On Monday, November 2, The Resort at Pelican Hill begins what it calls its "Next Chapter," a staged renovation ahead of its debut as the world's first St. Regis Estate in fall 2027. The resort stays open. The rooms that locals book for a birthday dinner, a drink at sunset or lunch with visiting family close together, and most of them stay closed into late spring.
Andrea went first, with work starting in September 2026. Pelican Grill, the Coliseum Restaurant and the Main Estate lobby follow in November. For the next several months, Newport Coast's special-occasion dinners move down the hill to the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Newport Coast Drive. The resort's own shuttle schedule shows the same shift.
What Closes on the Hill, and the Order It Comes Back
The resort's Next Chapter page publishes a reopening schedule for each space. It notes that dates are guidelines and will be updated as work goes on. The resort's own FAQ already moves a few targets slightly, so treat each month below as approximate.
| Space | What's changing | Target return |
|---|---|---|
| Bella Vista Pool | Resurfaced pool, new furnishings | January 2027 |
| Main Estate Fitness Center | Refresh | January 2027 |
| Coliseum Pool | Refreshed cabanas, new retail kiosk | March 2027 |
| Pelican Grill and Bar | Interior refresh, new menu alongside longtime favorites | May 2027 |
| Main Lobby and Great Room | New arrival experience; regular Afternoon Tea after reopening | May 2027 |
| Allegra space | Becomes a European-style caffè and market | May 2027 |
| Coliseum Restaurant | Redesigned terrace, new stone flooring, private dining room | June 2027 |
| Signature Lounge and The Library | Built in the former Caffè, Market and Concierge Gallery | June 2027 |
| Main Estate Spa | Updated lounges, salon and boutique | June 2027 |
| Andrea | Full rebuild of restaurant, bar, patio and kitchen | October 2027, new name and concept |
The FAQ puts the Coliseum Pool back in late February 2027 with limited food service from noon to 5 p.m. It puts Bella Vista back in late December. The Andrea answer is the most definite of the bunch. The restaurant reopens in mid-October 2027 "with a new name and a brand-new concept." Whatever Andrea has meant to Newport Coast for anniversaries and holiday dinners, it won't come back in that form. Pelican's site says the new restaurant is being developed "in partnership with a celebrated chef," and it hasn't named the chef yet.
Read the table from top to bottom and May 2027 is when the Main Estate starts filling in again. Pelican Grill, the lobby and the new caffè are all scheduled for that month. After them, the Great Room adds something the resort is promising for the first time: regular Afternoon Tea service.
The One Door Still Open to Locals
During the work, the resort is organizing guest life around the Villa Clubhouse. It offers breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch and dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. daily, plus a pool with ten private cabanas. The resort lists the Clubhouse and Villa Pool for Villa and Bungalow guests, and only resort guests can reserve dinner there.
Neighbors without a room key have one way in. The Spa at the North Villas takes local bookings for massages, facials and salon services from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The resort says locals who book a spa service "may access the Villa Clubhouse including dining and the Villa Pool, based on availability." Spa visitors valet at the Villa Clubhouse and take a shuttle to the spa, and local spa parking is complimentary. So a weekend treatment followed by brunch at the Clubhouse is about the closest thing to a Pelican Hill lunch this winter, as long as there's room.
Golf is the other part of the property that keeps running. The Ocean South course offers 18 newly restored holes. The Ocean North course has been running 9-hole loops and is scheduled to fully reopen in early November 2026, the same week the Main Estate work begins. Caffè 2 serves coffee, breakfast and lunch before or after a round, and it has an outdoor grill with its own menu.
Where the Resort Itself Sends People
Pelican Hill's complimentary daily shuttle runs to Crystal Cove Shopping Center and Fashion Island from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the resort describes it as offering guests "an expanded array of shopping and dining choices." With the hilltop dining rooms closed, resort guests and residents end up at the same tables on Pacific Coast Highway.
Crystal Cove Shopping Center's directory has more than enough places to sit down for dinner:
- Mastro's Ocean Club, 8112 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Marché Moderne, 7862 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Bluefin, 7952 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Modo Mio Rustic Italian Kitchen, 7946 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Javier's, 7832 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- A Crystal Cove, 7864 East Pacific Coast Hwy
For the daytime meals Pelican's Caffè and Allegra used to cover, the center also has Blk Dot Coffee at 7958, Parakeet Café at 7972, Bear Flag Fish Company at 7962 and zpizza at 7956. The Butchery at 8058 has a deli counter, which makes it the easy stop for a picnic before a walk at the cove.
One storefront is still empty. The center lists Bacio di Latte as "Coming Soon" at 7922 East Pacific Coast Hwy, with no opening date announced.
Up Newport Coast Drive, the Everyday Table
Crystal Cove Shopping Center picks up the dress-up dinners. Newport Coast Shopping Center covers the weeknight ones. Its directory lists Zov's Bistro at 21123 Newport Coast Dr., Newport Fusion Sushi at 21135, Mustard Cafe at 21137, Golden Spoon at 21109 and Starbucks at 21155.
The newest name in the center isn't a restaurant. Engine-Ear Toy Shop is now listed as open at 21171 Newport Coast Drive. That makes it a useful stop for grandparents and visiting families during a season of gift shopping.
Down at the Cove, a Calendar With a Caveat
The rest of Newport Coast's winter happens at Crystal Cove State Park, where the Crystal Cove Conservancy's calendar runs through December. Before planning a beach day, check the park's status. In an October 15 update, California State Parks said large surf and high tides from Tropical Storm Rachel had left parts of the Historic District beach closed. The Pelican Point P2 beach access trail and the beach at Moro Cove remained closed until further notice. The North Beach cottages reopened October 14, and the South Beach cottages were expected to follow once water line repairs were finished. On the drive, KTLA reported on October 13 that one southbound lane of Pacific Coast Highway was closed between El Morro Canyon and Irvine Cove, near the park's lifeguard headquarters. Caltrans manages that stretch. The state's Crystal Cove park page currently describes the park as "Open with restrictions in services and/or facilities," so check it on the morning of a visit.
Separately, the Conservancy's Phase III cottage restoration continues on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Conservancy says access to park facilities won't change during that work. It reports 41 of 45 cottages restored, and Cottage #20 is planned as a student hostel.
Here are the dates on the calendar between now and the holidays:
- Sunday, November 1: Beach cleanup listed on the State Parks event feed.
- November 14–15: Discovery Series: Backpacking 101 with the Conservancy.
- Saturday, November 21: Stewardship Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon, plus a coastal ecology hike, a Historic District walking tour and another beach cleanup.
- Saturday, December 5: The Conservancy's 30th Annual Tree Lighting and Holiday Market, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Historic District, with a market, photos with Santa and a tree-lighting program.
- Saturday, December 12: Family Holiday Plein Air from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Family Holiday Art Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., along with hikes and a Historic District tour.
- December 16–20: Newport Beach's 118th Christmas Boat Parade, with nightly starts around 6:30 p.m., fireworks on opening night and drone shows every night.
The Tree Lighting is the big date. It's the Conservancy's 30th, and this year Pelican Hill's Main Estate will be closed while it happens. That makes it the main holiday gathering in Newport Coast this season, and the shopping center's tables are a few minutes away for dinner afterward.
If you own near Pelican Hill or Crystal Cove and want to talk about what an 18-month resort renovation and a new St. Regis name could mean for your property in the years ahead, Stratton Estates is glad to go through it with you. Let's elevate your next move. Contact Janine for a private consultation.
