Travel Guide Newport Beach, CA

Our family had the opportunity to spend a chunk of time in the broader Los Angeles area for my husband’s work this past May. We stayed about 2 weeks split between Newport Beach and Irvine Spectrum. This travel guide is all encompassing of the broader LA area, primarily focused on activities for toddlers and malls to hit while in town. LA is huge…and honestly, I can see why this place is always on the top 10 for some of worst traffic in the US. It really does live up to it’s name that way. So buckle up my friends & enjoy the guide! Pun intended. ;)

We flew into LAX and rented a car for the 2 weeks. I would highly recommend not flying into LAX if you can at all help it. If you’re flying without a toddler, do as you wish. However, after flying in, collecting our luggage, and migrating to the shuttle bus to take us to the rental car facilities, it was a whopping 2.5 hours after we had touched down. In most small airports where the rental car pick up zones are either on premises or a spitting distance away via shuttle, it would typically take an hour max. We joked once we got settled in our hotel, that it took us longer to collect our belongings, get the rental car and drive to the hotel than it did to fly to LAX from Seattle. When we flew back home via SNA (Santa Ana Airport), it took a total of 10 minutes to drop the car and arrive at TSA for context. Granted it is a smaller airport geared towards commuter flights, but a noteworthy benefit in my opinion with a toddler.

*Marriott Newport Coast Villas. LBB enjoying the ride.*

So… where to stay in Newport Beach. We snagged an incredible deal via Airbnb for the Marriott, Newport Coast Villa’s. It was a super spacious, 2 bedroom apartment with a fully loaded kitchen, dining, and living space with a laundry to boot. Plus, it was minutes from the ocean. You really can’t go wrong. They had tons of daily activities for families, and the grounds were lovely to walk around and enjoy the fresh ocean air. I would highly recommend this spot if you’re planning on a trip to the area. An ideal location for traveling families. Pelican Hill Golf Club is right across the way, it’s ultra bougie, as well as Crystal Cove State Park. It’s also directly off of the famous Pacific Coast Highway, better known as PCH, so it’s very convenient to zip to your next destination if you’re looking for the open road. The property also has shuttles daily to several locations around the area from Fashion Island, and a few Beach locations. This is always an added bonus if you don’t want the hassle of the car. We actually had a Crystal Cove State Park Ranger kindly let us know that if we took the shuttle from the hotel we wouldn’t have to pay the $15 parking/entrance to the park grounds, which I really appreciated, but remembered I had a toddler with her own schedule, so I forked out the cash and took the tip for next time. Another plus for this hotel is that it even has a playground on site, right next to a basketball court, and putting green. LBB had a blast wondering around enjoying these added benefits. There is also a lovely koi pond right off of the front desk check in area, as a tip for the weary parent who just spend the last 6 hours traveling to a destination that should have realistically taken 3 if we just flew into SNA, it’s a great spot for someone to man the toddler while the other does the paperwork. LBB got a kick out of watching the jumbo koi’s glide through the pond. It’s the simplest things that keep these babies entertained, I’m telling you!

*LBB building sand castles in the sky. Crystal Cove State Park.*

We stayed a full week at the Marriott before switching to stay at Irvine Spectrum, so I had quite a bit of time to fill. Aymeric was working for this trip, so I was solo parenting primarily while he was out during the day. So we typically drove him into the office, and found an activity afterwards. There are SO MANY amazing things to do with littles in this area. A quick google search resulted in plenty to keep us occupied for a week by the beach. Unfortunately, we were there at the end of May and beginning of June which has been dubbed ‘June gloom’. I can see why. Not only has this year been a very bizzare weather year for LA (very cloudy and cold), but it even rained most mornings we were there. So… I had to kick up my parenting activities gear into overdrive to find some indoor things to do to pass the time. I initially was planning to just live at the pool or beach, but obviously the weather had other plans. That was my only regret from this trip (although completely uncontrollable), that we didn’t get a chance to utilize this Marriott property to its fullest. So here are a few fun activities from our time in LA:

Pretend City Children’s Museum: This place is epic. It’s in Irvine Spectrum in a warehouse/industrial district, so it has the space to make this one grand adventure for a toddler. They even have a pretend Trader Joes, complete with TJ’s merch. It’s darling. LBB particularly gravitated towards the UPS trucks that were piled with packages to deliver from place to place. And she was thoroughly enthralled with the car mechanics shop. You could even unscrew the car wheels off to change the tires, while giving the car an oil change. Who knows, perhaps she’ll be a Formula 1 engineer one day? The only thing to note about this location is that it is very busy. I’ve asked friends who live in the area, and it really doesn’t matter the day or time, it’s just packed. So be prepared for crowds when you arrive. I would also recommend prebooking your tickets. You get a 2 hour window to play with your purchase.
Big Air Trampoline Park: This was another megacenter of fun. Need a way to tire out a toddler for a few hours? Send them here. I even had a blast bouncing around the gym all morning. Just remember to pack some socks so you don’t have to buy the overpriced versions on site. They have lockers for your goodies so you don’t have to bobble about with your purse if you can help it, as well as tables and a little cafe to grab snacks if you didn’t bring any along. I went with a friend, and we forwent the cafe vibe to grab In-and-Out after with the kids. There’s one less than 5 minutes from this spot.
Marina Park, Newport Beach: Parks like this should be in magazines. It’s a playground on the beach. Like literally on the sand, steps from the waves. It’s tucked way in a marina, so you get some blockage from the wind, and big crashing waves. So it’s the perfect spot for a family outing. LBB and I adored this park. After she tired herself out on the slides and spinning stands, we scoured the beach for shells and shiny treasures. Just be prepared for sand when you visit, so you’re car isn’t filled with grains for the rest of the trip!
Crystal Cove State Park, Newport Beach: This was the ocean access that was 5 minutes from our hotel. It was beautiful. The walk to the ocean is a bit of a steep cliff however, so be prepared to burn your buns on the walk back, and remind your toddler not to run and slip on the way down either. It seemed almost deserted when we went, although it did have a few runners and beach walkers that passed us by as LBB dug her way to the perfect sandcastle. I felt like I was in heaven. I grew up going to La Jolla a ton to visit family as a kid, and some of my fondest memories were at the beach. So as we sat there and watched the waves crash endlessly on the shore, I felt like I was transported back to childhood. It was paradise. There are also a few picnic tables on the top of the cliff if you didn’t want a sand sandwich for lunch!
Laguna Beach: Laguna is just a hop skip and a jump south from Newport Beach via PCH. Our hotel even had shuttles to take you down to this beach town if you were interested. We didn’t spend a ton of time here, but it is a great spot to walk the streets and shop in some of the boutiques, and naturally hit the beach on a sunny day.

*Beep Beeeep! LBB waiting to deliver her next Amazon order.*

*Oil Change at the Mechanic’s Shop. Pretend City.*

*Big Air Trampoline Park. Obstacle Course!*

*Searching for Shells and treasures at Marina Park.*

So… now that you have had a few activities under your belt. What else is there to do in so-cal besides the beach? Well….. The malls in this part of town are pretty great. In the two weeks we were there I think we frequented close to 5 malls. For varying reasons. Some had great kids activities, some were just indoor spots to save us from the rain, and others had great outdoor places to roam with LBB. All of them had great shopping. So here’s a list of the malls to check out if you’re down in this neck of the woods.

Fashion Island: This is an epic mega center of a mall that is outdoor. So be prepared with your stroller. There are so many great boutiques at this place. They even have a Something Navy store. (update from November, it closed. :( ) I think it might be one of her only locations on the West Coast. There’s a great food court indoor, and loads of fountains and outside space to run and entertain the little between store stops.
Irvine Spectrum: This mall is another great outdoor spot for kids. It’s smaller than Fashion Island, but it still has some amazing restaurants, shops and cafe’s. We loved the Hello Kitty Cafe, and Habana when we went. They even have a Javier’s that is frequented by the Real Housewives at their Newport location. LBB very much enjoyed the pink atmosphere. Just outside of the HKC there’s a great outdoor turf area with adirondack chairs and umbrellas just south of the Farris Wheel. In the winter they turn this spot into an ice skating rink! It’s the perfect place to post up and let your little get their wiggles out while enjoying a dole whip. If you can’t contain your little in this one area, there are a few other open spaces to roam, including one that has some misters if you get too hot!
Southcoast Plaza: After working at Nordstrom corporate for 12 years before having LBB, SCP was one name you could never get out of your head. It’s one of the best designer malls in LA. I went here with a friend and her two kiddos for a playdate to escape the rain. It’s quite big, and not a ton of kids activities, but they do have a carrousel. LBB was very into it. Plus, they have a Jacadi Kids store. I couldn’t help myself!
Santa Monica Place: This is about an hour and a half drive with traffic from the Irvine area. I have some family that lives close to here so LBB and I decided to venture up to this way one morning before visiting them. There is a very cute indoor ‘Whale’ themed play place on the 3rd floor. It’s a great spot to get some wiggles out before roaming the mall. Just a fun tip, about 10 mins from this mall is the pop up Sezane shop in Brentwood. It’s well worth a stop since it’s the only pop up on the West Coast! (Update: Seattle just opened a Sezane this fall!)
University Center Mall: The smallest of all of the malls we frequented on this trip, but a nice spot if you’re in need of a Target, Sanrio, and Miniso. It’s also an outdoor mall that has some fun grassy areas and fountains to keep your littles entertained. It’s just outside of the UC Irvine Campus, so it’s very student friendly.

*University Center Mall Fountain & Miniso Stuffies.*

I know even in the two weeks that we were in LA we still could have jammed in so much more in our time. Next time we visit, I’m hoping to find more splash pads and other park experiences since the weather might be a bit less gloomy. At any rate, you won’t run out of fun experiences to do with your littles. Find a beach and just enjoy the waves washing ashore. Bon Voyage!

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