The county’s prime beach communities include Newport Beach, Corona del Mar and Huntington Beach.

Newport Beach and its environs have been called California's Riviera, the Gold Coast and even the Colorful Coast. The natural beauty has attracted much wealth to the area. Sandy beaches, bougainvillea and oleander are as prevalent as yachts, luxury vehicles and dream homes —from quaint cottages to some of O.C.'s most expensive real estate.

The retail center of Newport Beach is at Newport Center, near Jamboree Road, East Coast Highway and MacArthur Boulevard.

Fashion Island, with its ocean view, breezes and tiled, palm-lined paseos, is among the most pleasant malls anywhere—relaxed and elegant, just like the surrounding area. Anchors Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's have restaurants that are popular for lunch. Roy's Hawaiian fusion cuisine, French 75 and the new Yard House are excellent dining options.

Also in Newport Center is the Orange County Museum of Art, which focuses on 20th-century California artists. OCMA throws some of the hippest fêtes around: Orange Crush is an after-hours event featuring indie bands and local DJs on the third Thursday of the month.

Nearby is Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve and Regional Park, also known as the Back Bay. Some 160 species of birds, including the great egret and double-crested cormorant, find refuge at the reserve. Hike, bike or jog along 10 miles of trails (949.640.6746). Rowing and kayaking are fine ways to explore the bay; rent equipment from the Newport Aquatic Center (North Star County Beach, 1 Whitecliffs Drive, 949.646.7725).

Moe B's Watersports (949.729.1150) offers sailboats, kayaks, pedal boats, windsurfing and electric boat rentals. Moe B's guided kayak tour through the protected marshlands of the Back Bay departs Sundays at 10 a.m. ($15 includes kayak rental).

The intimate Environmental Nature Center (1601 E. 16th St., Newport Beach, 949.645.8489) offers 14 native plant habitats and is ideal for families with small children.

Newport Beach boasts the largest small-boat harbor in the world. North on Pacific Coast Highway from the Back Bay area is a stretch known as Mariner's Mile that serves the harbor on the mainland side with restaurants, yacht clubs and marine supply shops.

Private charters and regularly scheduled narrated harbor cruises aboard vessels including luxury dining cruisers and romantic gondolas depart from Mariner's Mile as well as from Balboa Pavilion (see Balboa section next page). They pass the luxury abodes of county developers. All manner of boat rentals are possible, from canoes and kayaks to motorboats and surrey-fringed electric boats.

Lido Village is where the peninsula meets the mainland. (Turn onto Via Lido and park in Lido Marina Village's paid-parking enclosure.) A pedestrian zone with cobblestone streets, the village offers boutiques and marina-side cafes. A bridge connects the village to Lido Island, a residential area with a two-mile perimeter and lots of distinctive architecture.

The "beach" in Newport Beach stretches the length of the Balboa Peninsula. It includes two piers, Balboa and Newport, and one of the cleanest and most colorful bike paths and boardwalks anywhere.

The action never stops around Newport Pier, off Newport Boulevard on McFadden Square. The Dory Fishing Fleet leaves soon after the bars close in the wee hours of the morn; you can visit the open-air fish market after the sun comes up. The fleet, begun in 1889 by a group of enterprising fishermen, is the last beach-side fishing cooperative of its kind in the United States.

Balboa
To reach the Balboa Pier, continue southeast on Newport Boulevard (its name changes to Balboa Boulevard at 22nd Street), turn right on Palm Street and park in the metered lot. Kite flying is popular at Peninsula Park.

The Wedge, where the peninsula meets the harbor jetty at its end, is one of the world's most famous bodysurfing and bodyboarding spots. Currents and riptides can be dangerous, so don't go in the water unless you really know what you're doing; it's entertaining just watching the experts in action.

On the harbor side of Balboa Peninsula are the Balboa Pavilion and a shrinking Fun Zone whose remaining rides include a Ferris wheel and carousel. Be sure to try a custom-dipped Balboa Bar or a frozen banana. Take advantage of the Balboa Bay Front Webcam at the nearby Harbour House coffee shop; find a sunny seat outside, call your friends in snow-crusted or humid states, have them log on to www.talesofbalboa.com and gloat globally!

The Balboa Pavilion, a 1905 gabled, cupola-topped structure, is the depot for boat excursions: harbor tours, whale-watching trips and Santa Catalina cruises. As the lyrics to a classic pop song attest, Catalina is "26 miles across the sea"; it's known for its beaches, buffalo and glass-bottom boats. The city of Avalon is a 75-minute cruise from the Pavilion aboard the catamaran Catalina Flyer.

The Balboa Island Ferry is a three-car shuttle between docks at the Fun Zone and Balboa Island, a tightknit community featuring charming beach cottages, shops, galleries, boutiques and restaurants. Marine Avenue, Balboa Island's only nonresidential street, has gone from quaint to hip, thanks to new shops and boutiques.

Corona del Mar
Heading south along Coast Highway takes you past Corona del Mar Plaza—where upscale shops and restaurants include Tommy Bahama Emporium, Amadeus Aveda Spa and Gulfstream restaurant—to Corona del Mar, a gem of a town with streets named for flowers, expansive beaches and expensive real estate. Recently on the market was a three-lot beachfront home, the most expensive listing in California at $75 million.

On East Coast Highway just south of MacArthur Boulevard is Sherman Library and Gardens, a cultural and educational research center maintaining 2,000 plant species on two landscaped acres. Consider lunch on the grounds at Café Jardin.

Coast Highway is lined with elegant design showrooms, rug dealers and boutiques.

To find Big Corona Beach, head south on Marguerite from Coast Highway, turn right on Ocean Boulevard, then follow signs to Corona del Mar Main Beach. You'll find bodysurfing, volleyball, fire pits and facilities. Picturesque Little Corona Beach, just south, offers a fascinating tide-pool experience.

South of Corona del Mar, in Newport Coast, is Crystal Cove Promenade, with boutiques such as Novecento and restaurants such as Mastro's Ocean Club Fish House, Bluefin and Sage on the Coast.

Huntington Beach
Surf City U.S.A. has gotten more sophisticated since 1963, when the Jan and Dean hit Surf City topped charts. Though Huntington Beach retains some of its sand-in-the-cracks, beach-town personality, shops along Main Street, new fine-dining options and imposing luxury hotels have made a dramatic transformation.

The action, as the moniker Surf City suggests, is near the water. Main Street is a promenade featuring lots of surf and beachwear shops, a Surfing Walk of Fame and the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum.

Adjacent to Huntington Beach Pier Plaza are restaurants including Savannah at the Beach and Duke's; the plaza often hosts street performers, art shows and live bands. A statue of a surfer at Coast Highway and Huntington Street captures the town's spirit.

The area offers three beaches; when the break is right, south swells can form perfect curls. Huntington City Beach, Huntington State Beach and Bolsa Chica State Beach are popular for surfing and volleyball as well as for fire rings and nighttime weenie roasts.

Bolsa Chica State Ecological Reserve (714.840.1575), near Warner Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway, offers 200 species of migratory birds in a salt-marsh setting with a 1.5-mile loop trail.

Inland, at Talbert Avenue and Goldenwest Street, is 350-acre Huntington Central Park; the park encompasses Shipley Nature Center (714.842.4772), an equestrian center, a Frisbee golf course, two "lakes" and the city's Central Library (714.842.4481)—which has the largest children's library in the state.

Bella Terra is a Tuscan-themed shopping destination with cobblestone walkways. Draws include outdoor sports specialist REI and a 20-screen cineplex.

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