I recently stayed at the Newport Dunes in one of the "Luxury Cottages" on the beach. We paid $385 per night for a cottage that was described to sleep 6 and have a full kitchen. I would not recommend renting these cottages unless Newport Dunes significantly lowers the price and you arrive with pretty low expectations.

Our kitchen had a microwave and toaster oven. The website advertised a "full kitchen" and showed a kitchen that did not look anything like the one we had. We had no cooking utencils other than a few forks, spoons and two butter knifes. When I asked for a knife in order to slice up some fruit, I was told no. For $385 dollars a night, I should not have to beg for cutlery. There was also rat droppings in one of the bottom drawers in the kitchen.

The bathroom was cramped and if you were over 5'8 you could not stand up in the shower. The shower curtain was too large for the tiny shower and layed in a big heap on the shower floor while you tried to take a shower. But the good news is you ran out of hot water so fast, that you took a pretty quick shower and could untangle your feet from the shower curtain in no time.

The pull out sofa sleeper was so uncomfortable that one of us slept on the hard floor the first night. Like most people, I do not expect a pull out sofa to be really comfortable, but this one was unusable. The loft consists of a hard plywood floor with no pads or mattresses. For $385 a night, we assummed the sleeping arrangements would be adequate. They were awful and we ended up purchasing an air bed just to make it through the stay. The resort did provide linens and blankets which were clean and in good shape. There are no closets, no hangers, no dressers and no place to put duffle bags, suitcases, etc. except on the floor around the bed.

If we paid $100 per night, I may not be that upset about it. But we paid a lot of money for a cottage that was more like a "camping cabin".

The beach at Newport Dunes is part of the "back bay", which means it is a man made lagoon type beach. Three storm drain outfalls were located on the beach and clearly labeled. For some strange reason, the resort sets up the "kids water park" right next to these storm drain pipes. Storm drains serving urban areas such as Newport Beach tend to collect water polluted with oils, pesticides, and other contaminants. I would not expect the water to be very clean, and it was not. There was a lot of green algae growing in the water, black looking muck under the sand and it smelled bad.

The pool was nice and the movies they showed on the beach on the huge blow up screen were also kind of cool. However, it does not make up for the horrible cottage and the misleading advertising on the Newport Dunes website.

If you like tons of people in cramped spaces, this place is for you. If you like a lot of rules and signs telling you want you can and can not do, this is a good place for you. If you enjoy swimming in toxic looking stagnant water, you will love Newport Dunes. If you like feeling totally ripped off, I highly recommed the place. However, the Hyatt Regency is just up the street for half the price.