Montage Laguna Beach

Montage aims for an experience you might find in Positano, crisp service and the smell of the surf. You’ll find a pianist in the lobby, and a meal at the Studio, the hotel’s celebrated restaurant. The Arts and Crafts–style Montage Resort & Spa, the most architecturally impressive spot on the beach offers—in a too-rare instance of architectural common sense— 262 rooms with Pacific panoramas. The location is exceptional, on a 30 acre spot on a bluff with a 280-degree view of the Pacific. The shingle-style architecture, all twists and turns and gables and porches, is incurably romantic; it's a re-creation of the world of the California Impressionists who gathered in Laguna during the teens and twenties, lived in humble beach bungalows, and painted this coastline. The Montage showcases natural materials—stone, dark wood, copper—and a prominent collection of art from early in the 20th century, including works by William Wendt, Jean Mannheim and the other air painters who put this area on the map. The best rooms to book are those on the southern side; they're quietest and face the water. Don't miss the Thalassic Beach Walk—a complimentary, spa-therapist-guided stroll that focuses on the mind-body benefits of ocean air.