Achieving one of the highest travel ratings in the United States, The Resort at Pelican Hill® has earned the 2013 AAA Five Diamond Award for the fourth consecutive year since opening nearly four years ago. Earlier this year, the readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine rated Pelican Hill the World’s Top Golf Resort and Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report named Pelican Hill its 2012 Grand Resort.

“The story of Pelican Hill began more than two decades ago with a vision to create an unparalleled luxury destination to serve the world’s most discerning guests for the next hundred years and beyond,” said Giuseppe Lama, Pelican Hill Managing Director.  “Pelican Hill’s consistent top ratings by respected organizations like AAA re-affirm our commitment to this vision and our team’s collective passion for hospitality at its finest.”

As North America’s premier hotel and restaurant rating system, the AAA Diamond Award ratings vary for hotels and restaurants, providing AAA member travelers with informative and reliable information on accommodations and dining. AAA’s professionally trained inspectors use published guidelines to evaluate and assign each AAA approved hotel and restaurant a rating of one to five AAA Diamonds, indicating overall quality, range of facilities and level of services offered by the property.

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

AAA Five Diamond Award

• 2013, 2012, 2011 & 2010, The Resort at Pelican Hill

Forbes Five Star Rating

• 2012, 2011 & 2010, The Spa at Pelican Hill

Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report

• Grand Resort Award 2012 (January 2012)

• Recommendation with 95 Rating (April 2011)

• Top Golf Resorts, 2011 & 2009 Reader Survey

• Top 10 Family Resorts, 2011 Reader Survey

• Top 20 Spa Resorts, 2011 Reader Survey

Condé Nast Traveler

• Top California Resort Spa and #5 ranking in “Top 100 Resort Spas – U.S. Mainland,” Readers' Choice Awards 2011 (June 2012)

• World’s Top-Rated Golf Resort & #1 California Golf Resort, Readers' Choice Awards 2011 (April 2012)

• #1 U.S. Resort, Readers' Choice Awards 2011 (October 2011)

• #1 California Golf Resort, Readers' Choice Awards 2010 (April 2011)

• Top 100 Best in the World (Readers' Choice Awards) 2011 & 2010

• Gold List 2012 & 2011

• Hot List: 2009, The Resort at Pelican Hill & The Spa at Pelican Hill

Travel + Leisure

• Top 50 Resorts in the Continental U.S., World’s Best Awards 2012 & 2011

• 500 World's Best Hotels 2012 & 2011

• Top 100 World's Best Hotels, 2011 Readers’ Poll

• America's Best Hotels 2011

• America's Best Coastal Hotels 2010

• World's Best Hotels for Families 2010

• It List 2009

Robb Report

• World's Top 100 Resorts 2012

• Best of the Best 2009

Wine Spectator 

• Restaurant Wine List Award of Excellence 2012 & 2011, Andrea

Celebrated Living

• Platinum Hotels 2011, Editor’s Mention

• Platinum Spas 2010, Editor’s Mention

U.S. News

• Best Hotels in the USA 2012 (Gold Badge)

Golfweek

• Best Resort Courses 2012 & 2011

• Best Courses You Can Play 2011, 2010 & 2009

Golf Magazine

• Green Golf Resort Award 2012

• Premier Resorts 2012-2013 Readers’ Choice (Silver Medal)

• Premier Resorts 2010-2011 Readers’ Choice (Silver Medal)

Golf Digest

• America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses 2011/2012, Ocean North & Ocean South

• The World's Greatest Golf 2009/2010, Ocean South 

• Green Star Environmental Award Finalist

GolfWorld

• Top 50 Resorts, 2009-2010 Readers’ Choice Awards 

Golf Odyssey 

• Best New Resort, 2009-2010 Best Golf Vacations Destinations

Western Golf Alliance

• Top 10 Southern California Golf Course Rankings 2012

Los Angeles Times

• Best Southern California Golf Course, 2011 Readers' Choice Awards

• Best Italian Restaurant (Orange County), 2011 Readers' Choice Awards, Andrea

• Best Sports Bar & Grill (Orange County), 2011 Readers' Choice Awards, Pelican Grill

• Best Breakfast/Brunch (Orange County), 2011 Readers' Choice Awards, Coliseum Pool & Grill

• Best Day Spa (Orange County), 2011 Readers' Choice Awards, The Spa at Pelican Hill

Entrée Travel Newsletter

• Best U.S. Resort, Best of 2010

Orange Coast

• Top 10 Restaurants 2012, Andrea

OC Metro

• Green Team Awards 2012, Pelican Hill Golf Club

The Orange County Register

• Best Place to Get Married in Best of Orange County 2011 & 2010 

• Best Golf Course/Driving Ranges in Best of Orange County 2011 & 2010

Riviera Orange County

• Best New Luxury Restaurant 2009, Andrea

OC Weekly

• Best Golf Course, Best of OC Awards 2011, Pelican Hill Golf Club's Ocean North Course

Smart Meetings

• 2010 Platinum Choice Awards

Spa Magazine

• Favorite New Spa, 2009 Silver Sage Readers’ Choice Awards

Elite Traveler

• 101 Top Hotel Suites 2009

TripAdvisor

• Top 10 Relaxation/Spa Hotels in the United States, 2011 Travelers' Choice Best Hotels

• Award of Excellence 2012, The Resort at Pelican Hill

• Award of Excellence 2012, Pelican Hill Golf Club

• Award of Excellence 2012, Andrea Ristorante

Gayot.com

• 5 Golden Keys Rating (Resort)

• Top 10 Orange County (CA) Hotels 2011

• Top 10 Orange County (CA) Romantic Hotels 2011

• Top 10 Orange County Romantic Restaurants 2011, Andrea

• Top 10 Orange County Chef's Table Restaurants 2011, Andrea

• Top 10 Orange County Italian Restaurants 2011, Andrea

• Top 10 Orange County Food Rating Restaurants 2011, Andrea 

• Top 10 Orange County Wine List Restaurants 2011, Andrea 

• Top 10 Orange County Star Spotting Restaurants 2011, Andrea

• Top 10 Restaurant Views in Orange County 2009, Coliseum Pool & Grill

OpenTable

• Top 10 Orange County Restaurants for Italian Food, 2011 Diners' Choice Awards, Andrea

• Top 10 Orange County Restaurants for American Food, 2011 Diners' Choice Awards, Pelican Grill

• Top 10 Orange County Restaurants for Best Ambiance, 2011 Diners' Choice Awards, Pelican Grill and Coliseum Pool & Grill

• Top 10 Orange County/ Los Angeles Restaurants for American Food, 2011 Diners' Choice Awards, Pelican Grill

• Best Ambiance, 2011 Diners' Choice Awards, Pelican Grill

• Best Service, 2011 Diners' Choice Awards, Pelican Grill

• Great for Lunch, 2011 Diners' Choice Awards, Coliseum Pool & Grill

• Top 50 U.S. Restaurants for Best Italian Cuisine, 2010 Diners' Choice Awards, Andrea

• Top 50 Most Romantic Restaurants in the U.S., 2010 Diners' Choice Awards, Andrea

About Pelican Hill®

Set on 504 acres by the Pacific Ocean in Newport Beach, Pelican Hill features: 128 two-, three- and four-bedroom villas with magnificent coastal views and an unparalleled array of appointments, immersing guests in the absolute finest of everything; 204 luxuriously appointed bungalow guest rooms and suites with private terraces; a rejuvenating Five-Star spa with a menu of the world’s most celebrated therapies; world-class restaurants, including Andrea serving authentic Northern Italian cuisine; an iconic “Coliseum Pool,” one of the largest circular pools anywhere with tiered decks and luxurious cabanas; and Pelican Hill Golf Club with 36 dramatic holes by Tom Fazio, nearly all with ocean panoramas. A Five-Diamond destination, Pelican Hill has earned acclaim as the 2012 Grand Resort selected by Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report, as Condé Nast Traveler’s #1 U.S. Resort, Top-Rated Golf Resort Worldwide and Top-Rated California Resort Spa (2011 Readers’ Choice Awards), in Travel + Leisure’s "Top 100" World's Best Hotels (2011 Readers’ Poll), and with two courses ranked among Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses (2011).

The Irvine Company Resort Properties owns and manages the finest resort and leisure destinations in Newport Coast and the City of Irvine. In addition to Pelican Hill, the portfolio includes the Island Hotel Newport Beach, the city’s landmark property and only AAA Five Diamond hotel; Hyatt Regency Irvine, the city’s only Four Diamond hotel; Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine, featuring a challenging, Tom Fazio-designed public golf course; and several of the finest marinas in Newport Harbor and Northern California.

About the Irvine Company

The Irvine Company is an internationally renowned real estate development company known for its award-winning master-planned communities, its vast portfolio of high-quality investment properties and its leadership in conservation and natural resource management.  The growing real estate portfolio encompasses office, apartment, retail and resort holdings located throughout California’s premier markets, including assets in San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles Counties, and holdings in Northern California.  As a steward of some of America’s most beautiful and scientifically important open space and parklands, the company has donated more than half of the historic 93,000-acre Irvine Ranch in Orange County — 50,000 acres — to permanently preserve these lands. The U.S. Department of Interior and the State of California have designated these parklands as “Natural Landmarks,” one of the most prestigious land preservation designations. The privately held, diversified company traces its roots to the 1860s with the formation of The Irvine Ranch® from Mexican and Spanish land grants.