You still have time to see the spectacular giant blue whales along Newport coast, California. The whale watching season basically goes from May 1st to October 31st. Hundreds to thousands of blue whales are seen every year. In 2010 more than 850 blue whales were seen from May through August. People on whale watching cruises often spot multiple giant blue whales.

The blue whales, earth’s largest creatures reach lengths of close to 100 feet. You may also spot a finback whale, the world’s second largest whale. Whales are often seen just outside the mouth of Newport Bay. The typical whale watching cruise lasts about 2 ½ hours and adds plenty of fun to a Newport Beach vacation.

Blue whales have a long tapering body that looks stretched when compared to the stockier build of other whales. Their small dorsal fin can be seen during the dive sequence. Blue whales can reach speeds of 31 mph, during short bursts, typically when interacting with other whales.

Whale watching cruise participants are often treated to the wonderful site of giant pods of common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. These wonderful creatures swim right up to the whale watching boats, perhaps out of curiosity or perhaps just to say hi. A blue whale watching cruise adds pizzazz to a Newport Beach vacation.

The typical whale watching ship includes an upstairs sundeck, wrap around outside seating as well as a snack bar and indoor seating. Some of the captains and crew members have a marine biology background and share their extensive knowledge of marine creatures, eco-systems and the environment.

Viewing success rate is over 90 percent and if nothing is seen some of the whale watching boats give you a free pass for another whale watching cruise.

Read more about Newport Landing Sportfishing & Whalewatching or call 949-675-0551.

Career-building singles rarely take all the vacation time they have coming; but a singles vacation to somewhere warm, sunny and fun could be just what you need to unwind, relax and recharge your batteries. Popular vacation hotspots like Panama City Beach, Newport Beach and Siesta Key have the luxurious beach rentals, fabulous beaches, exciting activities, great restaurants and pulsating nightlife that draw singles. Beach vacations destinations are the perfect places to party with your friends, meet other singles and maybe even find romance. Three of the most popular vacation destinations for singles are:

1. Panama City Beach is where singles go to have fun on Florida’s scenic Gulf Coast. Packed with fun-filled attractions, including water parks, zoos, go karts, miniature golf and arcades, this is the place to go for exciting water sports, rocking nightlife and the Gulf’s famous sugar-sand beaches
2. Newport Beach is Southern California’s favorite beach resort. Relax on white sand beaches or pamper yourself at fabulous spas. Newport Beach offers biking, kayaking, surfing, boarding and world-class shopping. Dinner on the harbor and breathtaking sunsets set the stage for romance
3. Siesta Key is a tropical paradise on Florida’s southern Gulf Coast where colorful birds flit across gorgeous white sand beaches and sing from swaying palms. Siesta Key has it all: snorkeling, diving, fishing, spas, golf and more

Singles vacations are more fun when you and your friends stay together in fabulous Siesta Key beach rentals or Newport Beach vacation rentals where you can laze around, raid the kitchen whenever you get the munchies, cook fabulous meals together, sit shoulder to shoulder on the beach while you watch the sun melt into the ocean and talk the night away over a pitcher of margaritas. You need this. So call a few friends or gather the whole gang, tell your boss you’re headed for the beach and book the perfect Panama City Beach rentals on iTrip.net.

Take a Newport Beach vacation and enjoy this luxurious beachfront home, iTrip.net’s Featured Property of the Week.

The deluxe 4-bedroom, three-bathroom home is just a short walk from the beautiful ocean. In the evening, relax in the attractive, spacious living room and enjoy the excellent ocean views.

The elegant interior features local, original artwork and comfortable overstuffed chairs. The spacious, fully-stocked gourmet kitchen includes attractive granite countertops, custom cabinets as well as stainless steel appliances. Enjoy the ocean breeze while cooking tasty chicken breasts or steaks on the BBQ grill.

After a day of fun at the beach, relax and enjoy one of the three large flat screen televisions. The surround sound goes throughout the house and even out to the patio. The patio, with its comfortable seating, offers great views of the ocean and yes, it’s an excellent place to read a book.

The large master bedroom, just off the beach and boardwalk, provides wonderful views as well as a new king-sized bed and a large flat screen television. It’ no ordinary bathroom, it features a beautiful Jacuzzi tub/shower combo. Two of the other bedrooms include a new queen-sized bed, whereas one of the bedrooms has a trundle bed.

Going to the beach? Take the Ralph Loren towels as well as the umbrella and chairs. When it time for thrills, the man-made Balboa Island offers an amusement park. The island also has bars for evening entertainment. Take a walk over to the nearby park and enjoy the local music. Newport Beach also has great deep-sea fishing opportunities as well as excellent golf courses such as the Pelican Hill Golf Club.

Find more amenities, photos, pricing and availability for this luxurious Newport Beachfront home on iTrip.net.

Building sandcastles is a fun way to spend a day at the beach. If you’re planning a fall vacation to sunny Newport Beach, California, you’ll want to start practicing now for the Newport Beach 50^th annual Sandcastle Contest to be held from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 2, 2011 at Big Corona State Beach. Hosted by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, the much-anticipated event draws thousands of spectators to watch professional and amateur sand sculptors vie for prizes and bragging rights. Families can join the fun for a $30 registration fee. So gather your family and friends, reserve one of our Newport Beach vacation rentals on iTrip.net and start honing your sandcastle-building skills.

To create an awesome sandcastle, follow these tips from the pros:

1. Castle building is easier with the right tools. The pros use architectural forms and sculpting tools to create incredible works of art, but plastic pails in several sizes, a couple of shovels, a squirt bottle and eager hands will get the job done. If you’re planning a more elaborate sculpture, you might want to scrounge around your Newport Beach rentals for the following: measuring spoons, plastic measuring cups, plastic ruler, putty knife, stiff brushes for texture, screwdrivers to draw lines or poke holes.
2. Compaction is the key to a successful sandcastle. Pile moist sand into piles with a shovel or your hands, then use your palms to tamp it down firmly before sculpting. Wet sand can also be pressed into buckets and other forms.
3. Use small shovels, spoons and your hands to carve, mold and smooth the sand into shapes.
4. Spray your sculpture with water frequently to keep it moist.

Need a little inspiration? Click here to see photos from last year’s sandcastle competition posted on Corona Del Mar Today.

The Pacific Riviera, Newport Beach sits like a sparkling jewel on California’s southern coast. A beautiful harbor dotted with picturesque islands beckons boaters and vacationers to laze in the sun, shop in designer boutiques, relax at a spa and enjoy wonderful meals on the waterfront. Ten miles of gorgeous sand beaches and 340 days of sunshine a year ensure that every day at your Newport Beach vacation rental will be a perfect beach day.

Life in Newport Beach revolves around the beach but offers vacationers so many unique ways to experience sun and sand that every day feels fresh and new. Booking Newport Beach condo rentals on iTrip.net is just the first step to experiencing the top 10 beach activities in Newport Beach, CA. Enjoy these awesome activities!

1. Pack a cooler and the sunblock and spend the day lazing in the sun and swimming in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean
2. Build sand castles with the kids or try your hand at creating a sand sculpture.
3. Rent a boogie board and carve your way through the surf
4. If you want to ride the big waves, Momentum Surfboards offers surfing lessons.
5. Order a deep dish pizza to go from BJ’s on First Street and head for the Newport Municipal Beach to watch the sun set
6. Bring binoculars and watch for sea lions and water birds
7. Marvel at the aquatic life in the tide pools that form along Balboa Beach
8. Enjoy the view while you dine on fresh seafood with a gourmet twist at Billy’s on the Beach. The Coconut & Macadamia Nut Salmon Is amazing!
9. Try bodysurfing at the Wedge
10. Rent a bike or rollerblades and cruise along the boardwalk to Balboa Pier for old-fashioned burgers, fries and malts at Ruby’s Diner

For more on iTrip.net and Newport Beach condo rentals, visit our website.

Celebrate America’s coast-to-coast birthday bash with a weekend getaway to one of the 5 best places to spend the 4^th of July: 

1. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Gather some blankets from your Pigeon Forge vacation rental and head to Patriot Park for a day of down-home fun with games, free Kids’ Karnival, fabulous food and entertainment by country crooners Restless Heart and Randy Montana. Fireworks cap a perfect day in the Smoky Mountains.
2. Orlando, Florida. Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World light up the night after a day filled with special parades and entertainment, but Orlando also offers plenty to do within easy reach of your Orlando vacation home. Show off your moves at the Celebration Town Center All American Sock Hop; then dance over to Lake Eola Park for fireworks. Both events feature live music and children’s activities.
3. Ocean City, Maryland. From your Ocean City vacation rental, you can join the Jamboree in the Park uptown at Northside Park for food, old-fashioned games, kids’ activities, musical entertainment, pie-eating contests and an arts and crafts show. Or spend the day at the North Division Street beach downtown. Enjoy a simultaneous concert and fireworks at both sites.
4. Newport Beach, California. Leave your Newport Beach vacation rental early to watch the Old Glory Boat Parade before heading for the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina for carnival games, music and barbecue. Seaside fireworks are visible from public beaches around the harbor.
5. Panama City Beach, Florida. Enjoy live entertainment at the Legacy by the Sea celebration on Front Beach Road, just minutes from your Panama City Beach rental. The day features a golf cart decorating contest, patriotic pet parade, watermelon seed-spitting contest, F-15 flyover and beachside fireworks. 

For a spectacular 4^th of July weekend, book your vacation rental on iTrip.net today.

Planning a summer vacation to sunny Newport Beach, California? We’ve prepared a packing list of “must have” items you’ll want to bring along:

Sunscreen. Newport Beach, CA comes by its sunny reputation honestly. The sun shines on this charming seaside community an average 340 days a year

Sand mat or beach towel. Gorgeous golden beaches line the Southern California coastline between Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, inviting vacationers to idyll the day away basking in the sun. If you book a Newport Beach vacation rental on iTrip.net, you won’t have to make room in your luggage for beach gear. Most Newport Beach rentals are fully supplied with beach chairs, towels, beach umbrellas and coolers – everything you need for a day on the beach

Swimsuit. Newport Beach is the perfect place to work on your tan, but it’s also a mecca of exciting water sports. Surfing, kayaking, canoeing, rowing and paddle boarding are popular. If you’re looking for something challenging, try your hand at stand-up paddle boarding or outrigger canoeing. The Newport Aquatic Center offers classes, rentals, guided kayak tours and moonlight paddles

Boat shoes. Newport Beach boasts one of the world’s largest pleasure-boat harbors. Charter a yacht for an unforgettable sunset sail or rent a motorboat for an exciting cruise along the coast or rent an electric party boat for a memorable day on the water with your family and friends

Key to your Newport Beach vacation rental. Planning to stay at Newport Beach vacation rentals or vacation villas in Huntington Beach, CA ensures that you’ll have a tranquil oasis to return to when you’re ready to relax with friends and family

Credit card. Newport Beach offers a cornucopia of delightful shopping opportunities from fabulous boutiques and designer shops to art galleries and unique crafts

Appetite. A world of culinary delights awaits in Newport Beach’s eclectic variety of restaurants

What’s the most important must have for your vacation? An awesome Newport Beach vacation rental! Find a variety of vacation rentals at iTrip.net.

TripAdvisor.com describes Newport Beach as “Part unspoiled nature, part manmade wonder and part luxury paradise”, and says that “Newport Beach enchants every type of traveler to its glowing shores.”

It goes on to list some of the best activities, some that we mentioned in our earlier post, “Free and Affordable Fun in Newport Beach CA” which, of course, are largely built around enjoying the Southern California sunshine.  

1. The shopping havens of open air Fashion Island,
2. The seaside shops of Corona Del Mar
3. The estuary on Back Bay is a birder’s paradise,
4. The protected beach at Crystal Cove is favored by hikers.
5. Surfers catch the best breaks on The Wedge
6. While families enjoy the Fun Zone on Balboa Peninsula

But if you want to experience more of the outdoors, you can also do what The Nile Guild.com suggests as the best of Newport Beach’s outdoor activities:

Newport Landing offers Sport fishing,  Whale Watching and day and evening cruises

1. Beach Cities Scuba Center
2. Newport Beach Country Club or Pelican Hill Golf Club
3. Endless Summer Surf Camp -Learn to ride the waves

But perhaps the best thing about Newport Beach is the beach itself.  Visit Newport Beach.com describes its “breathtaking Pacific Coast location” which is “very accessible and the epitome of a relaxed beach destination.”  It goes on to say that Newport Beach offers, “over 10 miles of beautiful Orange County coastline and some of the cleanest beaches in Southern California… surfing, swimming and body boarding may quickly come to mind,” but don’t forget, Newport Beach’s beaches and idyllic California coastline can also offer a simple swim, suntan and sandcastle sort of vacation. 

Reserve a Newport Beach vacation rental and soak up the Southern California sun!

Check out these Newport Beach condo rentals:

The Taste of Huntington Beach is a much-loved annual event in Southern California. People enjoy “delectable samples of culinary delights” from the amazing variety of restaurants and catering companies in town, and then pair these savory flavors with samples from “a stellar lineup of premier California wineries and craft breweries”. There’s also great, live entertainment and the satisfaction of knowing it’s all for a good cause. The event raises money for The Children’s Library of Huntington Beach. So for one all-inclusive low-price, have a guilt-free great time “in the name of charity and good taste!” Find amazing Newport Beach vacation rentals for you trip!

This year, you’ll rock to classic surf music like “Surf City” from Jan & Dean, performed by Dean himself, along with the Surf City All-Stars. He’ll be signing memorabilia too. You can also buy tickets to win great raffle prizes and bid on silent auction baskets filled with wonderful goods and services from local businesses in the “HB” area.

And for families, the Taste of Huntington Beach has teamed up with the HB Kiwanis Club to offer a family-oriented day of games, food and entertainment. Children will enjoy face painting, clowns, live music and a wide range of kid-friendly food while you enjoy more adult fare and fun, and it’s all at the Huntington Beach Sports Complex.

Since 2002, The Friends of the Children’s Library and the Huntington Beach Restaurant Association have helped “the Taste” raise over $250,000 for the Huntington Beach Children’s Library. So read the reviews on Yelp! for more insider insight, then buy tickets online.

While you’re there, be sure to soak up all that HB has to offer. Take a stroll, have a bonfire on the beach, and enjoy the Main Street scene. We mentioned the fun you can have with iTrip’s beautiful Newport Beach vacation rentals, well Huntington Beach is just a 10-15 minute drive up the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway!

You’ll want to get a Newport Beach Vacation Rental for several days in order to take full advantage of all that there is to see and do!  And although Newport Beach is part of the upscale area made famous by the T.V. series “The OC”, there is plenty to enjoy without spending much money.  Here are a few suggestions:

• The beach!
• Balboa Fun Zone
• Marine Avenue on Balboa Island
• Lido Marina Village, along the harbor
• Window shop on Fashion Island, (more than 200 stores!)

You can also visit Upper Newport Bay , AKA Newport Bay Conservancy. An Ecological Reserve created in 1975 to preserve the coastline and tidal wetlands around the bay, it birdwatching, hiking, biking and horseback riding trails; boat launches; and designated areas for clam-digging and swimming. And admission is free.

Or, for $3.00 for adults and $1.00 for kids 12 – 16, (children 11 and under are free!), go to the Sherman Library & Gardens. This unique facility offers gardens that are a veritable living museum of plants and flowers. But it also includes a library of maps, documents, newspapers, and other publications related to the environmental and botanical history of the Pacific Southwest. The onsite cafe serves French fare for lunch and brunch.

If you will be going to Newport in May, be sure to check out the Newport Jazz Festival and concert series at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach on May 13, 14 and 15 –three spectacular days of world class performances by 25 top jazz artists! Tickets are $45, $55 or $90 – a great value for the number of artists you’ll enjoy, which include Jeffrey Osborne and Dave Koz. Jazz series tickets don’t go on sale until May 1^st, but concerts will be held every Friday evening during the warm Southern California summer season.

There’s something in Newport Beach for every kind of getaway. Here are a few ideas:

Family Fun

• Go to the beach
• Enjoy the Balboa Fun Zone
• Rent rollerblades
• Go shopping at Toy Boat, Toy Boat (3331 East Coast Highway)

 Active All Day

• Go surfing
• Go sport fishing
• Play golf
• Rent sailboats, paddleboats or kayaks, bicycles or rollerblades

Romantic Retreat

• Stroll hand-in-hand down Marine Avenue on Balboa Island
• Win your sweetheart a stuffed animal at the Balboa Fun Zone
• Go for a romantic gondola ride
• Rent a Newport Beach classic, an electric Duffy Boat
• For romantic dining, try the stylish Bayside Restaurant
• Watch the sun rise on the beach, then have brunch at Newport Landing
• Get pampered at a spa

Shopper’s Paradise

• Explore Marine Avenue on Balboa Island
• Visit Lido Marina Village along the harbor
• Head to Fashion Island, where you will find more than 200 stores

 Practicalities

Newport Beach is located in southern Orange County, south of the John Wayne/Orange County Airport. You can reach the Balboa Peninsula, Balboa Island and the Newport Beach Harbor by driving south from Interstate 405 and the airport on CA55.

Newport Beach is pleasant year around, but June can be foggy, sometimes for most of the day. Even in summer, nights will be quite cool near the water.

Annual Events

• January through March: Whale Watching
• April: Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race
• May: Classic Car Show, Art Show, Jazz Festival (http://www.summerjazzseries.com/)
• June: Balboa Island Parade

Best Things to Do in Newport Beach 

• Balboa Beach
• Newport Landing Whale Watching
• Gondola Adventures
• Upper Newport Bay – Salt water and fresh water ultimately mix in the estuary known as Upper Newport Bay, one of the last remaining formations of its kind in Southern California. Here, the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve was created in 1975 to preserve the coastline and tidal wetlands around the bay. Today, more than 200 species of birds, some of them endangered, inhabit the 700-plus-acre preserve, making it a popular destination for bird-watchers. In addition, visitors find hiking, biking and horseback riding trails; boat launches; and designated areas at North Star Beach for clam-digging and swimming. Educational programs and visitor information are available at Muth Interpretive Center, a 10,000-square-foot facility carved into a bluff overlooking the bay. – FREE
• Sherman Library & Gardens – Established and seedling gardeners should make it a point to visit this unique facility. The gardens, a veritable living museum of plants and flowers, features colorful seasonal plantings, water gardens, cactus and succulent gardens, and a stunning rose garden. Even so, Sherman is more than a collection of exhibition beds — the facility also includes a library of maps, documents, newspapers, and other publications related to the environmental and botanical history of the Pacific Southwest. The onsite cafe serves French fare for lunch and brunch. Adult $3; Child (12-16) $1; Child (11 and under) Free

Southern California’s most famous Jazz Festival returns to the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach on May 13, 14 and 15. Three spectacular days of world class performances by 25 top jazz artists.

May 13, 14 & 15, 2011

Jazz Series

Don’t miss our incredible concert season this year, with stunning performances from your favorite smooth jazz artists. Concerts are held every Friday evening during the warm Southern California summer season.

Tickets are $45, $55 or $90 – a great value for the number of artists you’ll enjoy, which include Jeffrey Osborne and Dave Koz.

Find the perfect Newport Beach Vacation Rental at iTrip.net!