Pelican Hill Clubhouse. Banner image: Pelican Hill South Course.

Summer In The O.C.
With soaring fuel prices and the plummeting dollar overseas, there’ s good reason to stay closer to home this summer. Vacationing in your own backyard — a "staycation" as the trend is called — is a good way to save not only time and money, but long lines at the airport, crowded cabins, and canceled flights. Within an easy drive of San Diego — and less than a tank of gas — lie the coastal communities of the O.C. — Orange County — with ritzy resorts, champion golf courses, and lest we forget, world-class shopping at centers like South Coast Plaza (for many, a vacation in itself). Each community has its own distinct personality, from Huntington Beach’ s family friendly "Surf City USA" — it owns the trademark — to the luxurious St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point. Altogether, there are 42 miles of coastline to explore, branded the OCeanfront by a group of resorts and retailers joining forces to show the O.C. is far more than reality shows and Mickey Mouse.

Huntington Beach prides itself on being an authentic beach town. Here the feeling is laid back and hang loose (or hang ten). In fact, the city’ s founder brought surfing demonstrations to Huntington Beach in 1910, and the sport was later popularized by Duke Kahanamoku, considered the Father of International Surfing. There’ s a statue of Kahanamoku outside the surfing museum off Main Street, and the town now hosts the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing in July. At the Mediterranean-style Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa, the whole family can book surfing lessons from Toes on the Nose. Charlos, the quintessential blond-and-bronzed California surfer, will have you shredding the waves in no time. Or bike along the boardwalk that stretches for eight miles, as kites and seabirds float on the breeze. Pier Plaza is a local gathering spot, where, on one balmy Sunday, drummers of every stripe staged an impromptu concert. The kids will dig sandcastle building lessons. And at day’ s end, break out the blankets and buns and build your own bonfire at one of the hundreds of fire pits. The Hyatt offers Mediterranean cuisine at The Californian restaurant or more casual fare at Pete’ s Sunset Grille. Across the street at the waterfront Hilton, the hip Shades restaurant (named after lampshades, not sunglasses) offers an expansive wine list and inventive cuisine from executive chef Jeff Littlefield — try the crispy arctic char and a salad of dates, pumpkin seeds, and pancetta.

Next door in Newport Beach, boats dance on the bay from sleek yachts to kayaks. At the Balboa Bay Club & Resort, rooms have harbor views of all the action. Board a Duffy electric boat for a sunset cruise, sipping wine as you watch watercraft deftly dodge one another. The resort’ s First Cabin restaurant offers classic dining overlooking the harbor, or you can dine alfresco on the Bayside Terrace. Afterward, have a drink at Duke’ s Place, named for actor John Wayne, who was a longtime boater and board member. On Balboa Peninsula, families can cruise the boardwalk on skates, ride the ferris wheel at the Balboa Fun Zone, or eye elaborate model ships at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum. Take a five-minute ferry ride to Balboa Island, a quaint village of million dollar "cottages," gardens, galleries, and gift shops. Outdoor recreation abounds, from beach combing to mountain climbing at Crystal Cove State Park and Beach, from hiking to bird watching in Newport’ s Back Bay. For indoor recreation, Fashion Island is nearby. After a day of shopping, check into the Island Hotel for treatments at the The Spa and dinner at Palm Terrace, the signature restaurant and lounge where executive chef Bill Bracken showcases "small bites" of American-style cuisine from potato-crusted black cod to 30-hour Kobe short ribs. (Julio Iglesias recently was seen there.) At the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa, Sam & Harry’ s restaurant is known for its bars — both salad and sushi. And the Pure Blu Spa offers a caviar facial that is pure bliss.

For golfers, there are two Tom Fazio-designed courses at the Pelican Hill Golf Club, along with a clubhouse and the Pelican Grill restaurant and lounge. You can dine inside with panoramic views of the Pacific through Palladian windows, or outside on the stunning terrace. Coming this fall is the luxurious Resort at Pelican Hill with more than 200 bungalows and 128 villas, and a striking, round coliseum-style pool. The resort’ s architecture is inspired by Palladio, the Renaissance-era architect.

In Laguna Beach, founded as an artist colony in the early 1900s, the craggy coastline has inspired artists and tourists alike. Each summer, from early July to late August, the town hosts the annual Laguna Festival of Arts, a juried exhibit with more than a hundred artists, and Pageant of the Masters, where people form "living" paintings. Stay at the Montage Laguna Beach, an elegant yet casual Craftsman-style resort on a bluff overlooking the sea. The resort boasts a 20,000-square-foot spa that is a destination in itself. And executive chef James Boyce has cooked up major accolades at Studio, the resort’ s signature restaurant. At the nearby Surf & Sand Resort there’ s nothing like falling asleep to the rumble and roar of the waves (or for that matter, waking up to them).

A few miles south in Dana Point, the red roofs of the Victorian-style Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa are reminiscent of the Hotel Del Coronado. The cliffside resort offers breezy, sun-drenched rooms overlooking picturesque Dana Point Harbor, where you can book a fishing trip, take a sail, or putter about in a powerboat. Or pack a picnic and spread out your blanket at Doheny State Beach and Park. For sheer sophistication, check into the five-star St. Regis Monarch Beach where miles of marble meet ocean views. How many hotel pools sport cabanas with their own large screen TVs? Hail a shuttle for a brief ride down to the private beach club where "surf butlers" will satisfy your every whim. Or tee off at the Monarch Beach Golf Links designed by Robert Trent Jones. The resort also offers the sybaritic Spa Gaucin and the Michael Mina restaurant Stonehill Tavern, named one of the top ten new restaurants in California by the Zagat guide. Summer in the O.C. never tasted so good. (800/680-1249, www.theoceanfrontca.com) — Andrea Naversen