My family recently returned from a trip to the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach.  This place has been on my radar ever since my mom, Jess, and I went on a 2-night work trip here back in August of 2022. The resort was just as great as I remembered, and I am happy to report it was a great trip! Here’s my review of the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach.

Listen to our podcast to hear more about Southern California destinations.

 

Getting to Huntington Beach

We flew from Salt Lake City to Long Beach on Southwest Airlines. This was my first time flying in and out of Long Beach and I loved it! The airport is super small and really cute. It has a nice outdoor area between the two small terminals, and there are no jet bridges—you get to walk outside to get off and on your plane. My kids loved that!

 

 

We paid 12,000 Southwest® Rapid Rewards each for our roundtrip flights. Thanks to my husband and I both having Southwest Companion Passes we only had to purchase four tickets, making all of our flights less points than one Southwest credit card welcome offer!

We rented a minivan through Autoslash, and the rental lot was super tiny and easy to manage! This won’t be the last time I fly in and out of Long Beach.

 

Checking In to Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach

We arrived at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach and were given wristbands for the adults and kids. The adults have a room key on them, but the kids do not. We were also given a welcome gift of a $25 credit to spend at the market and two s’mores kits to enjoy at one of the property’s fire pits thanks to my Globalist status.

 

The Huntington Suite on Points

We paid 25K Hyatt points for three of our nights and 29K for one of the nights (our first night was a peak date). The cash price is over $500/night, and it is a Category 6 hotel. After booking the room, I used one of my suite upgrade awards to book us into the Huntington Suite.

You earn two suite upgrade awards once you hit 50 Hyatt nights in a calendar year, and then you get two more for each additional 10 nights. These are a game-changer when traveling as a family.

The Huntington Suite was huge! It is over 1,100 square feet. The room has a long entryway, a large living room with a sofa bed, a dining table for 4, a mini fridge, and some cupboards. There is a separate master bedroom with a king bed, a large walk-in closet, and a large bathroom with a separate tub and shower. There was plenty of room for my family. I will note, however, that the room and bathroom, in particular, seemed a little dated but were still nice.

 

 

Our friends joined us on this trip, and they booked the standard two-queen room using points as well.

 

 

Just by opening this card and meeting the minimum spend, you could stay here for FOUR nights! That was the perfect amount of time here.
 

Learn How to Apply
bonus_miles_full
 
If you and your partner already have this card, then check out our Ultimate Guide to Hyatt Points for a stay here.

 

Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Hotel

The hotel is very big with lots of rooms and lots of grounds. It totally has the resort vibe, and if you didn’t want to leave the resort, you wouldn’t have to.

Pool

There is a big pool area, an adults-only spa (hot tub) area, and another pool area with water slides. We preferred the main pool as the kid’s pool was very crowded during our stay. I didn’t like the layout of the kid’s pool area. It’s very narrow, and everything is compacted—not the best design, in my opinion. My kids were also underwhelmed by the slides, but that could just be them. Jess said her daughter really enjoyed them when they went. The main pool has a very open layout, and we really enjoyed that! At both pools, you can enjoy poolside food and drinks. Both of the pools are heated.

 

 

 

The grounds were well-kept, and there were many seating areas to enjoy, fountains to view, and fire pits to relax at. It all had a Southern California surfing vibe—super fun and cute!

There is a clothing shop where you can also rent bikes and other gear (though it’s cheaper to rent down by the beach), a small market with a coffee shop where you can get grab-and-go breakfast items, and another clothing and souvenir-type shop.

 

 

Restaurants

We ate at Pete’s Grill the night we got there. It had a cute, eclectic vibe and great fish tacos! There was also live music out in the courtyard that first night and my kids enjoyed the people watching.

 

There is also Tower 15 Pizzeria located onsite. We didn’t try this pizza but instead walked about 15 minutes to ZerZero39 Pizzeria. At this pizzeria, you can order by the slice or order a whole pizza for the family.

Watertable is the main restaurant where we had free Globalist breakfasts each morning. Without a doubt, these were some of the best hotel breakfasts I have ever had! My husband enjoyed the breakfast buffet each morning while we ordered off the menu. I love it when hotels give Globalists the option for both!

The buffet was fantastic, and really high-quality food. All the food off the menu was great as well, and my kids loved it! Our favorites from the kid’s menu were the Oreo waffles, chocolate chip pancakes, and French toast. From the adult menu, I loved the SoCa  (cornbread waffle, fried chicken, and eggs benedict) and the lemon blueberry french toast.

 

 

Location near Huntington Pier

The location is such a huge selling point for the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach. The main reason….it is just a short walk from the beach. The bridge (pictured below) connects the resort to the parking lot at Huntington Beach. At the end of the bridge, you can pick up towels, chairs, umbrellas, and beach toys. These are all complimentary with your stay. It is so convenient!

You can also walk from the hotel to Huntington Pier and many cute shops and restaurants.

 

 

What To Do In Huntington Beach

Obviously, the beach is a huge draw for coming to Huntington. We went to the beach every day (sometimes more than once). We rented boogie boards, built sand castles, watched the surfers, hunted for sand crabs (the kids LOVED this), and even watched pods of dolphins swim by.

 

 

Balboa Island

Another thing that we did was visit Balboa Island. You could also visit Balboa Fun Zone, which has a Ferris wheel, arcade, and more. We skipped that and instead took the ferry to Balboa Island. It’s a super short ride, but it’s fun! We drove our car onto the ferry, and then once we were on, we hopped out to enjoy the views. You’ll need cash- it cost us $5.50 (I believe) for the six of us and the car.

 

 

Once you get to Balboa Island, you’ll want to head to Sugar and Spice for a famous Balboa Bar or chocolate-covered banana! This was a huge hit with my kids the last time we came to the area, so they were excited to go again.

 

 

Disneyland

Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach also isn’t too far from Disneyland. When Jess went, they spent one day at Disneyland. I considered that, but one day is pricey—I think we’ll just plan to come another time when we can do more.

Anaheim Angels MLB Game

Instead, we went to an Anaheim Angels MLB game. It was the perfect night for a game, and we had so much fun! I purchased our tickets from Vivid Seats, and right after I purchased them, I saw this offer from the Capital One Shopping Portal. Ugh! This would’ve been great to use! So just a reminder to check the portals for this kind of thing. Instead of checking each portal, make it easy on yourself and use Cash Back Monitor—then you can see all the offers for that merchant in one place.

 

 

Bottom Line

Our time at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach was so much fun! It is a place we would totally return to. Between the beach and the pool, you really don’t need much else in the way of entertainment. If you’re looking for a family-friendly place to visit, then Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach is a great option!