Splashes at the Surf and Sand Resort
1555 Pacific Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Do you dream of being lulled to sleep by the waves rolling over the shore? Do you long for a place that washes away the troubles of your day, just by enjoying the view from your seaside table? Want to get away from it all, even if it is just for one night, or one meal? Luckily, Katie and I got to experience this, thanks to McCue Marketing Communications and The OCeanfront.
The setting could not have been more perfect as we rolled in straight from work. The traffic we battled to get to the Surf and Sand Resort was just a mere annoyance after our first glimpse of the views from the legendary Laguna Beach hotel. We were lucky enough to be invited to a Seafood BBQ poolside, but first we got to tour the rooms, let's take a look.
The rooms at the Surf and Sand have recently gone through a $3 million renovation. They now feature a California coastal theme, modern lighting, and marbled entryways. The suite we toured had a very relaxed feel to it. I usually always focus on TVs when I enter a hotel room, and here I am not even sure if they have a TV, wonder why?
Oh yeah, I probably did not notice the TV, because of these great views. I did check the Surf and Sand web site and they do have TVs in their suites, but why would you waste your time with them when you have this view staring back at you?
After the tour of the suite, it was off to the poolside BBQ. Of course the surroundings were gorgeous. There was even a couple getting married on the beach below us. I am not sure if it was the ocean air, or if I am just always hungry, but I was ready to eat. So let's checkout what was prepared for us.
Starting us off was the Roasted Corn Salad. This salad not only featured corn, but tomatoes, olives, and peppers, among other items. The result was a fresh tasting salad, which was light, and combined flavors and textures well.
Chef Armstrong, of Splashes Restaurant located at the Surf and Sand Resort, offered up two kinds of Ceviche for us to try. The green one, was a ceviche made up of local fish. This one had a real mild taste, and the green sauce, whatever it was made of, was very smooth. The more traditional ceviche was a lot more what I am used to when I think of ceviche. This one had a little more bite to it, which really brought out the seafood.
Katie was of course pleased to see Grilled Shrimp Skewers in the buffet line. The shrimp was very good, and when paired with the Grilled Pineapple Salsa, really made a winning combination.
The star of the show this night for me was BBQ Octopus. I really could have eaten the whole plate by myself. I was not shy having two servings of this. I had never had octopus served this way before, and hopefully this will not be the last time. The octopus was a little chewy, but not like you would expect. The seafood flavor definitely was present, and the sauce this was served with paired up nicely. Very well done.
We were also served Grilled Red Snapper, pictured here with more octopus of course. This mild tasting fish was nice and flaky. A little on the mild side for me, but Katie really enjoyed this.
For dessert we were given the option of three desserts, so of course I had to try all three. The S'more Tart was my favorite out of the three. I really enjoyed the playfulness of this, and it really brought to mind my childhood, sitting on the beach, cooking s'mores. The White Chocolate Bavarian Shooter was very smooth and light. The Savory Apple Tart was good, but I did not get a lot of apple flavor out of this.
This was really a great night, with great food, and awesome people. It was really nice catching up with bloggers I have already met, Kat, from Kat's 9 Lives and Holly, from the Endless Supper, as well as bloggers I met for the first time, Michael, from South Bay Foodies and Priscilla, from She's Cookin. We all had a great time enjoying the food and atmosphere. Thanks also to Chef Jeff Armstrong for the wonderful dinner. We can not wait to come back and try his restaurant Splashes. Also, thanks again to everyone at McCue Marketing Communications, especially Sienna, Michelle, and Anne, for the invite.
My wife and I were married at the Surf and Sand resort in 2006. We always try to go there for dinner on our anniversary.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine that since it was an invite, you dint have to worry about prices?
Taylor - Seems like a great place to get married. Katie's Mom and Dad had their honeymoon at the Surf and Sand back in 1971.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, we were invited so we did not have to pony up the cash. We are planning to go back on our dime to review it fully. Thanks for the comment.