Balboa Bay Resort

**Balboa Bay Resort**
	; Burgee
Founded	1948
Clubhouse	1221 West Coast Highway, Newport Beach, CA 92663 (CA)
Country	United States
Website	http://balboabayresort.com/

The Balboa Bay Resort is a "water oriented" Hotel, Social Club and multi-use facility in Newport Beach, California, United States on 15 acres (61,000 m²) that was founded in 1948 as a private beach club. The Balboa Bay Resort includes a 160-room resort hotel, a landmark private club, a 130-slip marina and 145 apartments along Newport Beach Harbor. The Balboa Bay Resort is located on Pacific Coast Highway in what is considered to be central Newport Beach. It is located on the Newport Harbor waterfront.

Adjacent to The Balboa Bay Resort rests the private Balboa Bay Club. The members-only facility was founded in 1948 as a waterfront club. Members continue to receive access to a private beach, waterfront pools, private restaurants, and an expansive spa and fitness center, as well as the facilities and services available at The Resort in a distinct setting within California’s Newport Beach Harbor.

Facilities

File:Balboa Bay Club Early Color Shot.jpg

Late 50's Balboa Bay Club

The Balboa Bay Resort/BBR was originally a private club know as the Balboa Bay Club (BBC) that in May 2003 ^[1] opened to the public as a waterfront hotel, Resort and Social Club.^[2] Over its history the club has seen many changes and additions to its structures. The club today features both a hotel, as well as short and long term apartments, located on the oceanfront.

A restaurant, "The First Cabin".^[3] bar, "Duke’s Place", and a library/lounge were revised in 2014 and renamed "Waterline" & "A&O Kitchen + Bar" respectively . It was announced in June 2014 that the hotels guest rooms would be undergoing revision in 2015.^[4] The club also provides 14 meeting and board rooms. The club has 3 pools. The original pool, that was a fixture in the center of the club from its onset is still in place today, now surrounded by the club's hotel. An additional private "Members Only" pool was installed in 2003 near the main beach. A 17,000-square-foot spa and Fitness Center, is located in the members’ clubhouse. The apartments also have a pool located in its complex.

The Balboa Bay Resort location facilities today includes 160 guest rooms, 145 rental apartments and condos as well as one of the larger boat slip marinas in Newport Harbor. In May 2012, the new owners announced that plans to again renovate the club were under development and it went on the state that public meetings would be held to allow for input from the public.^[5]

The Balboa Bay Resort at one time also had an off-site tennis club, located in the nearby Newport Center.

History

File:Early balboa bay club.jpg

Early Balboa Bay Club

The original, private "Balboa Bay Club" was owned by Jack Wrather from 1960 until 1971, when he sold it to William Ray.^[6] In 1988, William Ray was inducted into the International Hall of Fame for his conservation efforts.

Ray died in 1991, and his widow, Beverly Ray Parkhurst owned the club until 2012. The 160-room hotel opened to the public on May 14, 2003. In 2011 the club was sold to Winston Chung, a Chinese businessman.^[7] It was later reported that the sale to Chung fell out of escrow as Chung was having difficulty moving funds out of China to pay for the purchase.

In June 2012 the BBC was sold to Richard H. Pickup and his family members,^[8] Eagle Four Partners and Pacific Hospitality Group, LLC ^[9]

In 2013 the club modified its name to the "Balboa Bay Resort".^[10]

The club has been host to many notable people over the years, including: presidents, politicians, business leaders and Hollywood’s A-list, including John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Clair Trevor -- yacht "Travelor", Robert Wagner, Lauren Bacall, Natalie Wood, John Travolta, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Russell Simmons,^[11] Barry Goldwater.^[12] For many years it had a public board of directors and many Newport Beach residents served on the board.

Tennis tournaments have been held at the resort, including one in 1958.^[13]

Boat Marina

The BBR can accommodate up to 150 boats of all sizes in its waterfront marina. With 130 Slips and many side ties, the clubs marina is the largest and most comprehensive marina in Newport Beach The "A" Dock provides hosts to some of the largest powerboats in Newport Beach harbor and is able to accommodate yachts of up to 130 feet.

Over the years the club has hosted such well known vessels as The "Primadonna", "The Mojo"—owner Frank Muller, the sailing yacht "Sirius II", and The "Viking Princess"—owners Reed and Rita Sprinkle. In 1996 the club was visited by the famous Americas Cup J class racing yacht Endeavour (yacht), under charter to the Sprinkle's.

The Balboa Bay Resort is well known as a prime viewing location for the annual Newport Beach Christmas boat parade, hailed as “one of the top ten holiday happenings in the nation” by the New York Times.^[14] In 2011 the Balboa Bay Club honoured the winners of the 102nd annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade and Ring of Lights at a public awards dinner and auction.^[15] Also a key viewing area for the Beer Can Races, a summer weekly event among sailors in the Newport Beach harbor for decades.

In the 1970s the clubs main beach area rented small sailboats and offered sailing instruction during the summer. A small boat dry storage area provided a crane service for launching that was removed during the 2003 renovation when the area was converted to a private members only pool and outdoor bar. The club now provides access to rental of small electric boats, as well as paddle boards and kayaks. The clubs B dock now hosts the rental fleet.

In 1958, ten yachtsmen put up $100 each and founded the Bahia Yacht Club, based in minimal leased facilities on the grounds of the Balboa Bay Club. The original burgee, which was the Balboa Bay Club burgee in reverse, was abandoned for the clubs present one when the club was accepted as a member of Southern California Yachting Association in 1959. In 1968 the Bahia Yacht Club merged with the Orange Coast Yacht Club and moved from the Balboa Bay Club location to its own clubhouse located on Bayside Drive, in Newport Beach.^[16] The two joined clubs were renamed Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club.

Today the club and resort's marina facilities primarily accommodates power boats and large motor yachts. The club provides a Guest Dock for visiting yachtsmen and the guest dock also serves as home to the Dock Masters office. Visiting yachtsmen are asked to contact the clubs dockmaster to arrange for accommodation.