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Newport Dunes


Newport Dunes
1131 Back Bay Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 729-3863 office
(949) 729-1133 fax
(800) 765-7661 reservations

In case you haven't heard, RV parks are going upscale these days. With high-end rigs whose price tag runs into six figures, owners want something more luxurious than the local KOA overlooking the interstate. That's where places like Newport Dunes in Newport Beach, California step in.

No ordinary overnight stop, Newport Dunes has been called the Ritz of RV Parks. It's smack in the middle of one of Orange County's most upscale cities, it's got a highly-rated restaurant, facilities to rival many hotel-based resorts and buildings designed by the same firm that created the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Hotel down the coast in Laguna Niguel.

It's no wonder many people who pull their RVs into Newport Dunes for a day or two end up staying longer.

So what was I doing, pulling into the Newport Dunes gate sans RV on a Friday afternoon? I hadn't gotten confused and mistaken my Toyota for a Tradewinds, but I did know a little secret. Newport Dunes isn't just for RVs any more. In recent years, they've added cabins just for people like me who want to experience the place but don't own the requisite vehicle.

I found my waterfront cottage to be spotlessly clean, comfortable and quiet. It was nice to be able to spread out more than in a hotel room, and sit on a real sofa in a real living room. My only complaint was that the wireless Internet service was spotty at best.

Newport Dunes Amenities

Newport Dunes is located on 100 acres beside the Back Bay, an estuary that connects to the Newport Harbor. It's close to Fashion Island Shopping Center and the Back Bay Ecological Preserve, and just across Pacific Coast Highway from Balboa Island and Balboa Peninsula, one of my favorite places to visit on the California coast. It's also about a half hour from Disneyland. These are just a few of the amenities:
  • 24-hour security
  • Boat launch ramp
  • Swimming pool
  • Store
  • Back Bay Cafe
  • Private, waveless beach
  • Wireless Internet access
  • Exercise room, water aerobics
  • Recreation room
  • Laundry room
  • Crafts classes for kids
  • Boat rentals ranging from pedal boats to 14-foot fishing boats and 18-foot electric boats
  • Friday barbecues

Newport Dunes RV and Ten Sites

Newport Dunes' RV sites include fenced, double-wide spaces with outlets for cable TV and 20-, 30- and 50-amp electrical service. Waterfront spaces and "super sites" - larger spaces with a paved parking spot - are most popular. Reserve them as far in advance as you can, especially in summer. Newport Dunes accepts reservations up to two years in advance.

Some small tent sites are available, with a maximum of two tents per site, and tents must be freestanding with no stakes.

Traveling with Bowser? Pets are welcome in the Newport Dunes RV sites (for a small fee) as long as they're currently vaccinated and licensed. They must be kept on a leash and are not allowed on the beach.

Newport Dunes Cottages

Don't have an RV? No problem. Newport Dunes also offers cottages for rent. They range from the small, basic cottages where you bring your own linens to waterfront models with porches and lofts.

A waterfront cottage at Newport Dunes will cost almost as much per night as a somewhat-discounted room in a local luxury hotel, but don't let that put you off. The luxury hotel might have a fancy fountain the lobby, but it won't have a kitchen where you can make your own morning coffee, whip up a simple dinner or just pop a bag of popcorn. Their other cottages are less expensive, and just a short walk from the water.

You'll have to leave Bowser at home if you stay in the Newport Dunes cottages. No pets are allowed.

Getting to Newport Dunes

Exit I-405 at Jamboree Blvd. south. Just before you reach Pacific Coast Highway, turn right onto Back Bay Drive, where you see the sign that says "Campers." Newport Dunes is on the left.
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