Travel Costa Mesa Blog
5 Ways to Show Your Love in Costa Mesa
Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day or just a long weekend, show your love with these events over Presidents Day weekend. Make it a special getaway with one of our Valentine hotel deals.
Valentine’s with Chris Botti
The Grammy Award winning trumpeter Chris Botti is performing February 14 and 15 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. His combination of jazz, classical, pop and rock has earned him acclaim throughout the world. He’s performed with everyone from Frank Sinatra, Steven Tyler and Yo-Yo Ma. Spend Valentine’s with Chris Botti to see his unforgettable new show.
She Loves Me
Fans of You’ve Got Mail and The Shop Around the Corner will fall for She Loves Me, at South Coast Repertory until February 22. Georg and Amalia can’t seem to get along working at Maraczek’s Parfumerie. After hours, though, they are both falling in love with each other as secret pen pals. She Loves Me is a charming musical comedy that’s perfect for both Valentine’s Day or Galentine’s Day.
Spa Nordstrom
Pamper your Valentine, and yourself, with a visit to Spa Nordstrom at South Coast Plaza. Named one of the top 5 day spas in Orange County, Spa Nordstrom offers facials, massages, body treatments and more. Get a couples massage and relaxing facials. Staying for more of a girls weekend? Try Two Hours in Heaven that includes a full body massage, wrap and facial, scalp and foot pressure-point massage. You can also look at their full menu of services to find the perfect option for you.
The LAB
Take a trip to The LAB (Little American Business) for a unique shopping and dining experience, not to mention plenty of selfie spots. Prism Boutique offers a variety of clothing, accessories and home goods or find some jewelry at May Martin. Grab dinner at Habana or drinks at the eclectic Ruin Bar. Be sure to snap a photo while you’re there and share it with us on social media.
Vaca
Chef Amar Santana has a special menu planned for Valentine’s Day at Vaca. Start with the ostiones, cornmeal crusted fried oysters with wagyu steak tartare and tonnato sauce. Then, try the salchicha de mariscos, a seafood sausage with a shellfish pork butter sauce. Finish your meal with the budino de chocolate, a white chocolate budino with maraschino cherries and toasted pistachios. The cocktails from Vaca Group’s beverage director, Michael Rooney, are a must too.
However you decide to spend your Valentine’s Day, make it a fun weekend getaway with our hotel deals and visitor guide.
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Posted in Food, Hotels, Music & Art, Play, Shopping
Holidays Made Easy: Shop and Stay in Costa Mesa
Finding the perfect gifts during the holidays can be stressful. What if shopping for gifts were just as fun as watching loved ones open them? Forget online shopping. Costa Mesa has everything from luxury shopping to one-of-a-kind boutiques. So grab your best shopping partner and head to Costa Mesa for a relaxing getaway with our holiday hotel deals!
Where to Stay
We love to shop in Costa Mesa and our hotels know it. Stay at Hilton Costa Mesa and enjoy their South Coast Shopping Package, which includes the South Coast Plaza VIP Passport and complimentary valet parking. Plan to do some serious shopping? The Westin South Coast Plaza offers a Shopper’s Delight package, complete with $100 gift certificate to South Coast Plaza. There’s even a bridge that connects to the shopping center. If you’re making a weekend of it, we’ve partnered with Residence Inn by Marriott to include a $100 South Coast Plaza gift certificate in their Shop and Stay in Costa Mesa package.
Where to Shop
South Coast Plaza is the largest shopping center on the West Coast with over 250 retailers and 30 restaurants. They have designer boutiques, large department stores and both Apple and Microsoft stores. If you have a variety of people to get gifts for, or want to do all of your shopping in one place, then this is your destination. They’re open 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Black Friday too. Plus, you can relax at the full-service Spa Nordstrom after you’ve finished shopping.
If Small Business Saturday is more your thing, we have shopping for you too. Go to Savory Spice Shop, The Cheese Shop, The Mixing Glass or We Olive & Wine Bar in SOCO & The OC Mix for the cook or cocktail enthusiast in your life. You can also check out their artisan boutiques and grab a bite or some coffee while you’re there.
Just a short drive away is The LAB, which is celebrating its 25th year of “anti-mallism.” The LAB (Little American Business) is just the place to find the perfect original and unconventional gift. Walk in to Prism Boutique for homeware, clothing and accessories or over to May Martin for handmade jewelry.
Across the street from The LAB is The CAMP, an eco-friendly retail center dedicated to healthy living and local community. Stop in SEED Peoples Market for home goods, outdoor gear, footwear and accessories. Purre Boutique and Baskets of Gold carry apparel and accessories, along with vegan and organic products. For a unique gift option, try Organic Designs by Aggelige for succulent arrangements, air plants, terrariums or cacti.
You can find something for everyone on your list—including yourself—in Costa Mesa. Want more suggestions on how to spend your Costa Mesa getaway (including a peek inside the South Coast Plaza VIP Lounge)? Check out these recommendations from Obsessed by Portia, Marcie in Mommyland and Maple Leopard.
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May the Fun Be with You: OC’s Most Convenient Way to Experience Disneyland
One of the most anticipated additions to the Disneyland® Resort in its history, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, is now officially open! If you weren’t one of the lucky few to snag the required reservations to visit through the end of June, the waiting period offers plenty of time to start planning your own trip to a galaxy far, far away.
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Things to Do in Costa Mesa as a Wedding Guest
May marks the unofficial start of wedding season and while Orange County is known for its vacation spots, it’s equally chock-full of incredible destination wedding venues. If you’re visiting the area as a wedding guest this summer, why not take the opportunity to create your own Orange County vacation?
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13 Memorable Things to Do in Orange County
Planning a trip to Orange County? We don’t blame you! With access to some of the best dining, shopping, activities and beaches (not to mention that sunshine), it’s the place to be! And at the center of it all is OC’s not-so-hidden-gem Costa Mesa, the epicenter of the arts, dining and shopping scenes.
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