Laguna Beach holds a special place in my heart! It’s the city where we were married and when we find the time, we love to plan a little staycation there. There are tons of great hotels, but I am totally obsessed with one of the newer spots called Hotel Joaquin.
Since we live about 20 minutes from Laguna, if we’re planning a weekend getaway, it has to feel extra special or else it doesn’t make sense to spend the money. Hotel Joaquin is boutique hotel perfection. And you need to start planning your trip there. 
Where is Hotel Joaquin?
Hotel Joaquin is in Laguna Beach, California. Yes, the same Laguna Beach made famous by that reality show about high school kids. But I think just about all of the cast has moved away and what you are left with is a relaxed beach town, full of quirky locals and an artist colony vibe.
Hotel Joaquin is not downtown where all the hustle and bustle is. While it’s still on PCH, it is a few miles north, tucked into a more residential area (and very near one of my favorite local landmarks, Husky Boy Restaurant – how great is that name?!). This location makes it quiet and chill.
It’s the perfect location for a relaxing weekend getaway with your significant other or quiet girlfriends. Please don’t bring your bachelorette party here.
Is Hotel Joaquin Family Friendly?
Hell no. Don’t even try to bring your crying baby. This is an adults only hotel which is part of the draw. And I promise you will love every single kid-free second.
How Much Does it Cost to Stay at Hotel Joaquin?
Rates vary depending on the time of year and if it’s a weekend or weekday. Currently, rooms look to be about $371 and up. While this may be more than you usually spend on a hotel, it’s pretty much in line for other hotels in the area. AND in my opinion, you’ll feel like it’s totally worth it from the service you get, the amenities and overall mental well being.
What Makes Hotel Joaquin So Special?
I thought about how I wanted to write this post without giving away all the details. Because the details are truly what set Hotel Joaquin apart from other hotels, not only in Laguna Beach, but pretty much everywhere else.
Hospitality, even in the travel industry, is becoming harder to find. We had an incident last year, at another Laguna Beach hotel, that left me struggling to not publicly shame them. Like, basic customer service – let alone going above and beyond for their customer, was non-existent.
But the entire staff at Hotel Joaquin just gets it. Not only do they have excellent customer service on a very basic level, but they truly take the time to go out of their way to make your stay as special as possible.
There are little details that you notice throughout your trip that truly make for a memorable visit. I was a little worried that this Laguna Beach hotel would feel too cool for school but it didn’t.
Yes, it has the most beautiful aesthetic, the staff is gorgeous and the location is almost too good to be true. But they are nice people who want you to enjoy your stay. Cool.
If you are familiar with Korakia in Palm Springs, it is run by the same hotel group. They excel at offering unique experiences that you can’t find anywhere else.
How Big is Hotel Joaquin?
It is not big. There are about 20 rooms on the small U-shaped property. The “front desk” is a tiny little desk right inside the front door and then there is a small living area sized room attached to a bar. This is one of the few communal spaces of the hotel and it’s awesome.
The decor is exceptional.
You feel like you are in someone’s home, with great ocean views. There is music playing and a bartender to make you a welcome cocktail. The bar menu is full of inventive drink recipes and has a hand full of spritzes (including an Aperol Spritz) to choose from. And you KNOW I love a wine spritzer.
Right off this living room is a highly curated shop of cool books, candles, crystals etc. I wanted one of each item so I could try to take a little of that gorgeous aesthetic home with me. 
The rooms are bright and airy. They are pretty minimal but feel totally cozy at the same time. Each room comes with a record player and a small collection of records to play.
Guests are encouraged to swap and even browse the collection in the living room. And now I know what I will get my husband for Father’s Day because he enjoyed playing vinyl that much.
There are a few things the rooms don’t have, though. There are no TVs and no telephones. WHAT?! As an avid TV watcher and lover, this was hard for me to wrap my head around. But it kind of felt good to not have that to run back to at the end of the night.
But I will be really honest, I downloaded all of Hanna from Amazon Prime just in case and we did watch some of it. Sorry, not sorry.
The rooms don’t need telephones because you are given a number to text in case you need anything at all. It’s kind of a novel way to handle things. It keeps things simple and let’s you even chat with the hotel staff when you aren’t there.
Morning coffee is included in your stay and all I had to do was just text the number when I was ready for it and it was brought up to my room a few minutes later. That’s customer service, people.
The bathrooms are stunning. And this photo doesn’t even do it justice. Also, be glad I don’t have a full-length mirror like this at home because these are the only types of photos you would ever see of me.
My favorite Le Labo products are in each room to use during the stay which makes you feel instantly cooler because Le Labo is the coolest. 
This tequila tasting was an amenity in our room and so brilliantly sums up the experience at Hotel Joaquin. From the way they displayed everything to the HAND GROUND ARTISINAL FLAVORED SALTS it’s just next level.
And you can see to the left of the tray is our hotel room key. An actual key. No swiping some electronic bull shit. A real honest key.
We had the chance to chat with one of the hotel executives in the bar and he spoke of how much time they were spending on finding just the right key fob (not pictured, they are still on the hunt) and how they are trying all kinds of materials and prefer to work with local artisans. For a key ring!
It’s all in the details! And you feel that passion and attention.
This was the view from our hotel. Gross, right? You can see a small grassy area below that has a few chairs to relax in and below that is the pool. And that is pretty much all of the hotel. It’s intimate and quiet and you won’t want to leave.
But even though the property is small, they still have space on the second floor for daily yoga classes. If you’re into that kind of thing.
We spent some time at the pool and it was so serene. 
A small lunch menu was available, and of course, their wonderful drinks could be ordered.
The pool area did fill up so if you want to make sure you get a spot I would make sure to go down as early as possible.
Some noisy young gals came down to hang out by the pool and they kind of ruined the vibe. Millennials sometimes have trouble with voice modulating… but it was fine since we had an early bird dinner to get to (on account of because we’re old).
While the hotel doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard, some of the guests did which was a bummer.
Where to Eat at Hotel Joaquin
Hotel Joaquin has a restaurant, on the property, called Saline and it’s only available to guests staying there. There are tables located on the small patio right off the dining room/bar area. It’s cozy but was never full while we were there and it seemed like most of the rooms were booked.
We ate dinner there on our first night and it was crazy delicious. The chef uses seasonal and local items as much as possible to create a menu that is unique but crave-worthy. I’m so glad we got to eat there and it is one of the reasons I want to book another weekend getaway to Laguna Beach! 
Breakfast at Saline is sometimes included with your stay which is awesome (double check when you’re booking)! It’s a fairly small selection (including a daily smoothie) but has sweet and savory options which my stomach always wants at breakfast.
I do have to say that my eyes rolled just a little bit at the Colorphyll Water on the menu. But I get it. The hotel likes to keep things sustainable and healthy. And I fell in love with their Rawnola with blue majik almond milk. So maybe, in time, I could be persuaded to drink green water too.
If you’re looking for a quiet weekend getaway, Hotel Joaquin is the place for you. While I shared a LOT of information with you in this post, I didn’t share the fun little surprises that happened throughout the stay. And I know they change these things up all the time so what they did for us, may not happen for another set of guests.
You just need to come and stay here for yourself.
I can’t wait to book another trip there. Until then I’ll just rave about it to anyone who will listen.
More Southern California getaways to check out:
Pin This Laguna Beach Hotel Info for Later
If you’re looking for a peaceful beach location for a quiet weekend getaway, you’ve got to check out Hotel Joaquin in Laguna Beach! Of all the hotels I’ve stayed in, this boutique hotel is my favorite!
Gina says
May 21, 2019 at 1:07 pmThanks for the post on this spot! I’ve google “wellness retreats in Southern Cal” and this one keep popping up. :)