The Resort at Pelican Hill announces Ultimate Golf Experience

NEWPORT COAST, Calif. -- An extraordinary destination is taking shape on a breathtaaking site overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Southern California’s Newport Coast, where Tom Fazio has created two of the most picturesque and sublime courses anywhere. Playing either Ocean North or Ocean South, in their exquisite seaside setting, is an experience that will be remembered for years to come. With the Ultimate Golf Experience, you and your guest choose which of the heavenly courses you want tee off on and complement the unforgettable golf with an incomparable stay at The Resort at Pelican Hill.

The Ultimate Golf Experience includes your choice of ultra-luxurious accommodations for one night, golf for two with a fore caddie on the course of your choice, breakfast for two at the Coliseum Pool and Grill or from room service, 60-minute rejuvenating massage for two at the spa, a departure gift for each guest and applicable taxes. Rates start at $1,250. The entire package is commissionable. For more information and to book the Ultimate Golf Experience, please call 800-585-1654.

Pelican Hill Golf Club is a standout among the nation’s premier golf clubs. Complementing the 36 holes by Tom Fazio is a stylish, 44,000-square-foot clubhouse featuring dramatic classical architecture, luxurious men’s and women’s locker rooms and lounges, Pelican Grill restaurant and bar with al fresco dining year-round on the ocean-view terrace, Caffé II espresso bar, and a golf shop offering the latest golf fashions and accessories. The all-inclusive, full-service practice facility which is steps away from the golf shop and includes target greens, sand bunkers, approaches, roughs and fairway turf is designed to give players an advance glimpse of the design elements Fazio incorporated into the courses. Tour-event Nike Platinum balls are waiting without guests having to ask for them. Once ready to play, golfers depart in a golf cart right from the practice area and reach the first tees by driving their cart over the resort’s stunning and iconic entrance: a classically designed bridge that appears as if it could span the Arno River in Florence.

A masterpiece in the making that promises to set a new paradigm for a resort guest experience, The Resort at Pelican Hill is blending the principles of internationally heralded Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio with the welcoming and relaxed style of coastal California. Rising on a 504-acre site in Newport Coast between the chic and picturesque towns of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, the resort boasts one of the most serene and beautiful coastal settings in Southern California where the Pacific Ocean laps uncrowded beaches and thousands of acres of coastal habitat are permanently protected as open space or designated for recreational uses only. Pelican Hill Golf Club, the first component of the resort, opened in November 2007. All the other components will open fall 2008, including: 128 ultra-upscale villas that are ideal for several couples or a small group of friends on a golf escape; 204 luxurious bungalows; a luxurious spa with 22 treatment rooms offering a personalized experience of body and soul; beautiful wedding venues including a verdant, private wedding lawn; world-class restaurants, among them Andrea with strong Northern Italian and Tuscan influences; and a one-of-a-kind, strikingly unique “Coliseum” pool inspired by Rome’s landmark.

The two-, three- and four-bedroom villas, ranging in size from 2,193 square feet to 3,581 square feet, will be the ultimate accommodations. They will feature an around-the-clock staff of personal butlers, concierges and housekeepers, the absolute finest in finishes, furnishings and appointments, terraces with unobstructed ocean panoramas, and a level of pre-planning unprecedented in the resort industry including a complimentary personal travel designer to fully plan guest itineraries in advance of arrival. For an ultra-luxurious golf getaway with your friends, the villas can accommodate as many as eight guests.

The exceptionally spacious bungalows, which will range in size from 847 square feet to 2,486 square feet, will be lavished with luxurious appointments, have an intimate, residential character and feature wood-beamed ceilings, fireplaces framed by Italian limestone, marble, granite countertops, and terraces with magnificent ocean views.

The destination offers myriad options for activities and side trips for guests of the resort. Adjacent is Crystal Cove State Park, a nature preserve where visitors stroll wild beaches, explore tide pools, enjoy dramatic rock formations and 80-foot bluffs as well as walk, jog and bike on miles of multi-use paths, swim, surf and kayak, or go hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. A few minutes away, fashionable Newport Beach boasts miles of beautiful beaches, waterfront restaurants, one of the world’s largest yacht harbors offering everything from sportfishing and dinner cruises to gondola rides, and the upscale shopping and eclectic boutiques at Fashion Island, Crystal Cove Promenade and Corona del Mar Plaza. Nearby are quaint Balboa Island, a sanctuary of bygone California, and Laguna Beach with its thriving arts scene.

In addition, the weather along the coast here is ideal: Average daytime temperatures in summer are in the mid-70s, and in winter only dip down to the high 60s. It’s rare for an evening temperature to fall below 50 degrees.

Easily accessible, The Resort at Pelican Hill is located just 10 minutes from Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, which is served by 11 carriers and offers flights from destinations across the country. LAX is only 45 minutes away.

The Irvine Company Resort Properties owns and manages the finest resort and leisure destinations on the Newport Coast and in the City of Irvine. In addition to The Resort at Pelican Hill, the portfolio includes The Island Hotel Newport Beach, the city’s landmark property and only AAA Five Diamond hotel; Hyatt Regency Irvine, the city’s only Four Diamond hotel; Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine, featuring a challenging, Tom Fazio-designed public golf course; and several of the finest marinas in Newport Harbor and Northern California.

For more information on the resort and golf club, please log on to www.pelicanhill.com.

Contact:

Edward Placidi/Marian Gerlich

P&G Communications

818-786-8687

pgworld@aol.com