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by Buzzy Gordon
Surf, Sand and Sunsets
 Surf & Sand Resort & Spa
1555 South Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, California 92651
Phone: (949) 497-4477
Fax: (949) 494-2897
The casual name Surf & Sand hardly conjures up images of luxury – especially when the hotel by this name in Laguna Beach, California, looks from the outside very much like its motel neighbors along South Coast Highway in this Orange County beach community. The small lobby, tasteful as it is, does little to dispel  the first impression; indeed the walk to the rooms in the main building – a semi-outdoor lobby partially exposed to the elements – only reinforces the initial uneasiness.
All this changes the minute you enter your room. The furnishings and appointments are on a par with the AAA four-diamond rating it holds – but the glory of the property is that asset that does not belong to it: the Pacific Ocean. The view from the room is not of the beach, the surf and the water; it looks straight out onto the sea as if you were on an island. Although the view never changes, remarkably, neither does it ever grow monotonous.
The piece de resistance comes when daylight gives way to dusk: guests enjoy the most beautiful sunset imaginable without having to stir from the terrace, couch, or even the bed! To lie against the pillows while watching the sky turn the most beautiful pastel shades is certainly the best slide show one can ever experience.
Of course, as wonderful as the private showing through a bay window is – and worth experiencing once – it does not take the place of watching a natural sunset as it was meant to be viewed: outdoors, where you can swivel your head 180 degrees to catch the exact nuance of color you prefer. For that, Main Beach Park in downtown Laguna Beach is ideal, just 1.1 miles from the Surf & Sand Resort (www.surfandsandresort.com). The park comprises benches and a boardwalk on a spit of grass along the shore and allows for people-watching as well.
Just across the street from the park are the shops and restaurants of Laguna Beach (www.lagunabeach.com), which has been called the most European of southern California's beach cities. Upscale ethnic restaurants abound, as well as gift shops, boutiques and galleries for the most discerning of shoppers.
Back at the Surf & Sand, another major draw are gourmet meals served in as romantic a seaside setting as can be imagined. Once again, the name of the restaurant – Splashes – underpromises; fortunately, the chef, and the ambiance, overdeliver.
The all-purpose Splashes Restaurant, featuring American Coastal Cuisine, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, indoors or out. The most coveted outdoor seats are just a few steps above beach level, and only about 30 yards from the waves breaking on to the shore. A glass partition shelters patrons from the sea breeze while allowing the soothing sounds of the gentle surf to serenade.  A meal here offers all the benefits of a romantic picnic, sans the annoyance of gritty sand or the discomfort of a chill in the air (dispelled by gas heaters if the temperature dips), and with the added bonus of impeccable service.
As one can imagine, the "surf" dishes – fresh fish and seafood – are among the stellar entrees, including local Catalina Sea Bass and uncommon Sautéed Skate Wings. Yet the "turf" specialties – the beef, sourced carefully from Brandt Beef of Imperial County, California, and National Beef from Kansas – also truly delight, in the forms of Prime New York and Brandt Beef Tenderloin. (Unfortunately, some of the side dishes, and the bisque, suffer from overreaching complexity, leading to clashes of seasonings; but experimentation can be part of the fun, especially if your tastes run to the adventurous).
The starters especially favor "surf" dishes; one is tempted to order multiple appetizers – like Smoked River Trout and several entries from Hawaii – and skip the main course. The Saffron Risotto Tart Flambé, starring Roasted Santa Barbara Spot Prawns, is not to be missed.
 Dessert choices do not get any easier. One guide to the indecisive might be to ask for the seasonal sweets. Here, there is a perverse advantage to being in a large dinner party: the portions are generous and rich, lending themselves to a pleasant orgy of sharing tastes all around (even the crème Brûlé, unusually large in diameter, yields sufficient spoonfuls to delight more than a few, or truly indulge one or two).
Finally, as befits a four-diamond property, there is a spa, with a more gracious name this time: Aquaterra. The spa menu is not extensive; even the signature treatment is no more than a massage, albeit greatly enhanced by a selection of aromatherapy oils. But the masseuse was exceptionally skilled, resulting in the kind of complete satisfaction experienced following a delicious repast at Splashes. An especially nice touch (no pun intended) is that the therapist maintains bodily contact while escorting the client to the exit, prolonging the bond of the all-too-fleeting moment.
© February 2008 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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