It’s been just a few weeks since our Spring 2022 HAVEN Workshop and I’m still daydreaming about the buzz of energy surrounding our attendees, warm sunshine on our faces, and cozy evenings spent in the Lido House Harbor Cottage. The workshop was a smashing success, if I do say so myself – our attendees were eager to learn, share and connect with one another, the Lido House staff made sure everything was above and beyond, and our speakers shared ALL the knowledge. To cap it off we stayed in one of our favorite cottages at Lido House, the Harbor Cottage, designed by Brooke Wagner and photographed here by our workshop photography speaker, Ryan Garvin. Stick around to take a tour with us and learn about our cozy and decadent home away from home.

Upon arriving at Lido House you’ll first notice two things, one – the beautiful architecture based on Lido House owner, Robert D. Olson’s own Balboa Island home, and two – the scent. Yes, Lido House has its very own delectable scent that wafts throughout the hotel grounds infusing your days with coastal calm. You better believe I bought their candle so I could take this piece of everyday luxury home with me.

A short walk past the sparkling pool, if you make it that far, tucked behind Lido House is a haven of five private cottages. Each cozy cottage is named after a local island and designed by a different renowned local design firm. Peeking into each window as we wandered by, we took in the individual style each one had to offer. The cottages have been thoughtfully designed to celebrate the effortless, iconic style Newport Beach is known for while each design firm breathed its own unique life into the space.

Our home for the week was the beautiful Harbor Cottage designed by Brooke Wagner. We had just enough time to drink it all in before we were greeted at the door with a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Essentiel Cuvée Réservée. Lido House is one of the first hotels in the US to blend and bottle their own champagne in partnership with a major champagne house and we were more than happy to accept their gracious and delicious gift. Turning back to tour the house, now with a glass of champagne in hand, we took in the coastal causal abode.

Wandering past the reading nook up the stairs to the second floor we found two bedrooms, each with a patio to take in the views. We equably chose our rooms via the rock-paper-scissors method to see who got the king bed. To be honest, the queen bedroom is the one Melissa wanted anyway, so it worked out. The plushy beds were decked out in Susan Connor pillows and my East Coast inner clock was begging me to try them out, but we still had one more floor to explore.

The third floor was all you could want from a beach cottage and more. A private curtained nook boasting a gas fireplace offers refuge on cool nights, and the patio complete with a view over the pool makes a perfect spot to relax in the sunshine on a lazy afternoon.

Designed with an effortless sense of style and beach-house soirée vibe the Harbor Cottage encourages congenial gatherings both indoors and out. Our home-for-the-week gave us more than enough room to prepare for our workshop, cook & host a family meal, and even do some light yoga. We only did one of those things, but we could have done all three if we wanted to.

Every inch of Harbor Cottage possesses the casual and refined elegance that you would expect from the noteworthy Lido House. Whimsical, unexpected, and all local it is the home-away-from-home we all desire. Our week at the Harbor Cottage was an experience unlike any other and one we hope to repeat year after year. If you’re interested in staying there, too, follow this link and tell them the crew at HAVEN sent you!

Like what you see? Take a peek at the talent behind the story… Hotel: Lido House · Cottage: Harbor Cottage · Interior Design: Brooke Wagner Design · Photography: Ryan Garvin · Builder: MW Custom Homes