Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Newport Beach's only Forbes Four Star and AAA Four Diamond Luxury Waterfront Resort.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled on the waterfront, Balboa Bay Resort is celebrated by guests for its luxurious amenities and stunning location close to myriad dining and shopping options. While the resort's atmosphere is generally regarded as a haven of pampered luxury with updated features, some visitors have encountered maintenance issues and an uninviting main bar. The rooms, known for their cleanliness and beautiful views, have received mixed feedback regarding reservation accuracy and preparedness.
Although service is generally acclaimed for its professionalism, issues with responsiveness have been noted. Opinions on the resort's value vary, highlighting a divide between its cost and perceived benefits.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Unwelcoming
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Top-notch
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This is my second time here, and the Balboa continues to be one of my favorite resorts in the country. The guest rooms, the pool, and all the other resort grounds are clean, well maintained, and impeccably designed/decorated. Service is first class (for example, all the staff address you by your surname, without exception). There’s genuine glamour to dining at the A&O restaurant with waterfront views and a fleet of luxury yachts dockside—it feels more like Monaco or the set of a James Bond film. The quality of the food (including room service) is excellent. And at about $600/night there’s huge value here compared to resorts in Malibu or Laguna that cost at least twice the price. Can’t wait to come back.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Balboa Bay Resort, Marketing at Balboa Bay Resort
Responded Sep 18, 2024
Dear cbernchny, Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are thrilled to hear that our property continues to be one of your favorite resorts. It’s wonderful to know that you found our the rooms and grounds to be well maintained and clean along with the first class service, value and personal touches. We are pleased that the property exceeded your expectations! We are also pleased that you loved A + O and appreciate your all kind words about your stay. We look forward to welcoming you back again soon. Warm regards, Balboa Bay Management Team
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I have stayed here many times, I return because of beautiful Newport Beach, but also this resort has the best service (even in the current situation). Everyone there is happy, helpful and courteous. This resort has spectacular views of the bay but what is so impressive is it's cleanliness, the grounds, the rooms, the restaurant, the restrooms, all of it is immaculate! The rooms are tastefully done, updated, you don't see any damage or shabby furniture, etc. Even though they are serving meals out of one restaurant there is plenty of space to accommodate everyone and lovely patio seating with a view of the Bay. I highly recommend to anyone who will be staying at this resort to request a Bay View room. These rooms are well priced for what you get, large space, luxury amenities, balcony with view of the Bay and an amazing view of luxury yacht's, enjoy sitting on your balcony and watch the boats going by! Ah.......I will be back soon!
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Date of stay: August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Balboa Bay Resort, Marketing at Balboa Bay Resort
Responded Aug 20, 2020
Thank you whatdoyouwant for taking the time to review your most recent experience with us here at the Balboa Bay Resort. We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay and the view from your Bayfront room. We appreciate you taking the time to provide positive feedback about the experience you had with our team members and hope to welcome you back to our property soon for more fun in the sun!
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This was our second stay in 3 years at Balboa Bay Resort. We stayed two nights on a quick getaway fro Ohio cold to visit our daughter. This place is classy beautiful and wonderful in every way. The location is perfect - for easy access to OCAirport and Hwy 1 and quiet and away from beach crowds yet it is on the waterway. Dining and bar service has seating and fire tables outside on the marina. Service was excellent. The marina view rooms have private balconies overlooking the waterway where you can sit for hours watching the rowers and seals and yachts moving in and out . The king marina view room is spacious and well appointed and the bathroom is luxurious. All staff members are gracious and accommodating and valet service is the best I’ve ever experienced. We would rather have two days of a wonderful luxe experience that 5 days somewhere lesser. We will return for sure.
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Date of stay: March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marina Dutton, General Manager at Balboa Bay Resort
Responded Mar 16, 2020
Thank you for sharing your five star review with us, Jack-MK. We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your Newport Beach getaway, including our waterfront views, dining options and kind staff. We can't wait to welcome you back again soon!
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Not sure if it’s because we booked through Priceline express deals, but we did feel a little second rate here. It’s unfortunate, as we spent a good amount of money just to check in at 11pm and sleep for the night in what we expected would be a nice place.
When I googled the rooms, I saw patio doors which opened to the bay. It looked peaceful and quiet. The room we got was in the furthest corner of the hotel from the bay, closest to the street. We were surprised, when we arrived, to see we were in a room with a handicapped shower. As I was checking in, the only other lady I saw in the hotel was at the front mentioning they had just checked into their room, and they wanted to know if they could get a room with a bath tub. Sounds like they were given a handicapped room as well. I won’t fault them for taking 20 minutes to bring us a rollaway bed for our son, as they didn’t know we would need it prior to our arrival, but I was confused as to why they gave us a room where the toilet paper holder was broken. It falls completely off and I had to pick it up about 4 times during my stay.
Throughout the night on this side of the hotel we heard many cars roaring their engines on Coast Hwy - the parking lot is empty so we’re not sure why we were given this room when there must have been so many others available.
Overall, although the staff was friendly, the hospitality side of this hotel fell very short and made us wish we’d saved some money and just stayed somewhere a little less expensive. I’m sure we’d haven gotten a room with a regular shower/tub, a toilet paper holder that worked, and probably not been put in the one room of the entire hotel closest to the loud street. All for less than the $300+ we paid to sleep and leave in what we thought would be a better hotel.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marina Dutton, General Manager at Balboa Bay Resort
Responded Feb 20, 2020
Thank you for sharing your Balboa Bay Resort experience with us, wiesnerjason. We appreciate your feedback regarding your stay, as we work hard to ensure every guest has a great experience with us. We have a few different room types, with different views. The room type you reserved via Priceline was our Standard King Room, which overlooks the neighborhood; the rooms that overlook the Bay are our Bay View Rooms. Due to occupancy, some guests are placed in our ADA rooms. We apologize about the toilet paper holder not working and will ensure this is fixed. We hope to welcome you back to the Resort.
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I have to admit I was very impressed by this hotel/resort. It was impeccably clean and beautifully furnished, tasteful yet comfortable. Service was great and the entire experience left me thinking we got a good value.
We had a Bay view room and I highly recommend it. For the added cost it was well worth it, not only for the water and boats but also for the incredible sunsets. Our balcony deck was well utilized, even in January.
The room was so comfortable and a perfect size for two people. The bathroom was very large with two sinks, a shower and deep soaking tub (well used by me) and a separate toilet compartment room.
Water was replenished each day and the complimentary welcome bottle of wine was appreciated.
The location is so easy to get around to all the Newport Beach sights and only an 8 minute drive to Fashion Island. The valet service for the car was very efficient and the guys are very courteous and professional.
There were only two minor misteps in the entire stay and not enough to remove any points. One night we got turn down service (that we were not expecting) and they seemingly made it up for one person, and one night nothing. Perhaps it started because we were tipping well, but I truly hope not. The other item was a very strange odor under one of the sink. Fortunately there's enough space to store stuff so we didn't need to open that cabinet after realizing it. Again, neither were big enough to impact our stay or impression.
I would definitely stay here again. It was so pleasant and much better than we anticipated. A good solid hotel experience.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from MarinaD-BBR, General Manager at Balboa Bay Resort
Responded Jan 21, 2020
Thank you for sharing your Balboa Bay Resort review with us, TomBOak. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed our waterfront views, helpful service and amenities. We appreciate your feedback regarding turn down service and the bathroom and will ensure our team is made aware. We hope to welcome you back again soon!
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The hotel itself is nice and the location is fantastic - right on the bay, if you get a bay view room you are basically looking out at yachts and the water and you have a perfect-sized balcony to be able to watch gorgeous sunsets and sunrises. I'd honestly give it a higher rating if it weren't for our service at check in. This was probably the most uncomfortable I've ever felt checking in at any property - the woman who helped us was extremely cold and spoke in a condescending tone that made us feel like we weren't good enough to be staying there. The restaurants were described as "fine dining" and then "just...classier" with a sneer and we weren't provided any details regarding the charge on the card for incidentals or really much. We were anxious to get out of there. On top of that, the room wasn't entirely clean. There were hairs all in the bath tub and bathroom and spots on the white linens and towels. I really wanted to love this place, but wouldn't return on account of the service.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Bay views are lovely, but just be prepared for crew rowing in the AM and PM.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marina Dutton, General Manager at Balboa Bay Resort
Responded Feb 25, 2020
Thank you for taking the time to review Balboa Bay Resort, Heather S. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed our waterfront location and views. We appreciate your feedback regarding your check-in experience and room. We strive for a high level of service for every guest and will follow up with the team. We hope we can welcome you back again to wow you with our high levels of service.
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I was very much looking forward to staying at this resort as it came highly recommended to me. And the location and facility are amazing. The concierge service was among the best I’ve encountered even in 5 star hotels.
However, the service (aside from the concierge) was atrocious. My second night there, a very loud party occurred above my room starting at 5pm. It went on all night, and in spite of repeated calls to the front desk, nothing was done for three hours, after I first called at midnight. At one point, I couldn’t even reach the front desk. I’m just glad there was no emergency as I couldn’t reach anyone for an hour.
Additionally, when I reported it the next morning after spending almost $400 for a night with no sleep, I was offered only a token apology. No discount, no acknowledgment in the form of a free meal or drinks. And absolutely no follow-up from management.
And on top of it, my bill was incorrect at the time of check-out and I was told that it would be reviewed by a manager later but that I had to pay the balance now.
I rated this hotel as a two star because this kind of behavior is what I would expect from a two star hotel.
Next time, I will go further down the road and stay in Laguna Beach or Dana Point. It’s too bad because this hotel has a lot of potential.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from MarinaD-BBR, General Manager at Balboa Bay Resort
Responded Jan 20, 2020
Thank you for taking the time to review Balboa Bay Resort, MT94110. We are happy to hear that our concierge was able to make your stay more enjoyable. We apologize for any inconvenience regarding the party above your room. We hope that after speaking with our team further you feel the issue has been heard and more resolved. We hope we can welcome you back again soon and show you our high level of service standards.
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I checked in and was told that due to the Pandemic there will be NO housekeeping. It seems to me that even though premium rates are being paid, there should still be this service or there should be some price consideration.
Then on Friday and Saturday the bar was completely packed - no social distancing, no masks, not a worry in the world about COVID-19.
So on one hand, it's very important to decrease service for the COVID cause, but on the other hand it's important to have standing room only in the bar with complete disregard for health and safety.
Doesn't make a lot of sense.
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Date of stay: June 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marina Dutton, General Manager at Balboa Bay Resort
Responded Jun 24, 2020
Thank you for sharing your Balboa Bay Resort experience with us, ericbE2341SC. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed our waterfront location. We are limiting our housekeeping services for the time being in an effort to limit interaction between guests and staff in-room, but we do have amenities available upon request with the front desk. We appreciate your feedback regarding the bar and your experience dining. We hope to welcome you back again soon.
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We checked in on Sunday. It was very busy. Our balcony room overlooked the owners beach and grassy play are for ALL the kids there. We were guests and not allowed to use the beach but no beach was provided for guests. The room was average. Overpriced for the room but I guess we paid for the view of the owners frolicking on the shore. Monday 8AM- construction started on the owners pool and spa area also just below our 2nd floor room. Hammering, drilling, scraping, blower going it was just horrible. When I contacted the front desk and asked why our room is the owners bldg.? Why we weren’t made aware of the heavy construction at check in. can’t use the beach, pool, restaurant or anything in this building. Btw Called maid for towels and such.after returning to our room 5 hours later the maid had not dropped off the requested items. Again, called front desk, within 5 minutes the maid was at the door.upon check out, their printer was broken to get my receipt. Said they would email it “now”. Had to call the next day to request a copy of my receipt. They offered me a late 2:00 PM checkout. Why the heck would I stay longer to experience construction noise and dust 30 feet from my balcony? We left at 10:00 AM cutting our well paid for supposed 4 star hotel room. We won’t be back.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: April 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you are looking for a place for family members to stay while you are at Hoag Hospital do NOT arrange for them to stay at the Balboa Bay Resort. Frankly, after our experience with this facility, I would not stay here if you are looking for a hotel that treats you as something more than a warm, paying body filling a room.
I needed to have a cardiac procedure at Hoag. We decided rather than having my wife and daughter hang around the waiting room while I was in surgery it would be better for them to relax in a room at the Resort. Balboa Bay Resort is just a half-mile down the road from the hospital and Hoag has an excellent texting system to keep family members informed of a patient’s progress. We booked a Bay View room (and did not ask for a hospital stay related discount).
My procedure went smoothly and I was released from the hospital a couple of evenings afterward. Hoag’s staff had suggested that we might want to stay near the hospital for the night after being released. That turned out to be life saving advice.
During the night I began to have trouble breathing and standing. We called 911. I was transported through the hotel lobby and right by the front desk by the 911 responders, so there was no mystery that I was having a medical emergency.
I almost died that night. However, thanks to the amazing care by Hoag, I was stabilized and have recovered.
We were scheduled to check out from the Balboa Bay Resort that morning. My wife and daughter went to the front desk and explained that I was in serious condition at the hospital with at that point no guarantee that I would survive. The Resort front desk personnel “graciously” announced that they could authorize a one hour late check out and that they could also have belongings packed up and available a the front desk. There was no offer to help find a room or even suggestions about other hotels that might have space. Instead, the attitude was clearly “none of this is our problem. Just be out of the room by 1 pm”.
I will never stay at this incredibly inconsiderate hotel again. It was unconscionable that they would treat guests dealing with a dire medical emergency in this manner.
My wife wrote a letter to the hotel management about what happened. She even called the Resort to make certain the letter was going to the right person. Not surprisingly, they never responded.
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Date of stay: September 2021
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Balboa Bay Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at Balboa Bay Resort
Responded Oct 22, 2021
Hello Bill, Thank you for reaching out. We are relieved to hear that you are recovering well from your surgery. We are aware of the situation you have described and we are still making multiple attempts to get ahold of you via email and telephone, and have continued to be unsuccessful. We are anxious to speak with you. Please contact our Director of Front Office, Oliver, at frontdesk@balboabayresort.com so we can communicate with you directly. Thank you and we look forward to speaking with you about this unfortunate incident. Sincerely, Balboa Bay Resort Management
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There are more places to choose from in the Newport Beach area.
PRICE RANGE
₱20,863 - ₱31,058 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
the balboa bay club hotel newport beach, the balboa bay club and resort, the balboa bay hotel, the balboa bay resort, balboa bay club
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaOrange CountyNewport Beach
NUMBER OF ROOMS
159
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including any mandatory fees. Taxes not included. Please see our partners for more details.
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