The location, on Newport Beach, is well-positioned right at the pier on the beach. The rooms are charming with a vintage victorian decor (feels a little like a brothel....in a good way). Beds are amazingly comfortable. We spent two nights at the Doryman in room 9 and room 10. The rooms are filled with flowers, beveled mirrors, sunken marble tubs, skylights, fireplaces. Room 9 has a door to the balcony where we enjoyed our coffee and breakfast. It does get loud at night. It's right on the beach and surrounded by bars...it didn't really bother us, but if you are looking for quiet and an early night, you should be prepared with earplugs.

Parking was a bonus.

Below the hotel, is the Ocean 21 Restaurant which is dubbed NB's finest/most romantic. I enjoyed the food and cocktails. Did not enjoy the service...not friendly or interested in making us feel welcomed or comfortable. We dined here twice and came for cocktails another two times....you would think they would have been more attentive. Took 10 minutes to waive over the bartender (with less then 8 people at the bar).

We spent two nights at the Doryman Bed and Breakfast, and I was pleasantly surprised the minute we arrived. The hidden elevator to the second floor is enchanting, and once the elevator door opens, you enter a timeless hotel. Filled with Victorian ambiance, you realize that this is no ordinary hotel. The rooms are exquisite, filled with flowers, beveled mirrors, sunken marble tubs, skylights, fireplaces and most rooms have windows with bay seating that overlooks the amazing ocean! Below the hotel, is the Ocean 21 Restaurant which is also a treasure. I was able to refresh my soul, write, read, take walks along the beach, fall in love all over again, and make incredible memories. We will definitely return to this hidden gem!! Connie Willson

Finding the hidden door and elevator that takes you upstairs to the front desk check-in is secretive and alluring. Once upstairs we were greeted by a very pleasant lady that remembered us from our previous visit. Our room wasn't quite ready as we had arrived an hour early so we stashed our bags and trekked off to the nearby market. While in the market we received a phone call letting us know that our room was ready so after we finished our shopping we walked back to the hotel -- actually its a B&B. We got checked in and unpacked; then it was time for us to find lunch. There are a lot of excellent eateries nearby -- Rockin' Baja, the Crab Cooker and more. The boardwalk was a carnival atmosphere and the water was a bit chillier this year than last year but we still had great walks on the beach, quiet morning breakfasts on the roof top courtesy of the Doryman's and a wonderful four day stay that made our birthday celebration a great weekend. The B&B staff was cheerful and extremely helpful. We were left alone to enjoy our time and provided with the extra necessities that one needs when they go swimming -- towels, more towels and the floors cleaned when we came back from the beach!!! Thanks much for the awesome vacation -- we'll see you again soon. I'd tell you which room we were in but its a secret. Stay in any of the rooms and enjoy your stay.

I just got off the phone with the manager of the inn and restaurant. Doryman's Inn and the restaurant 2100 Oceanfront are owned by same owner. Before my phone call with the manager I would have rated my experience an overall 2, but now after having to resolve a disputed credit card charge I am downgrading it to a 1.
My wife and I just got married at the courthouse in Norwalk, CA in February 2010. We wanted to get away from work and just enjoy a couple of days to ourselves. I wasn't sure where to go, but I wanted to stay in Orange County because we wanted to stay close to home in the San Gabriel Valley and we we wanted to treat some friends to dinner in the OC who helped us with our marriage. I had not booked any hotel yet bc I couldn't really tell whether the hotels were worth the price, so I took a list of 5 hotels along the OC coast and figure I would stop at each one and get a feel for the place before booking the room. The Doryman's was the first stop because it was the closest from Los Angeles. Once we arrived I knew the rates for the hotel was not worth the room quality. And for some reason I had not read all the reviews.
Nonetheless, we took a tour of the available rooms (#1, 8, and Bellagio). My wife did not want to stay at Doryman's at first because the rooms were old and felt like a motel, even though the room sizes were pretty big. The biggest and most attractive room was the Bellagio which was listed at $250. The desk clerk could sense our hesitation so she told us to go downstairs to see the restaurant (2100 Oceanfront). After visiting the classy looking restaurant, my wife decided she could live with staying at the Doryman's if we ate at the restaurant and for the right price.
I told the desk clerk that I was looking for a cheaper rate, but would only want to stay at the Bellagio (I said this because I did not want to insult the place). After some hemming and hawing, she told me she had a package that would give me the Bellagio room for approximately $300, plus a 3 course meal for 2 at the restaurant. I thought this was a good deal since, even though I am paying more than I wanted to for the room, I am now also getting a meal. When I told the clerk that I would be inviting some friends out to dinner and would rather have the meal as a coupon, she agreed to give me a $100 credit for the meal.
For dinner, our bill comes out to about $400 ($100 was a bottle of wine, so $300 in food) and $100 was taken off the bill by the server, and I gave the server a pricey tip of 20%. The next day we check out and the clerk tells me that there was a mistake in the billing and that they had billed my credit card already for $385, and needed my signature to return $110. So, gladly I signed and my bill for the hotel ended up being $275 instead of the $385 that they already charged my credit card.
About a week later I check my credit card statement, and there is an extra $100 charge on my credit card from 2100 Oceanfront the restaurant. I checked my credit card receipts and saw no additional $100 that I signed off on. I called the restaurant and left a message and four days later, 2/22/10, I get a call from the manager of the restaurant and inn. He explained to me that the room was supposed to be billed at $250 and I would receive a $100 voucher for the meal, therefore my total bill should have been $385. However, I explained to him that the reason I even agreed to stay at the hotel was for a package that the clerk sold me on. Otherwise, the price he explained to me is not a package, but just a regularly priced room and meal. There is no deal!
I even tried to give him an opportunity to apologize for billing my credit card without my knowledge, but he just said it was not their mistake. How can it not be their mistake when you billed my credit card after I left and done so without my knowledge?
It wasn't until more haggling that he offered to take off $50 from the charge. I accepted, but knowing that I will be writing a review about this place.
As for my review of the B&B, I think the negative and long posts are accurate. I will add that we were not able to get a good night's sleep because our room was right above a bar/club and all I heard was people yelling at each other all night. The breakfast like it has been previously stated was sparse and came out of a Costco freezer. I don't know why the breakfast is so bad. The restaurant kitchen is right below the breakfast area. They can easily make some delicious breakfast. We were so hungry afterwards that we went to eat a corn dog and tacos at Sharkeez. Another argument for not reducing the rate of the room was because they were supposedly booked up, well I only saw one person stay at the hotel, and I saw noone else at the breakfast.
The restaurant food quality is for the most part excellent. The filet mignon was melt in your mouth butter at med rare and rare. The sea bass excellent with very light sauce. The rib eye was not good. it was tough and seemed to have lots of tendon. I felt like I was eating griz. And this was cooked at med. rare. The service in the restaurant was excellent.
My issue above was in regards to the mistake by the front desk clerk, and the billing of my credit card without telling me. In my conversations with the manager afterwards, I feel that this place is not professionally managed. I intend to write to the owner of both as well.
I would not recommend the Inn to stay for a romantic getaway. However, if you get drunk at Sharkeez and need a place to crash and they only charge $50, then this place is not that bad. If it wasn't for the manager and his treatment of this issue, I would have loved to go back to the restaurant, but alas, because he manages both properties, I will not be going back to either.