Orange County Hotels, Restaurants Earn AAA Diamonds

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Multiple Southland hotels earned the AAA's coveted Five Diamond rating, putting them on a list that includes just 119 hotels nationwide, the Automobile Club of Southern California announced Wednesday. Dozens of other hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties, meanwhile, earned Four Diamond ratings.

The local Five Diamond hotels included were The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, Montage Laguna Beach, Hotel Bel- Air, The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach and Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village.

In Orange County, local restaurants earned Four Diamond ratings including: Napa Rose at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa; Raya in Dana Point; The Cellar in Fullerton; Marche Moderne in Newport Beach; and Studio at Montage Laguna Beach.

Numerous Southland hotels earned Four Diamond ratings. To earn that rating, hotels must be "refined, stylish with upscale physical attributes, extensive amenities and a high degree of hospitality, service and attention to detail," according to the Auto Club.

Southland hotels landing on the four diamond list were:

ORANGE COUNTY
Anaheim

Costa Mesa

Dana Point

Huntington Beach

Laguna Beach

Newport Beach

Read also: Balboa Bay Resort Earns Forbes 4 Star Hotel, Top Hotel In Newport

"The AAA Five Diamond designation reflects the hotels that offer world-class luxury, amenities and indulgence and restaurants that offer leading-edge cuisine and preparation with extraordinary guest services," said Patricia Marenco, the Auto Club's approved-accommodations supervisor.

Across Southern California, 14 hotels earned the Five Diamond rating. The others making the list, unchanged from last year, were:

• Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Carlsbad
• The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla
• Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara in Montecito
• Ojai Valley Inn & Spa
• Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa in Rancho Santa Fe
• Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego.

Meanwhile, Providence restaurant in Hollywood earned the AAA Five Diamond rating for restaurants, joining The Belvedere in Beverly Hills as the only Southland eateries so honored. The only other restaurant in Southern California to earn the ranking was the Addison in San Diego.

Three Beverly Hills restaurants earned the Four Diamond Rating:

• Cut by Wolfgang Puck at the Beverly Wilshire
• The Blvd at the Beverly Wilshire
• Spago Beverly Hills

Also earning the distinction were Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas; Culina Modern Italian at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills; Patina; Nobu Malibu; 71Above Restaurant & Skylounge; and The Raymond Restaurant in Pasadena.