"Select spaces, amenities and services will be unavailable." That line now sits at the top of every page on The Resort at Pelican Hill's website. It refers to the "Next Chapter" enhancements, which start on November 2, 2026, eleven days after this post goes up. On paper the resort stays open. For a Newport Coast resident who thinks of Pelican Hill as the place for sunset drinks or a dinner with visiting family, the next six months look very different. Every restaurant a non-guest could walk into will be closed. Unless you have a tee time, the resort's schedule gives locals one way to a table, and it goes through the spa.
The work is in preparation for Pelican Hill's debut as the world's first St. Regis Estate, which the resort targets for fall 2027. Marriott introduced the St. Regis Estates collection in a December 3, 2025 release and named Pelican Hill as the first of them. The Newport Beach Independent has reported that Irvine Company remains the long-term owner and that Marriott has managed the resort since July 1, 2024.
The Closures Hit the Public-Facing Spaces
The renovation goes after the spaces a local was most likely to walk into: the main lobby, the two signature restaurants and the Coliseum. Here is the resort's own schedule. It labels every date a guideline and says it will update the timeline regularly.
Space | Status | Resort's stated return |
|---|---|---|
Andrea | Under construction since September 2026 | Reopens October 2027 with a new name and concept |
Pelican Grill, bar and private dining room | Closes for interior refresh | May 2027 |
Main Lobby and Great Room | Closes | May 2027 |
Coliseum Pool | Closes | Late February or March 2027 |
Coliseum Restaurant | Closes | Early summer or June 2027 |
Main Estate Spa | Closes | June or July 2027 |
Bella Vista Pool | Closes for resurfacing | Late December 2026 or January 2027 |
Several rows show two dates because the resort's overview, timeline and FAQ don't always agree with one another. Andrea's closure has already started. The kitchen, bar, patio and dining room are all being rebuilt for a new signature restaurant "created in partnership with a celebrated chef." The resort has not yet named that chef.
The Coliseum is getting refreshed cabanas, a redesigned terrace, new stone flooring and a new private dining room. When Pelican Grill reopens, the resort says the menu will be new but will keep many longtime favorites.
The Spa at the North Villas Is the Local's Entrance
During the closures, the resort shrinks to what its Next Chapter page calls "a more intimate, boutique resort experience centered around the Villa Clubhouse." The Villa Clubhouse serves breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch and dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. daily, and the Villa Pool has ten private cabanas. However, the resort lists the Clubhouse and pool as available to Villa and Bungalow guests.
The exception is the Spa at the North Villas, which the resort calls "a new, intimate wellness retreat" and describes as "available to locals and resort guests." It offers massage, facials and salon services from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The resort also says: "Locals who reserve a spa service may access the Villa Clubhouse including dining and the Villa Pool, based on availability." So from November into spring, a spa booking is the only published way for a non-guest to get a table at the Villa Clubhouse, which is the resort's main dining room for the season.
Getting there works differently too. Locals visiting the spa valet at the Villa Clubhouse and ride a shuttle to the spa, and the resort lists local spa parking as complimentary. The Main Estate fitness center comes back in January 2027, about five months before the main spa does.
The Golf Course Reopens as the Restaurants Close
The golf course is on the opposite schedule. In the same weeks the restaurants close, Pelican Hill Golf Club finishes a restoration that has kept part of its 36 holes offline for most of 2026. FORE Magazine reported in April that architect Brian Curley was leading the work on both Ocean South and Ocean North, with a goal of finishing all 36 holes before Thanksgiving 2026. According to the resort's own press release, Ocean South reopened May 18, 2026. The current FAQ moves Ocean North's full reopening up to early November 2026. Until then, 9-hole loops can be booked online.
This winter, then, Pelican Hill offers locals two full 18-hole Curley-restored courses and a spa with lunch access. It offers no walk-in dinner. The resort describes Caffè 2 as the place for coffee and light breakfast or lunch around a tee time, with an outdoor grill.
The Resort's Own Shuttle Heads to Crystal Cove
The resort runs a complimentary shuttle for its guests to Crystal Cove Shopping Center and Fashion Island, daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and pitches it as "an expanded array of shopping and dining choices." With Pelican Grill and the Coliseum closed, resort guests looking for dinner have the same nearby options a Newport Coast resident does.
Here are the dinner and coffee names at Crystal Cove Shopping Center, with addresses where Irvine Company Retail lists them:
- Mastro's Ocean Club, 8112 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Javier's, 7832 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- A Crystal Cove, 7864 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Bear Flag Fish Company, Bluefin, The Butchery and Blk Dot Coffee, all listed in the center directory
- Bacio di Latte, 7922 East Pacific Coast Hwy, listed as "Coming Soon" with no opening date posted
Up Newport Coast Drive, the directory for Newport Coast Shopping Center lists Mustard Cafe, Newport Fusion Sushi and Golden Spoon. The same directory marks Engine-Ear Toy Shop as "Now Open."
At the Beachcomber, Walk-Ins Get Most of the Seats
For sunset with your feet near the sand, the closest stand-in for the Coliseum terrace is The Beachcomber at 15 Crystal Cove, in the state park's Historic District. According to the Beachcomber's FAQ, 70% of the restaurant's seating is held for walk-ins. Reservations are taken only through its website, only for parties of six or fewer, and never by phone. Because most tables are first come, first served, arriving early often matters more than booking ahead.
The FAQ lists these hours and details:
- Dinner runs 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Bootlegger Bar opens at 11 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends, and closes at 9:30 p.m.
- It is closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, closes at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and is open New Year's Day.
- Parking is at the state park's Los Trancos lot on the north side of PCH. A tunnel under the highway leads to the restaurant in about ten minutes on foot, or the Beachcomber Shuttle costs $2 per person each way.
- Corkage is $25 per unopened bottle.
The FAQ also mentions a Shake Shack at the top of the bluff serving sandwiches and shakes.
Fall Mornings in Buck Gully and the Cove
With the resort's pools and lobby closed, your nearest outdoor outings are guided hikes in Buck Gully Reserve and events in Crystal Cove State Park. Several need advance registration, and one registration window opens the morning this post goes up.
- October 24: Crystal Cove Conservancy runs a coastal ecology hike at 10:30 a.m. and a Historic District walking tour at 1 p.m.
- October 28, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: Opening of the Crystal Cove and the California Dream exhibit, which draws on UCI Libraries' Crystal Cove archive.
- October 29, 4 to 6 p.m.: The beginner workshop for the Conservancy's Backpacking 101 series. It leads up to a guided backcountry overnight on November 14 and 15 that is capped at 15 people.
- November 4, 8 to 11:30 a.m.: The Buck Gully Loop Hike starts at 5th and Marguerite and follows the canyon and Bobcat Trail. Registration opens October 20 at 8 a.m.
- November 6, 8 to 11 a.m.: Fitness Hike with Yoga at Newport Coast, staging at Newport Coast Community Center. Registration opens October 22 at 8 a.m.
- November 15, 8 to 10 a.m.: The four-mile Bridges of Buck Gully Hike. Registration opens October 31.
- November 21 and 22: Stewardship Saturday runs at Crystal Cove from 8:30 a.m. to noon on the 21st. The next morning, the Conservancy leads a backcountry ecology hike in Moro Canyon.
What Reopens in May
Spring is when the resort fills back in, and May is the big month. The resort's schedule brings back Pelican Grill and the Main Lobby together then, and opens Caffè Allegra in the former Allegra retail space as a European-style café with a curated market next door. June adds the Coliseum Restaurant and two new rooms. The former Caffè and Market becomes the Signature Lounge, and the former Concierge Gallery becomes The Library, with cocktails and ocean views. When the Great Room reopens, it will offer regular afternoon tea. The new restaurant in Andrea's space comes last, in mid-October 2027, around the time the St. Regis Estate is due to debut.
The Library and the Signature Lounge reuse existing rooms, and the resort says layouts across its key venues will stay the same. The work goes into materials, light and how each room gets used. We think about the same things when a Newport Coast home is getting ready for market. If you're weighing which updates are worth making before a sale, The Summer Perry Group can walk through your home with you and start with a complimentary valuation. What's your home worth?
