The long-awaited Pelican Hill golf resort opens Wednesday, becoming the latest “five-diamond” luxury hotel operating in Orange County.
The Irvine Co. held an open house for Pelican Hill on Monday. The 500-acre retreat features 332 bungalows and villas, with room rates ranging from $695 to $2,700. A team of butlers attend to 128 villas in that upper price range.
Register reporter Jeff Overley toured the site Monday. He writes:
“The Irvine Co.’s creation can probably claim the mantle of most-Mediterranean destination
around …
“Fireplaces were sculpted from limestone quarried in Italy. Towering columns in the main lobby were formed with plaster from the boot-shaped nation. Heck, even the chef of Pelican Hill’s Andrea restaurant – Gianluca Re Fraschini – was imported from his hometown just outside Milan.
“Those elements are all spokes in (Chairman Don) Bren’s overarching vision of generally reproducing the 16th century country houses fashioned for Venetian aristocrats by legendary architect Andrea Palladio.”
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Too bad they are laying people off before they start. They interviewed a lot of people and gave them start dates and then called them back and said they where unable to hire them after all. Doesn’t sound good for business when you are having to cut back before you open. I had lunch there in Sept. and wasn’t very impressed.
Perfect timing! I especially love the quote about “reproducing the 16th century houses,” seeing as how many folks in Orange County will soon be living on 16th century incomes.
LOL could timing for this development be any worse?
eh, yeah timing sucks, but hell we all know bren ain’t going broke anytime soon, being the richest human in oc. i’m sure he could give a crap literally if the place ate dog for a few years, afterall when this whole fiasco is over, it will be all sunny side up.
Its really disgusting the decadence and over it’s over the top. I hope the Irvine Co losses money on this. They are the worst company in orange county to deal with…