Blue Lantern Inn – Dana Point, California

If you’re planning a trip to beautiful Southern California, you might wish to consider staying in lovely Dana Point at the beautiful Blue Lantern Inn with gorgeous views of the harbor and the ocean.

A month ago, I had the pleasure of visiting lovely Dana Point which is located in southern Orange County in California.  Dana Point is about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego.  My husband was in California for business so I thought I would accompany him for part of the trip.  The city of Dana Point was a wonderful surprise and visiting was certainly one of the highlights of our trip.

I’m fortunate that I’m able to visit Southern California about once a year.  My husband’s brother and his family live in the city of Orange and we try to visit them as often as we can.   The company my husband works for also has an office nearby so when we’re in town, we are able to mix a little business with pleasure.

At the end of my husband’s work week, we drove south to beautiful Dana Point for the weekend and stayed at the lovely Blue Lantern Inn.

The Blue Lantern Inn is an elegant and inviting small boutique-style hotel with all the amenities you would find in a bed & breakfast.

The Blue Lantern Inn combines traditional New England style architecture with laid-back Southern California charm.  This beautiful B&B sits on a bluff overlooking the harbor and ocean.

Dana Point is named after Richard Henry Dana, who came here as part of the crew of the early 19th century sailing ship, the Pilgrim. Dana went on to write about his experiences aboard the boat in his book, Two Years Before The Mast.   A replica of the Pilgrim is moored in the harbor where visitors are able to tour the ship.

Each of the 29 guest rooms at the Blue Lantern feature a fireplace, sitting area and oversized bathrooms with jetted spa tubs.  Other added conveniences include a refrigerator with complimentary soft drinks, high speed Internet access, and a king, queen or two queen beds.

Deluxe rooms, including the Tower Guestrooms and many Pacific Edge Rooms have a private patio or balcony with water views.

Our Pacific Edge room had a lovely patio where we could enjoy the beautiful sunset just after we arrived as well as the gorgeous sunrise the next morning.

Although there is no restaurant on site, we were less than a block away from the Dana Point Lantern District where we found a lovely Italian restaurant called Luciana’s.

A beautiful breakfast buffet prepared by the innkeepers is served every morning and is included with your stay.  For a small fee, you can even enjoy breakfast served to you in your room.  We enjoyed muffins, quiche, cereal, juice and coffee.  It was just what we needed before heading out for a nice morning walk along the beach.

People come to Dana Point to whale watch and we were surprised to find out that we were there for the Festival of Whales Parade.  We stumbled upon the parade groups and bands lining up as we were walking back to our hotel.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Blue Lantern Inn and we are looking forward to returning soon.  It was the sort of place that made me feel completely relaxed and I could have easily stayed longer.

A few of the many complimentary amenities found at the Blue Lantern Inn include…

•  A breakfast buffet every morning
• Afternoon wine, tea and hors d’oeuvres
• Evening turndown, upon request
• Freshly baked cookies
• Water, tea and coffee available throughout the day
• Early newspaper delivery
• Bicycles available to borrow
• Wireless Internet access and free local and domestic long distance phone calls
• Concierge and activity recommendations and planning
• Movies, books and games available to borrow
• Easily forgotten toiletry items available
• Bon Voyage gift to all guests who stay five or more consecutive nights
• A generous Frequent Sleeper loyalty program.

Now that my kids are growing up, my husband and I look for destinations where we can relax and recharge.  Sometimes the hotel is the destination and that’s exactly how I felt about the Blue Lantern.  Yes, there’s plenty to see in the Dana Point area but I found I didn’t want to leave the inn.  It’s peaceful, relaxing views, the many trails to explore on foot or by bike left us with plenty to do.  It truly is a wonderful place.
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Disclosure:  The Blue Lantern Inn provided a complimentary one-night stay + breakfast so that I would be able to experience the hotel and share my experience with ZagLeft readers.  ZagLeft maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

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