Dangerous Stories · October 1–3, 2026
Three days in Irvine, and a discounted block of rooms at the hotel closest to the venue. Here is where to sleep and how to get here — food and things to do are coming next.
We held a block of rooms at the closest hotel to the venue. If it is not your speed, here is everything else worth knowing about within a few miles.
4500 MacArthur Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92660 · 2 miles, about 5 minutes from the Beckman Center
Public rates for the same room and dates. Before tax; no resort or destination fee.
Prefer the phone? Call (949) 476-2001 and ask for group code DA6DA6E.
The block holds one room type — a king room with a poolside view. Need two beds or a different layout? Call the hotel directly and ask for the Dangerous Stories block.
Rates below were checked in July 2026 for the nights of the salon. They move constantly — treat them as a starting point and confirm when you book.
Resort stays worth the drive, for anyone turning the salon into a longer trip.
$799–$929
per night before tax · rates vary
5 miles · about 15 min to the Beckman Center
Parking: Valet parking — call for the current rate
The only Forbes Four-Star waterfront resort in Newport Beach. A straightforward surface-street drive to the venue, and the sunset patio makes an easy after-session gathering spot.
$832–$916
per night before tax · rates vary
7 miles · about 20 min to the Beckman Center
Parking: $69/day valet — no self-park option
Cape Cod architecture on the old Newport Beach city hall site, a short ride from the pier. A $50/night destination fee is already in the rate and covers the bikes, beach chairs and beach shuttle.
Full-service hotels minutes from the venue, most with a free airport shuttle.
$319–$578
per night before tax · rates vary
3 miles · about 7 min to the Beckman Center
Parking: $45/day self · $52/day valet
The most amenity-rich option with a free airport shuttle — fly in, ride over, and skip the rental car entirely.
$248–$478
per night before tax · rates vary
3 miles · about 5 min to the Beckman Center
Parking: Self-park — call for current rate
Practically on top of the airport — two minutes from baggage claim on a free shuttle. Formerly the Hyatt Regency John Wayne Airport Newport Beach.
Comfortable, close, and kind to a training budget — breakfast and shuttle included.
$157–$303
per night before tax · rates vary
3 miles · about 6 min to the Beckman Center
Parking: $30/day self-park
The best value on this list — free breakfast and a free airport shuttle, a few minutes from the venue.
$192–$396
per night before tax · rates vary
4 miles · about 7 min to the Beckman Center
Parking: $25/day self-park — cheapest on this list
A dependable mid-price Marriott with a free shuttle and the lowest parking fee here.
100 Academy Way, Irvine, CA 92617
(949) 721-2200
Three miles from John Wayne Airport, on the edge of the UC Irvine campus. Parking is free and there is no permit to sort out.
John Wayne Airport is the easy answer. The alternates are here in case fares push you elsewhere.
Fly here. It is three miles from the venue with no freeway driving at all.
3 miles · about 8 min to the venue
The best backup — small, quick to clear, and the closest alternate.
24 miles · about 31 min to the venue
Useful for inland and eastern connections, but the corridor is unpredictable.
39 miles · about 56 min to the venue
Worth it only for international arrivals — the drive can swallow half a day.
42 miles · about 53 min to the venue
Both counters are inside the terminal and the cars are a walk away — there is no rental-car shuttle bus to wait for. Neither agency offers a group rate at our size.
Counter inside the terminal, cars in the garage across the street.
Counter on the Arrivals level, directly across from baggage claim.
Read this before you land — the pickup spot catches people out.
Pickup is not curbside — you have to go up to Level 3 of the parking structure.
$15–$28 to the venue
The happiest sentence on this page.
Free, no permit required, and more than 270 spaces.
We would not plan on it. Here is why, so you can decide for yourself.
Eighteen places, sorted by how far you actually have to drive. Filter by what you need — the map moves with the list.
18 showing
Four of these five share one parking lot at University Center, so it is one drive and four options.
Coffee & pastries
Built its following on VTM — Vietnamese coffee dripped slowly, one cup at a time.
1314 Bison Ave, Newport Beach, CA 92660 — or about 30 min on foot
Brunch
Oreo pancakes and s’mores French toast, entirely unironically.
4213 Campus Dr, Suite P166B, Irvine, CA 92612 — or about 28 min on foot
Burgers
Store #67, sat across Campus Drive from the company’s own headquarters.
4115 Campus Dr, Irvine, CA 92612 — or about 24 min on foot
Sandwiches
Ask for the Not So Fried Chicken — it is the sandwich the chain is known for.
4175 Campus Dr #M176, Irvine, CA 92612 — or about 26 min on foot
Salads & bowls
A source board by the till names the farm each leaf came from.
4289 Campus Dr, Irvine, CA 92612 — or about 28 min on foot
Far enough to feel like you left, close enough to get back for the next session.
Mediterranean
The only kabob house on this list that serves a full breakfast.
3041 Michelson Dr, Irvine, CA 92612
Japanese ramen
The first HiroNori of them all — the founders opened this room before any other.
2222 Michelson Dr #234, Irvine, CA 92612
Plant-based
The menu carries a garlic and onion free section, which almost nothing else does.
2930 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Italian
A retail wine wall of two hundred labels that you are allowed to buy from, not just drink.
951 Newport Center Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Upscale casual
Sections of the patio roof retract, so the room opens to the sky or closes over it.
453 Newport Center Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Irish pub
Four separate rooms, the oldest built of oak, brick and brass in 1974.
202 Newport Center Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Vietnamese & Thai
Run by the family behind Brodard, whose nem nuong is an Orange County institution.
2600 E Coast Hwy #160, Corona del Mar, CA 92625
Sushi
Four fixed Trust Me menus, so a table can budget per head before anyone sits down.
2600 E Coast Hwy, Corona del Mar, CA 92625
Diner
On the same corner of the yacht basin since 1957, third generation behind the counter.
829 Harbor Island Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Craft beer & BBQ
Brewery, distillery and smokehouse under one roof — the brisket is Kansas City style.
6652 Irvine Center Dr, Irvine, CA 92618
Save these for an evening you are not rushing back from.
Bakery
Frozen bananas rolled in dry toppings only — no sauces, which is the house distinction.
318 Marine Ave, Newport Beach, CA 92662
Seafood
Named for the boat the founder’s father built the year he was born.
7972 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Newport Coast, CA 92657
Cuban
Ropa vieja, and a separate in-house rum bar called The Hemingway.
708 Spectrum Center Dr, Irvine, CA 92618
Nothing matches that filter. .
Four of the five closest share one parking lot at University Center, so that is one drive and four options. Hours change; every card links to the source.
Checked in August 2026. Opening hours are deliberately not printed here — this page only changes when we deploy it, and hours do not.
Ten things worth leaving the venue for, from a seven-minute drive out to the estuary to a theme park that wants a whole day.
10 showing
Far enough to feel like you left, close enough to get back for the next session.
Don Ramey Logan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Estuary trails
The visitor center is built into the side of the bluff, so you walk down into it.
2301 University Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Nandaro · CC BY-SA 3.0
Shopping
There is a free Noguchi sculpture garden on the property that most visitors walk straight past.
3333 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Austin Neill arstyy · CC0
Tidepools & cove
The path down from Ocean Boulevard has no steps, which is rare among the local beach accesses.
Ocean Blvd at Poppy Ave, Corona del Mar, CA 92625
Save these for an evening you are not rushing back from.
Ian D. Keating · CC BY 2.0
Ferris wheel & arcade
The waterfront Ferris wheel is an Eli wheel dating from the Fun Zone’s opening in 1936.
600 E Bay Ave, Newport Beach, CA 92661
SkiEngineer · CC BY-SA 4.0
Pier & Dory Fleet
The Dory Fleet has beached its boats and sold the catch off the sand here since 1891.
McFadden Place at West Oceanfront, Newport Beach, CA 92663
NorbertNagel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hiking, Crystal Cove
Two thousand four hundred undeveloped acres and seventeen trails behind the visitor center.
8471 N Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
ZacharyCrespin · CC BY 4.0
Beach & village
The grassy park and boardwalk sit directly on the sand rather than behind a road.
S Coast Hwy at Broadway St, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Jeaniac · CC BY-SA 3.0
Historic district
A plaza laid out in 1888, and the largest National Register historic district in the state.
Chapman Ave at Glassell St, Orange, CA 92866
Carterhawk · CC BY-SA 3.0
Theme park
A ticket alone will not get you in — a date-specific park reservation is required as well.
1313 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802
METRO96 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Theme park
Our dates fall inside Scary Farm, which clears the day park in the late afternoon.
8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620
Nothing matches that filter. .
Drive times are door to door in normal traffic, measured from the Beckman Center. Theme parks need a ticket bought ahead.
Checked in August 2026. Opening hours are deliberately not printed here — this page only changes when we deploy it, and hours do not.
Three days of bold conversation, up to 16 CE hours, and 100% of proceeds supporting CFI’s sliding-scale therapy mission.
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