Laguna daze

Hotel Joaquin (Laguna Beach)

GETAWAYS • Laguna Beach

It’s easy to miss Hotel Joaquin while cruising down the PCH. The discreet, 22-room hideaway still carries the charm of its 1940s roadside motel roots. Tucked just steps from Shaw’s Cove, it’s worlds away from the gigantic resorts of Laguna Beach. There’s no TV, no kids, and the cell reception gets spotty. It’s the kind of place where mornings start with coffee and tea left outside your door in a fishnet bag, and evenings end with a movie night in the garden or at the bar. On a recent Sunday, they were playing The Parent Trap; as a Nancy Meyers fan, I felt right at home.

Not all rooms are created equal: some are closer to the PCH, so you’ll want to book one of the ocean-facing options. The AURIC room has a small private balcony, and a zellige-tiled bathroom with a deep soaking tub. Each space is styled with midcentury furniture and comes with a record player, part of a 500-vinyl collection spread across the property.

Saline, the hotel’s breakfast and lunch spot, keeps things light with farm-fresh egg plates, fruit bowls, and the signature “rawnola” with blue majik. There’s no dinner service, but the Crystal Cove Shake Shack is about a 10-minute drive. Perched on a cliff with a sweeping ocean view, it’s a perfect stop for a cheeseburger before heading back to Hotel Joaquin for a nightcap. –Victoire Loup

→ Hotel Joaquin (Laguna Beach) • 985 N Coast Hwy • Rates from $406/Feb wknd.