Newport Beach Vacation Rentals

Newport Beach has been compared to the French Riviera, or a French Impressionistic painting. The scenery of this Southern California city has left Newport Beach rentals guests breathless for years. With places like the Catalina Islands and Balboa Island nearby, guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals have a world of options available to them -- all of them stunning. Newport Beach is home to intimate sandy beaches, a jetty called "The Wedge" which surfers and boogie-boarders frequent, two piers, the Fun Zone, Balboa Pavilion, Newport-Balboa Ferry boat, harbor cruises and boat rentals. The sunny beaches and the great Southern California outdoors call new and returning Newport Beach rentals back to the fun each year.

Balboa Island is a wonderful little extension to any Newport Beach rentals guests' itinerary. Like Newport Beach, Balboa Island attracts mobs of sun-loving, adventurous visitors. But Balboa Island likes to think it also offers an atmosphere perfect for swaying in hammocks and sipping on margaritas. Balboa Island is great for boating, biking and shopping, but it's the temptation to lounge that's Balboa Island's most attractive feature. And although there's no hard evidence, Balboa Island is quite proud and boasts of being the inventor of the frozen chocolate banana. The little island is also famous for its various shacks and vendors.

Newport Beach is located 50 miles south of Los Angeles and 85 miles north of San Diego in Orange County. Guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals particularly enjoy its 22 square miles of ocean and bay. Newport Beach has a population of just over 70,000, but with guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals streaming through, the city might seem more densely populated. Newport Beach is located on the Balboa Peninsula, which creates plenty of excellent surfing spots.

Balboa Island is a part of Newport Beach. Balboa Island is comprised of three man-made islands set in the Newport Harbor. There's Balboa Island, and Little Balboa Island to its east joined by a two-lane bridge and Collins Island is to the west, joined to Balboa Island by a one-lane bridge. Guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals can reach Balboa Island by a short two-lane bridge, or by privately run ferryboats.

Newport Beach and nearby Balboa Island share a very comfortable climate common to California's coastal towns. Guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals will find the calm ocean breeze keeps Newport Beach and Balboa Park fairly cool with temperatures averaging out in the low 60s. The summer brings the warmest temperatures between 64 and 73 degrees. Humidity is at a comfortable 80% year round, keeping the 60-degree temperatures feeling closer to low 70s. Guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals should pack their umbrellas for the winter months, but shouldn't expect to use it too often. Rain falls in the winter an average of four or five days a month. Throughout the year guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals can expect sunshine 70% of the time. Packing sunscreen and layers of clothing is a good idea. Guests of Balboa Island and Newport Beach rentals can expect cool evenings all year long.

Whether staying on Balboa Island, or in the city of Newport Beach, guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals are assured a fantastic stay. For some of the most spectacular views, guests of Newport Beach will be interested in Balboa Island lodging. With large rooms made to capture sunlight and let the ocean breeze pass through, Balboa Island makes for an extraordinary vacation. For guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals looking to relax and be close to great small shops, Balboa Island is perfect. And for those guests who wish to surf the second they step out their door, they should look into Newport Beach rentals in the city of Newport Beach. There, guests will find slightly more affordable lodging, and quick access to all the great water sports, restaurants and shopping of Newport Beach. Most Newport Beach vacation rentals and Balboa Island lodging offer comfortable accommodations such as roomy kitchens, ceiling fans, heating and TVs with DVD/VCRs.

Guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals arriving in April will want to attend the Newport Beach Film Festival. The Newport Beach Film Festival showcases more than 350 films from around the world, offering an ambitious and international selection of features, shorts, documentaries and animation that will compete for both Jury and Audience awards. Visitors to Balboa Island will be treated to world and U.S. premieres, Academy Award entries, Sundance selections, a Spotlight Series, and Children's Festival, from both the independent and studio worlds. Submissions from Asia, Europe, South/Central America and Africa, classic and contemporary filmmaking will provide a unique mix of genre and culture to enrich all Newport Beach rentals guests.

The Balboa Island Parade attracts thousands of visitors each year. This parade celebrates with dozens of decorated floats, marching bands, antique cars, golf carts, tricycles, bicycles, scooters, patio chair aerobics, batons, dancers, as well as happy dogs in costumes. This is a wonderful event for families visiting Balboa Island and Newport Beach. Guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals can bring a lawn chair and line up along the sidewalk on Marine Avenue to watch the parade as it flows by.

Aside from major organized events, there's always the water water everywhere. Visitors to Balboa Island want to surf, sail, and suntan. Newport Beach rentals guests can take advantage of local charters and instructive schools such as the Newport Surf School or Marina Sailing Newport Beach. Or, if one is already a seasoned surfer or sailor, guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals can rent gear from one of the numerous, excellent water sports stores along the beach.

Blackie's By The Sea is located in Newport Beach and is just right for families of Newport Beach vacation rentals. Blackie's is a relaxed beach bar, known for its ice-cold beer, great sandwiches and pickled eggs. Blackie's is a good place to rub elbows with the locals, shoot a game of pool, and catch a favorite sporting event on TV.

Another great restaurant for families visiting Balboa Island is The Crab Cooker. Their motto is, "We Do One Thing: FISH." This is a great little restaurant on Newport Boulevard in Newport Beach. The Crab Cooker has been a Newport Beach landmark for over 50 years now. Guests of Newport Beach rentals shouldn't miss their "World's Best Clam Chowder," or their Fish and Chips -- and, of course, their crab dishes.

For an elegant dining experience, visitors to Balboa Island frequent the Aubergine. Aubergine offers guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals French-style cuisine. This renowned restaurant has alternated between the top two spots on the Zagat Survey. Balboa Island visitors should try their Iranian "000" beluga caviar with a fine bottle of champagne before moving on to a delectable main course.

Newport Beach and Balboa Island are home to a long stretch of beautiful scenery. Newport Beach rentals guests will want to take in as much as they can. The Upper Newport Bay State Ecological Reserve should make the itinerary of any Newport Beach rentals guest. This 892 acre preserve of wetlands is the largest in coastal Southern California. Activities such as kayaking, canoeing, hiking and biking are first-class in this region of Newport Beach. The bay is open to water craft as long as guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals travel five miles per hour or less. This estuary is also prefect for birdwatcher as it is home to cormorants, grebes, ducks, herons and hundreds of other species of water birds.

For couples visiting Newport Beach, they'll find a romantic experience with Gondola of Newport Beach. Guests of Newport Beach rentals and Balboa Island will be treated to a basket of cheese, salami and bread while they cruise through the canals of Newport Harbor in authentic, beautiful Venetian gondolas.

Guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals with a good drive and ability to stay out of the rough will want to visit the Pelican Golf Club. Located on PCH and Newport Coast Drive, this course opened in 1992 and has quickly become the one to play in Southern California. Guests of Balboa Island and Newport Beach rentals will be awe-struck at the landscaping, as it rivals that of the prestigious Pebble Beach. The view guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals have of the ocean from every hole is reason enough for a game of 18 holes.

There are a lot of unique opportunities for visitors to the Newport Beach and Balboa Island area. With Balboa Island just off the coast of Newport Beach offering a lot of the same great activities, it also offers a cozy place of relaxation. Visitors to Balboa Island can kick off their sandals and walk the beaches or the store-lined streets, or just relax in the cool breeze and sunlight. While visitors of Newport Beach rentals will find a more face-paced environment full of nightlife, dozens of amazing restaurants, and exciting people. There's never a dull moment in this little Southern California paradise. Guests of Newport Beach vacation rentals will have an endless list of outdoor activities at hand, as well as great parades and festivals they can attend. There's always something happening in Newport Beach. Guests of Newport Beach rentals and Balboa Island leave only on one condition: That they come back again and again.