Monarch Bay Dr, Dana Point

As a member of the Monarch Bay Club, a private beach club inside the gates of Monarch Bay, I have been visiting this community long before the appearance of the majestic, posh St. Regis Resort. The club was a place for me to entertain clients with an exquisite lunch or brunch while the waves lapped up on the beach just outside of our window.

Many times I’ve walked the long, pristine beach that stretches down to the Ritz Carlton. And, while I love the high energy of its Salt Creek Beach, I prefer the quiet part of the beach at the foot of Monarch Bay Club.

I always marveled at the community and as I drive down Monarch Bay Drive on the way to the club, I never cease to envy those who lived there. My visits to the club are about the only way I could afford to join in on their life on the beach. I don’t envy the traffic that one must endure to get to the community, but once you’re inside, it seems as if all the noise and congestion is a world away.

Right across the Pacific Coast Highway is the wonderful Gelson’s grocery store in which I never fail to visit while I’m down there. If I’m not eating at the club, I make the Salt Creek Grille a stop for dinner. The regulars are a bunch of the friendliest people I’ve ever met.

The nearby communities of Laguna Beach and Dana Point offer all of the night life and dining pleasures one could possibly need.