Resort Food
Posted on August 16, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
We were super impressed with the coffee shop/bar at Hyatt Regency Newport Beach. It’s a coffee shop in the morning and turns into a bar that serves actually pretty good food at night. Look at this transformation!
Here are some pictures of food we got from the bar.
Flatbread Pizza
Truffle Fries
Creme Brulee
The resort also has a nice seafood restaurant onsite called Shor. We had a delicious, leisurely breakfast there one morning.
I was feeling fancy and ordered the crab cakes benedict. It is a seafood restaurant after all. When in Rome, right?
Brian got bacon, eggs, and potatoes, which he used to make a breakfast sandwich.
Food was not cheap but it was pretty good. We enjoyed our stay at this resort overall. The experience lived up to the Hyatt Regency brand. I wouldn’t mind staying here again if I play in the USAP Newport Beach pickleball tournament next year. Until next time, GNG.
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Hyatt Regency Newport Beach
Posted on August 8, 2022 by Ching under Travel.
We stayed at Hyatt Regency Newport Beach for the Newport Beach tournament. It was a 5 minute walk to the beach and a 20 minute walk to the tournament venue. This place was a lot nicer than the place I booked for us in Naples for the US Open so I am hoping that I am forgiven.
The property is pretty huge and reminds me of the resorts we’ve stayed at in the Caribbean. They have multiple building structures (hotel rooms, villas, conference areas/meeting rooms), event spaces (amphitheater for weddings and parties), and 3 swimming pools spread throughout the beautifully landscaped grounds.
We walk by the villas to go to the beach.
This is the beautiful amphitheater that they use for weddings.
This is the vine-covered walkway that leads to it.
The landscaping is an interesting combination of tropical and dessert. It’s different than anything I have seen but it is well-maintained and lovely.
The beautiful grounds are not only appealing to hotel guests. They are equally appealing to bunnies, squirrels, and other critters.
There are activity areas throughout the property for guests to enjoy. This sand volleyball court is right by our building. We actually took this picture from our balcony. We saw people playing down there a couple of times but we never went.
This is the main restaurant at the resort. Brian and I had a nice, leisurely breakfast there one day.
We never used the fitness center but it was roomy with lots of equipment and space to do your own thing. What I liked most is this poster they had on the wall for runners. It shows you a map of some runs that you can do based on the how far you want to go. It made me wish I was a runner.
Anyway, I realized not all of my pictures made to Flickr which is kind of a bummer. I guess you’ll just have to go and experience this resort for yourself. Here’s a link to book your stay. Until next time, GNG.
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USAP Newport Beach Highlights
Posted on August 7, 2022 by Ching under Pickleball, Travel.
I had a blast playing with my friend Ramon Lozano at the USAP Newport Beach Championships pickleball tournament. On the one hand, we wanted to win gold but on the other, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to go to Nationals since I’ve already committed myself to going to the Diamond Amateur Championships in Florida this year. Plus, I didn’t want to go if I only had one golden ticket. We took 3rd and, while we could have done better, I’m totally okay with it.
One of the best parts of the trip was meeting Ramon’s wonderful family. Uncle Ramon decked everyone out in Chicken N Pickle gear. What a great uncle he is!
The group pic above was taken in the morning and then this second group pic is after we got our medals.
Here are some pics of Back Bay, a beach that’s literally just a five minute walk from our hotel room. We walked over a couple of times. We didn’t get in the water but we took some pics and people-watched.
The area was breathtaking and the weather was absolutely perfect (as it often is in California – they are fortunate to have wonderful weather year-round). I would totally go back if Brian is up for it next year.
Here are some pics we took at Back Bay. Thank you to Lucky in Love for the cute outfit in the next pic.
Back at the tournament, I met some really fabulous people and made new friends (as always). I may not bring a bunch of medals home but I can always count on making new friends.
Above is a Filipino lady from Illinois that I met at the tournament, Michelle Chow. Below is my blind date/new friend and women’s doubles partner Nancy “Moondust” Kaplan.
I met the amazing founder/creator PlayTime Scheduler, Reine Steel.
And, I also got to watch my friend Jenna Doffer (Hessert) kick major butt in the pro division.
Meanwhile, Brian got a cool new ball cap from the Zelus booth.
Brian and I also got to go to Fashion Island.
I’ll end it here for now and share pictures of our hotel/resort in the next post. Until next time, GNG.
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Best Day with Jay Devilliers
Posted on August 6, 2022 by Ching under Pickleball.
Here’s a highlight video from the best day ever hanging out with one of our professional pickleball players Jocelyn (Jay) Devilliers.
We started at Chicken N Pickle. From left: Matt Nola, Nico Acevedo Olmos, Chie Cline, Jay Devilliers, Huyen Nguyen, and me.
Then continued on to Zach’s house, where we played some additional games.
Jay is so fun. At one point, he told me not to come up to the non-volley zone because were working on our baseline and transition zone drop shots.
It was super fun and a day I won’t soon forget. Until next time, GNG.
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More Wicked Brew Adventures
Posted on August 5, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink.
This is us trying to get a couple more stamps on our Wicked Brew passports. First stop, River City Brewery.
The sausage and cheese board was just okay but the corn dip was delicious. I think I’ve got Brian converted.
No visit to downtown is complete without stopping at the Cocoa Dolce Sweet Lounge. We opted to go there for dessert because they have delicious cheesecakes. Brian got the Oreo one.
I got a tipsy gelato, which is my favorite thing to get. It’s a shame that we are done with the Wicked Brew Tour because it was the perfect excuse to visit all these places. I guess we will just have to go for no good reason. LOL. Till next time, GNG.
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