Note: This post is part of an ongoing blog series called #costamesa365 where the author is striving to shop only* in her city of Costa Mesa, for a year.
Last week, our friends at the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce invited me to meet them for lunch at the Hilton Costa Mesa.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I have literally never stepped foot in our hometown Hilton, not once.
So out of touch am I, that when I plugged the address into my GPS, I assumed it would lead me over to Segerstrom Center For The Arts. How wrong I was! Instead, my phone took me to a large hotel directly across the street from Ra Yoga, a block from The LAB and The Camp, within stumbling distance from Barley Forge and Gunwhale Ales. (Dangerous!)
What rock have I been living under?
How many times have I driven past this section of the Bristol corridor, never realizing a Hilton was here?
I mean, walkable to Memphis and Mesa? This place had staycation written all over it.
Sufficiently humbled by this glaring gap in my Costa Knowledge – and with still so much to learn about my city – I found some self-parking and eased my car into a spot on the Beach Level of the Hilton garage.
I entered the hotel and found I needed to take the elevator up a floor to get to the Lobby. So, the elevator doors opened, I stepped in… and that’s when I gasped with pure delight!
Never have I enjoyed an elevator experience as funky and fun as the bank of steampunk, Jules Verne-esque elevators at Hilton Costa Mesa. Each one is like its own, sleek, turn-of-the-century space capsule – riveted from top to bottom in what can only be described as dressing-room lights. Fantastic!
If Willy Wonka had The Great Glass Elevator, Hilton might have The Greatest Glass Elevators.
Hilton Costa Mesa: Go For The Kitsch-Cool, Steampunk Elevators… Stay For The Fresh, Yummy Food.
I met up with my Chamber lunch dates and was pleased to see our dining accommodations were directly beneath the exposed bank of past-future elevators.
As I watched them blast-off and land, blast-off and land – in a never-ending launch sequence, top lit by the lobby skylights – I learned that the hotel was built in the 80s, and throughout the building there are design elements paying homage to California.
While you, like me, may very much want your hotel to be retro-kitsch cool – you don’t really want that from lunch. Well, I’m pleased to report that my first lunch at Hilton Costa Mesa was fresh, flavorful, and decidedly of this decade:
Warm pita and crisp veggies, served with savory hummus;
Crisp Brussels sprouts tossed with bacon, bleu cheese and cranberries;
Bowls brimming with full-flavor shishito peppers;
And my personal favorite…
Potato Gnocchi served in savory, truffle chicken stock, garnished with crunchy asparagus and almonds.
Yum!
My other most-favorite part of the property was this beautiful patio, complete with waterfall fountain. So peaceful and relaxing. Next time I visit, it has my name (plus a margarita and great book,) written all over it.
The team at Hilton mentioned that there are plans in the works to renovate this Costa Mesa location, soon. (And they aren’t sure if the steampunk elevators will be on the design chopping block or not.)
So if you want to check it out for yourself, best not to wait as long as I did to come in. Stay for lunch or Happy Hour, too, and let us know what you think over in our Facebook Group.
All in all, it’s nice to know this city can still surprise me. Whether you’re into retro-kitsch or cutting-edge, there’s creativity around every corner, here in Costa Mesa – even as close as your local hotel.
Now get out there and find something unexpectedly delightful in your own backyard!
Big thanks to Hilton Costa Mesa and the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce for a lovely lunch… and those elevators! ♥
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*We will always start by shopping / looking in Costa Mesa, first. But if we really need something and an alternative is nowhere to be found in Costa Mesa, we’ll stray. Also, as parents, we’ve decided that certain kid-related things (mainly educational) will need to remain baked in.
