REFINED REFUGE Hotel Joaquin’s unassuming exterior offers luxurious privacy on a swanky swath of South Coast Highway
I
Written by Delaney Willet
f the world is my oyster, Hotel Joaquin is the perfectly-rounded pearl situated on the inner edge of said oyster. The mini-resort, as it is described to me by general manager Reinhard Neubert (formerly of Santa Barbara’s Belmond El Encanto and Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore), features 22 rooms carved into South Coast Highway on the northern end of Laguna Beach. Far-flung gems such as the shores of St. Barthelemy and Montauk are called to mind as I imbibe and unwind in the hybrid bar-lobby-living room, which appears as though it was curated by everyone’s coolest, most well-traveled friend. Records line the wall opposite the crackling fireplace, welcome and inviting although it is mid-July—it is the atmosphere it suggests, that this is somewhere you arrive not to stop in, but to stay awhile. The bartender/bellhop/desk manager (each staff member at Hotel Joaquin wears many hats, primarily that of ‘friend,’ as the quaint property facilitates an irreplicable intimacy between staff and guests) notices my infatuation with my surroundings and offers to make me a welcome cocktail. Sunken into the plush white couch atop a mesmerizing blackand-white checkered rug, I humbly refuse at first, though am easily swayed as he offers to guess my favorite libation. I am initially shocked, and then validated, when he guesses correctly (spicy Paloma with mezcal). This cements my theory that this slice out of the coast must be some fantastical haven. The enchantment grows thicker as my key—yes, a real, manual key!—turns in my suite’s lock and I delight at the unveiling of a bespoke domicile, the interiors as intuitively designed as the lobby’s.
72 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020