Step through Casa Loma's unassuming street-side entrance and you'll understand immediately why this isn't just another coastal renovation story. The $15 million transformation of what locals still fondly remember as the Inn at Laguna Beach has produced something unexpected: a 70-room love letter to the town's artistic soul. This isn't your grandmother's chintzy beach hotel, nor is it trying to be the slickest new property on the coast. Instead, Casa Loma strikes that rare balance, honors everything that made Laguna Beach magnetic to artists, surfers, and beautiful oddballs for the past century while speaking fluently to modern luxury travelers who can spot the difference between genuine character and manufactured charm—because in a town that gave us both the Pageant of the Masters and reality TV drama, only one of those legacies is worth preserving in plaster and bronze.
Hotel Snapshot
Marc & Rose Hospitality tapped Venice Beach-based Electric Bowery and branding powerhouse LAND to create something that feels both inevitable and surprising: a hotel that celebrates the Pacific without genuflecting to it. Casa Loma channels Laguna's genuine creative heritage from the days when painters lived in ramshackle beach cottages and the town's gallery-to-resident ratio approached the absurd. The result is a carefully edited collection of California's greatest hits: Mediterranean warmth meets surf culture cool, with just enough bohemian spirit to keep things breezy.
Design & Character
Electric Bowery's design team embedded the ocean's rhythms directly into the architecture. Curved archways flow like water through the property, while built-ins undulate with an organic grace that never feels forced or overly literal. The clay-wrapped reception desk serves as a grounding element, its earthy solidity playing beautifully against walls finished in hand-troweled plaster that reference both Mediterranean villages and the sandstone cliffs just outside. But it's LAND's commanding lobby mural that sets the emotional tone for the entire property: a sun deity rendered in warm earth tones that manages to feel both ancient and utterly contemporary. Throughout the property, you'll spot custom signage by Joe Swec, whose hand-painted work adds layers of authenticity that no mass-produced wayfinding could achieve. Even the soundtrack gets the boutique treatment: a custom radio station curated by Uncanned Music pumps through a vintage sound system.
The Rooms
Numbers matter here: 38 of the 70 rooms feature private balconies with Pacific views that genuinely earn their premium pricing. These aren't peek-a-boo glimpses of blue between buildings—we're talking full-frontal ocean panoramas that make setting an alarm for sunrise seem like a reasonable life choice. Custom furniture takes subtle cues from vintage surfboards—gentle curves and streamlined silhouettes rather than literal interpretation—complemented by a color palette that pulls from the landscape outside with muted ticking stripes that echo beach grass, sandy neutrals, and carefully chosen textiles also from Swec and Guatemala's Luna Zorro.
The Food & Drink Situation
Cecilia's, the property's all-day dining concept, keeps things refreshingly straightforward in an era of overwrought hotel restaurants. The menu spotlights Mediterranean fare with a California accent, like tapas-style grazing plates designed for sharing, fresh produce that tastes like it was picked this morning (because it probably was), and a wine list that overwhelmingly favors local character. The poolside service operates on island time in the best way—servers appear just when you're starting to think about that next Aperol spritz or wondering if it's too early for rosé (it never is). Morning brings proper espresso that would make a Roman weep with joy, while afternoons transition seamlessly into that golden hour when a Madre mezcal cocktail feels like a sacrament.
Amenities
The infinity pool creates its own microclimate of relaxation, seemingly spilling into the Pacific below. But beyond the obvious photo opportunities, it functions as the property's social hub, with a careful arrangement of loungers and daybeds that encourages both solitude and conversation, depending on your mood. The rooftop Pacific Terrace offers another perspective entirely as a more intimate space for sunset watching with custom woven lounge chairs and raw-edge stools that feel organic to the space rather than purchased from a catalog. Main Beach access comes with those sculptural MAX ID Sloth chairs that manage to be both comfortable and conversation pieces. The hotel provides everything you need for a proper beach day: oversized towels that actually dry you off, sturdy umbrellas that won't blow away at the first ocean breeze, and beach attendants who materialize with cold water just when the sun starts to feel oppressive.
Location & Neighborhood Recs
Casa Loma puts you at the epicenter of Laguna Beach's dual personality: serious art destination meets laid-back surf town. You're literally steps from Main Beach, but also walking distance to the kind of galleries where seven-figure sales happen over glasses of good wine. Grab morning coffee at Zinc Café (the ricotta lemon pancakes are worth the wait) or hit Urth Caffé for people-watching that rivals the art. The First Thursdays Art Walk turns the entire town into an open gallery, with over 40 venues staying open late, meanwhile, the Laguna Art Museum provides essential context for understanding how this former isolated artist colony evolved into one of California's cultural capitals.
For sunset cocktails, The Rooftop Lounge above Laguna Beach House offers 180-degree ocean views without the Montage prices, while The Cliff restaurant delivers old-school Laguna vibes with its palapa-covered perch. For dinner, skip the tourist traps and head to Starfish for Asian-Latin fusion or Broadway by Amar Santana for a proper splurge. Nick's Laguna Beach keeps it real with no-nonsense breakfast fare, while Driftwood Kitchen balances special-occasion dining with ocean views. Beach-hop beyond Main: Victoria Beach hides a 60-foot pirate tower that's pure Laguna eccentricity, while Thousand Steps Beach (actually 230 steps) rewards the climb with tidepools and relative solitude. Crystal Cove State Park sits 15 minutes north, should you desire 3.2 miles of pristine coastline and hiking trails through coastal sage scrub.
Final Thoughts
Casa Loma arrives at exactly the right moment in Laguna Beach's evolution. For years, this town has walked a tightrope between preserving its renegade artist colony soul and accommodating the Tesla-driving weekend crowds who've discovered what the bohemians always knew. Too many hotels here have chosen sides—either going full luxury and losing the plot, or clinging to "quirky beach motel" aesthetics. What Casa Loma gets right is understanding that modern Laguna isn't about choosing between the hedge fund manager browsing galleries and the local ceramicist who's been here since the '70s. It's about creating space where both feel at home—if your childhood bedroom overlooked the Pacific.
Fast Facts
Location: 211 N Coast Highway, prime Main Beach real estate with PCH at your doorstep
Vibe: Bohemian heritage meets modern comfort; California cool without trying too hard
Rating: Four stars officially, five stars for understanding the assignment
Room Count: 70 thoughtfully designed spaces, intimate enough to feel special
Pricing: From $499 per night (expect to pay more for those ocean-view balconies)
Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: That vintage stereo system spinning vinyl in the lobby—it transforms the space from hotel to hangout
Dining: Cecilia's for Mediterranean-inspired all-day grazing; poolside provisions; nightly Rye Goods cookie delivery that might ruin you for all other cookies
Amenities: Infinity pool with Pacific views; private Main Beach access with those conversation-starting chairs; vinyl library; rooftop Pacific Terrace for sunset worship
Nearby Attractions: Gallery district (40+ venues); Crystal Cove State Park; Pageant of the Masters (July-August); Sawdust Art Festival; First Thursdays Art Walk; Laguna Art Museum
Airport: 45 minutes from John Wayne Airport (SNA); 60-75 minutes from LAX depending on traffic's mood
Insider Tip: Book during the shoulder seasons (late September-October or April-May) for perfect weather without the festival crowds
