Pelican Hill Earns AAA Five Diamond Rating for Third Year

Earlier this year, the nearly three-year-old property was named the top California Golf Resort by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine.

As North America’s premier hotel and restaurant rating system, the AAA Diamond Awards ratings vary for hotels and restaurants to fit the range of accommodation and dining experiences AAA member travelers require. AAA’s professional evaluators assign each AAA Approved hotel and restaurant a rating of one to five AAA Diamonds, indicating the level of complexity in service, décor, and amenities – from simple to luxurious.

Since opening in late November 2008, Pelican Hill Resort has earned numerous accolades, including the Resort’s most recent honors from Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report, Condè Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Wine Spectator, Golf Digest and Los Angeles Times. Following is a complete listing of Pelican Hill’s current accolades and awards:

RESORT:
• AAA Five Diamond, 2012, 2011 & 2010
• Condè Nast Traveler, Readers' Choice Awards 2010
o #1 California Golf Resort
o #2 of the "Top 100 U.S. Mainland Resorts"
o #22 of the "Top 100 Best in the World”
• Condè Nast Traveler, Gold List 2011
• Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report, Recommendation as "an exceptional hotel/resort of great individuality and distinction" with 95 Rating, 500 Favorite Hotels in the World™ (April 2011)
• Travel + Leisure
o #6 among Top Resort in U.S./ Canada & "Top 100" in World's Best Hotels 2011 (Reader's Poll)
o 500 World's Best Hotels 2011
o #11 among America’s Best Coastal Hotels
o #27 among World’s Best Hotels for Families in U.S./Canada
• Celebrated Living Readers’ Choice Platinum Hotels List 2011, Editors’ Mentions
• Gayot.com, 5 Golden Keys Rating (Resort), 2011 Top 10 Orange County (CA) Hotels, and Top 10 Orange County (CA) Romantic Hotels
• SmartMeetings, 2010 Platinum Choice Awards
• Entrée Travel Newsletter, Best U.S. Resort, Best of 2010
• The Orange County Register, "Best of OC" 2010, "Best Place to Get Married"
• Andrew Harper's Readers Choice Awards 2009, Top 10 Golf Resorts
• Condè Nast Traveler, Hot List 2009
• Travel + Leisure, It List 2009
• Robb Report, Best of the Best 2009
• Elite Traveler, 101 Top Hotel Suites 2009
• Best of OC Weekly 2009, 14th Annual Awards (Golf, Villas & Andrea recognized)

SPA:
• Forbes Five Star Award, 2011 & 2010
• Los Angeles Times, Readers' Choice Awards 2011, Best Day Spa (Orange County)
• TripAdvisor, Travelers' Choice, The Best Hotels 2011, Top 10 Relaxation/Spa Hotels in the United States
• Celebrated Living, Platinum Spas Editor’s Mention, 2010
• Spa Magazine, Favorite New Spa in Silver Sage Reader's Choice Awards 2009
• Condè Nast Traveler, Hot List: 2009
• Best New Resort Spa in Vital Juice's Skinny Book 2010 Los Angeles Edition

GOLF:
• Golf Digest, America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses 2011/2012, Ocean North & Ocean South
• Golfweek, Best Resort Courses 2011
• Golfweek, Best Courses You Can Play, 2009, 2010 & 2011
• Golf Magazine, Premier Resorts 2010 Readers Choice, Silver Medal
• Los Angeles Times, Readers' Choice Awards 2011, Best Southern California Golf Course
• The Orange County Register, Best of OC 2010, Best Golf Course/Driving Ranges
• Golf Digest, The World’s Greatest Golf 2009/2010, Ocean South
• Golf Digest, Green Star Environmental Award Finalist 2009
• GolfWorld, 2009-2010 Reader's Choice Awards, Top 50 Resorts
• Golf Odyssey newsletter's Best New Resort in Best Golf Vacations Destinations 2009/2010
• Andrew Harper's Readers Choice Awards 2009, Top 10 Golf Resorts
• Greenskeeper.org, 2009 BEST Playing Conditions Award, Orange County region

RESTAURANTS:
• Wine Spectator, Restaurant Wine List Award of Excellence 2011, Andrea
• Gayot.com, 2011 Top 10 Orange County Romantic Restaurants, Top 10 Orange County Chef's Table Restaurants, Top 10 Orange County Italian Restaurants, Top 10 Orange County Food Rating Restaurants, Top 10 Orange County Wine List Restaurants, and Top 10 Orange County Star Spotting Restaurants (Andrea)
• Los Angeles Times, Readers' Choice Awards 2011
o Best Italian Restaurant (Orange County), Andrea
o Best Sports Bar & Grill (Orange County), Pelican Grill
o Best Breakfast/Brunch (Orange County), Coliseum Pool & Grill
• OpenTable 2010 Diners' Choice Awards
o Top 50 U.S. Restaurants for Best Italian Cuisine, Andrea
o Top 50 Most Romantic Restaurants in the U.S., Andrea
• Forbes Four Star Award, Andrea
• Riviera, Best New Restaurant, Luxury, Andrea (2009)
• Gayot.com, Top 10 Restaurant Views in Orange County, Coliseum Pool & Grill

Hotel Profile: The Resort at Pelican Hill