The Resort at Pelican Hill stays open through its renovation. The parts most often used by people who live five minutes away don't. On Monday, Nov. 2, the resort starts what it calls its Next Chapter enhancements, ahead of its debut as the world's first St. Regis Estate in fall 2027. Pelican Grill, the Coliseum Pool & Grill, the Main Lobby and Great Room, and the main spa all close for months. Andrea has been under construction since September.
What's left is a resort that serves its own guests, mostly from the Villa Clubhouse. A local who isn't checking in has a short list of options, and knowing that list before Nov. 2 makes the next eight months simpler to plan.
The calendar the resort is working from
The resort calls its dates "a guideline," and its own pages don't always agree on them. Here are the published return dates, plus the alternate estimate wherever the resort's FAQ gives a different one.
Space | Listed return | Alternate estimate on the same site |
|---|---|---|
Bella Vista Pool | January 2027 | Late December 2026 |
Main Estate Fitness Center | January 2027 | Not yet announced |
Coliseum Pool | March 2027 | Late February 2027 |
Main Lobby and Great Room | May 2027 | Not yet announced |
Pelican Grill, Bar and Private Dining Room | May 2027 | Not yet announced |
Coliseum Restaurant | June 2027 | Early summer 2027 |
Main Estate Spa | July 2027 | June 2027 |
Andrea's replacement restaurant | October 2027 | Mid-October 2027 |
Pelican Grill comes back in May 2027 with an interior refresh, new menu items, and "many longtime guest favorites." The resort hasn't published a last service date for the Grill. The Nov. 2 start makes the weekend of Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 the latest it could run.
The afternoon tea has two different end dates. The Cultivated Afternoon Tea started this summer on the Great Room Terrace at $95 per person, Fridays through Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. The Daily Pilot called it "fancy but accessible." The OpenTable listing takes bookings through Nov. 1. Marriott's event page ends the run on Oct. 30. If you want one more tea, book the Friday seating rather than the Sunday one.
The kitchen moves to the Villa Clubhouse, and that's mostly for guests
From November, the resort describes itself as "a more intimate, boutique resort experience centered around the Villa Clubhouse." The Clubhouse serves breakfast, weekday lunch, weekend brunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner daily from 4 to 8 p.m., plus poolside food and drinks at the Villa Pool. Coffee and cocktails move to the Bungalow Caffè and The Lounge at The Bungalows on Via Bellagio, which the resort lists among the amenities "Available During Your Stay."
The resort labels this setup for Villa and Bungalow guests, and only resort guests can reserve Clubhouse dinners. Its Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve specials at the Villa Clubhouse are marked "Only available for resort guests." In practice, the Pelican Grill happy hour doesn't get a replacement on property until May.
A spa appointment gets locals into the Clubhouse
The Spa at the North Villas is the one place where the resort spells out a policy for locals. Its page says the spa is "Available to locals and resort guests" and offers massages, facials and salon services from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The resort also says that "Locals who reserve a spa service may access the Villa Clubhouse including dining and the Villa Pool, based on availability."
So a treatment booking is also the way a non-guest gets lunch at the Clubhouse or an afternoon at the Villa Pool this winter. The logistics are spelled out too. Local spa visitors valet at the Villa Clubhouse, take a shuttle to the spa, and park for free. The words "based on availability" matter. On a busy holiday weekend, a guest-first resort may have no room at the pool for anyone arriving on a spa reservation.
Two holiday meals stay open to locals
Two holiday meals outside the Villa Clubhouse take local reservations. The resort's dining events page says its events are "open to our guests and locals in the area." It marks Thanksgiving at Mar Vista "Available for locals and resort guests." That brunch runs on Thursday, Nov. 26. A Christmas Day caviar brunch follows on Dec. 25, and Marriott labels it "Available for locals and guests."
Mar Vista is on the renovation schedule for refreshed textiles and furnishings. The resort says events "continue uninterrupted in designated spaces away from active work." Construction is limited to weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., so a Thursday holiday brunch falls inside that window in theory. A national holiday is the kind of day work crews usually take off, but the resort hasn't said so.
Golf comes back as the rest of the resort closes
Pelican Hill Golf Club works on the opposite schedule from the hotel. The restoration ran nine holes at a time so that 27 holes stayed open to the public and resort guests, and FORE Magazine reported in April that the goal was to have all 36 back before Thanksgiving 2026. The club's tee-time page says the restored South Course reopened in July 2026. A September Daily Pilot piece dated the South Course unveiling to May, so take the July date as the full return.
From Aug. 10 through Nov. 2, the South Course and North Course holes 4 through 12 are open, and holes 1 to 3 and 13 to 18 are closed. Public play is limited to select dates. The resort's FAQ says the North Course "will fully re-open early November 2026." That would put both restored oceanfront courses back in play just as the Main Estate closes.
Caffè 2 at the golf club lists daily hours of 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Its page doesn't say whether non-golfers and non-guests can use it during the renovation, so call before planning a coffee stop around it.
Where dinner goes in the meantime
The resort already sends its guests off property. Its free daily shuttle runs between 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. to Crystal Cove Shopping Center and Fashion Island. Residents have the shorter drive down to Coast Highway, where the Irvine Company Retail directory lists these restaurants and cafés at Crystal Cove Shopping Center:
- Javier's, 7832 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Marché Moderne, 7862 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- A Crystal Cove, 7864 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Modo Mio Rustic Italian Kitchen, 7946 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Bluefin, 7952 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Blk Dot Coffee, 7958 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Bear Flag Fish Company, 7962 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Parakeet Café, 7972 East Pacific Coast Hwy
- Mastro's Ocean Club, 8112 East Pacific Coast Hwy
The same directory marks Bacio di Latte at 7922 East Pacific Coast Hwy as "Coming Soon," so it isn't open yet. Directory listings carry no date, so confirm hours directly before you go.
What comes back, and why it takes until fall 2027
Marriott took over day-to-day management of the resort and golf club on July 1, 2024, and Irvine Company kept ownership, according to Orange County Business Journal. Irvine Company told the Daily Pilot that the change followed a strategic review aimed at improving the experience for resort guests and the local community. In December 2025, OCBJ reported that Pelican Hill would be the first St. Regis Estate in a new Estates luxury portfolio. Hotel Management wrote that the concept responds to luxury travelers' demand for privacy, authenticity and destination-focused stays. General manager Shannon Gilbert told OCBJ that the St. Regis identity was expected to bring the property wider distribution and awareness.
The resort's schedule also lists new spaces for 2027:
- May 2027. The former Allegra retail space reopens as a European-style caffè with a curated market next door.
- June 2027. The former Caffè & Market becomes the Signature Lounge, and the former Concierge Gallery becomes The Library, a cocktail room with Pacific views. The reopened Great Room also brings back afternoon tea as a regular service.
- October 2027. Andrea's space reopens under a new name and concept, "created in partnership with a celebrated chef." The resort hasn't named that chef yet. Pedro Almeida, named the resort's executive chef in January 2026, oversees signature dining that includes Pelican Grill and Coliseum Pool & Grill.
Work on the resort itself continues after the St. Regis debut. The Villa Clubhouse closes for its own refresh from September 2027 to January 2028, and the North Villas are scheduled through July 2028.
Changes at a resort this size affect the hillside around it. If you own in Newport Coast or are thinking about buying here, Jade Larney can talk through what Pelican Hill's move to a St. Regis Estate could mean for your plans. Request a Consultation & Free Home Valuation.
