Shorebird – The MOST AMAZING sushi!!!  And all the rest of what we ordered 🙂

5) Mutts – Located on the beach, this super fun dive has yummy food.  What more could you want?

Newport Beach California Vacation

Things to do in Newport Beach

Newport Beach California Vacation

6) Mayors Table – Inside the Lido House – INCREDIBLE breakfast every AM, and dinner with the most insanely creative cocktails!

7) C’est Si Bon Bakery – Of course we found ourselves a French bakery!!  :). Thanks for the recommendation, Taryn.  This one is not to be missed – trust me!  

8) Pizzeria Mozza – INCREDIBLE pizza & Italian food!!!!

Lido House Pool

If you want to drive a bit. . .

Harvest, the restaurant in The Ranch hotel in Laguna Beach.  THE BEST cinnamon roll we have ever had in our entire lives!

Of COURSE make sure to do Laguna Beach while you’re in the area anyway!  So gorgeous.

Ruby’s Shake Shack…this is THE original Shake Shack, and is super fun to hit up as you drive along the Pacific Coast Highway!

Newport Beach California Vacation

Newport Beach California Vacation

What do to in Newport Beach

Don’t Waste Your Time On

(Cause you know I’m always gonna keep it real & don’t want to send you somewhere that isn’t worth your time.)

Crew Coffee or Malibu Farms.  We wanted to love them…womp womp.

Newport Beach California Vacation

Another huge hit with our crew was surfing!  We went to a local park in Dana Point, just past Laguna, and rented wet suits and boards for the day and had a ball.  Report is another great place for surfing is right at the end of the peninsula of Newport!

Overall it was an incredible trip to Newport Beach and I’m so thankful we got to go!  

Alright folks that’s it for now!  Hope this was fun and you drank your favorite cocktail while we chatted & I enjoyed my gin martini.

Cheers!

Kelly

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