Carrie James

We appreciate everyone who is coming far and wide to celebrate this day with us. Here is some information for traveling that will hopefully help your planning process.

Airport Info
The closest airport to fly into is John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana (only about a 10-15 minute drive from where hotels and the wedding festivities will be taking place). However, there are a few airports in the area you may also want to consider:

Orange County Airport / John Wayne Airport (SNA)
Long Beach Airport (LGB)
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LA / Ontario International Airport (ONT)

Car Rental
Rental cars in the Newport Beach area:

Avis - 4200 Campus Drive 949.955.1608
Budget - 4043 Birch Street 949.252.6240
Enterprise - 2906 West Coast Highway 949.650.4500
Hertz - 900 Newport Center Drive - 949.760.0174

Hotels
We have room blocks at several local hotels! All reservations must be made by August 30th to qualify for the group rates.

Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa (Fashion Island)
Please reserve online. Ask for the Widder/Robertson room block or use the link above. Rates are $159 / night for a single room and $21 for self parking or $28 for valet parking. Reserve by August 30th
Fairmont Newport Beach
949-476-2001 Ask for the Widder/Robertson room block. Rates are $119 / night for a single room ($25.00 for an extra person) and $18 valet parking. Reserve by August 30th
Ayres Hotel & Suites Newport Beach
800-322-9992 Ask for the Widder/Robertson room block or use the link above. Rates are $99 / night for a single room ($10.00 for an extra guest) and free self parking. Reserve by August 30th

Here are a few other hotels in the area that you may want to consider, although we have not reserved rates at these locations:

Island Hotel Fashion Island (Also Very Close)
Hilton OC Airport
Newport Beach Mariott Bayview

Recommendations
There are a ton of fun things to see and do in Southern California-and we've done quite a bit of them already. If you're looking for Carrie and Jim approved activities, here's our curated list of what we love best.

Balboa Island
Walk down main street and you'll find unique shops and eateries. Obviously, you'll want to stop for a frozen banana or a balboa bar at Dad's Donut & Bakery Shop (the donuts and hippo cookies are good too!). Balboa Island is great for scenic walks, petting dogs, and boat watching.
Balboa Fun Zone
Take the ferry from Balboa Island to the Fun Zone across the bay. There is an arcade, a ferris wheel, more banana stands and shops, and places to rent bikes and boats. Head toward the beach and have lunch at Ruby's on the Pier.
Laguna Beach
If art and specialty boutiques are what you'd like to see, or you loved watching Laguna Beach on MTV (or both), drive south down PCH to Laguna Beach and walk around the small village.
Crystal Cove
Take a scenic hike in El Moro Canyon, and have lunch afterward at The Beachcomber Cafe, an awesome retro restaurant located right on the beach.
Fashion Island
Some seriously good shopping and great restaurants. Great place to find anything you might have forgotten to pack!
Catalina Island
If you're staying longer than the wedding weekend, take a day or overnight trip to Catalina Island. You can take the Catalina Flyer from the Balboa Peninsula.
Disneyland
I (Carrie) love Disneyland, so I encourage everyone to go there, especially if you've never been! I don't think Jim loves it as much as I do, but he's not a Southern California native, so it wasn't ingrained in him at a young age. It's ok, he's learning ;)

Restaurants
There are some serious yums to be had in Newport. Here are a few of our favorite places.

If you need any other recommendations from us (nail salons, movie theaters, places in San Diego or LA) email us at jim@jimcarrie.com.