California wheeling: Sun, Segways and yoga on surfboards in super-rich Newport Beach

By SARAH GORDON

On the boardwalk: The properties lining Newport Beach are worth millions of dollars


‘Don’t fall off a cliff,’ calls a witty pensioner as I attempt to negotiate Newport Pier on a Segway.

I grimace in her direction before negotiating a return to solid ground, where I am less likely to encounter large drops.

Electric Segways are the latest American fad. But they have been in the headlines lately for all the wrong reasons. The day before my tour, the British owner of the company had accidentally fallen to his death over the edge of a cliff while riding one of his creations, and the morning news had been full of scaremongering stories.

I had seen the stand-up transporters being used all around California's Newport Beach - the millionaires’ town in Orange County that has dominated television screens since angst-ridden teen drama The OC became a global hit in 2005.

The fictional show about the dramas of poor little rich kids whetted the world’s appetite for stories about the super-wealthy, and was soon followed by umpteen ‘reality’ series about the real-life residents of Orange County.



House hunting: Sarah negotiates the boardwalk on a Segway


Bratty kids became stars in MTV’s show about neighbouring Laguna Beach (before graduating on to hit LA-based show The Hills) and The Real Housewives Of The OC gave the fictional Desperate Housewives a run for their money.

Perhaps it is not surprising that the town which boasts the area with the highest concentration of America’s billionaires per square foot has fallen in love with these eye-wateringly-expensive Segways – they can cost around $7,000 each.

Organised tours cost a more reasonable $65 and prove to be a fantastic way to explore this chi-chi town sandwiched between a sweeping bay and a three-mile long marina.

I may not have $20m to splash on a luxury beachfront property, but that doesn’t stop me ogling the array of opulent residential temples.

My guide, Scott, points out the houses where this baseball player has installed an underground cinema or that producer had bought a second plot of land just for his dogs.

But while the unending boardwalk provides a great stomping ground for cyclists, walkers and Segwayers keen to do some celebrity house-spotting, the views from the water are unparalleled.


Movie magic: Walt Disney is said to have used a hidden bay in Corona del Mar as his inspiration for the cove where Captain Hook's pirate ship is anchored


The 'duffy', another electric mode of transport, dubbed ‘the golf cart of the water’, is ideal for nipping around the busy marina and can be hired after a short training session.

Keen to hear more gossip about the town’s recent history I enlist local guide Carolyn Clark to help me explore. What Carolyn doesn’t know about LA and Orange County is not worth knowing.


In the Navy: John Wayne's boat The Goose is an original Second World War minesweeper


As we motor around, protected from the baking sunshine in our little vessel, complete with beer holders for those so inclined, Carolyn explains how Newport Beach boomed in the 1940s and 50s when Hollywood millionaires, led by John Wayne, started buying up holiday homes.

LA didn’t have a marina of its own, so Newport Beach was the nearest spot they could moor their gin palaces. But when Marina del Rey was built in LA in the 1960s, Hollywood moved on - leaving Newport Beach to the 'regular' millionaires.

The natural and man-made islands in the marina area are practically gated communities, so the duffy provides the perfect way to sneak a peek at glorious mansions and the many superyachts parked up outside.

Carolyn points out John Wayne’s boat - an original minesweeper from the Second World War - and takes me to quaint Balboa Island where she is lucky enough to live - and where The OC's cast and crew indulged in chocolate-covered frozen bananas at their favourite ice cream parlour.

Unique little shops line the main street and sell everything from the traditional to the stylish to the downright bizarre. Flip flops complete with attached leg warmers for those cooler autumn days particularly grab my attention.


Surfing at sunset: Every day ends with spectacular reds and oranges streaking the sky


On one end of the strip of land which links the coast with the marina is the Newport Beachwalk Hotel. The boutique guesthouse is just by Newport Pier, an area with a surfer community and a smattering of casual bars and restaurants.

When I step outside the beach house-style property, I am greeted by the sight of Californian hunks (and hunkettes) bobbing among the waves, waiting for that perfect break.

I get chatting to a couple of surfers on the beach who have taken advantage of the day’s small waves to indulge in another popular American pastime, stand-up paddle boarding (SUP to those who speak the lingo)

The sport involves standing on a large buoyant board and paddling along with an oar - and is touted by healthy Californians as a great core body workout.


Surfing with a stick: Jennifer Aniston has certainly done a lot to promote the sport


Jennifer Aniston has been snapped in all her golden, toned glory paddling along in still waters, while my new buddies have been using their oars to paddle into waves and surf into shore.

I explain that I am due a SUP lesson that afternoon - information which is greeted with much back slapping and words of advice. I'm in the club and I haven't even had my first lesson yet.

I see more SUP-ers in Newport Beach than Segways - and while LA has been baking in some of the hottest temperatures on record, lean Newport locals have taken to the cool waters, travelling from place to place on their boards.

Unfortunately, for my lesson, the light breeze turns into a full-blown gale, and my instructors Noelle and Suzanne cheerfully inform me that I will have to paddle hard to stop myself from being carried out to sea and lost forever. Great.

As I drive the oar into the ocean over and over again, I wonder how Ms Aniston made it look so easy.

‘Oh, I’ve seen that picture,’ says Noelle as she glides effortlessly by. ‘Her technique is actually all wrong.’

Music to my ears. Ms Aniston is simply a posing paddler.

Making it into more settled waters, yoga guru Suzanne is keen to show me how she and Noelle have been developing SUP into a proper core workout, designed to flatten stomachs and get rid of flabby bits.

The lithe pair combine an hour paddling with another half-hour of practicing yoga on the board. So I find myself floating by the marina’s finest mansions while trying to contort my body into Downward Dog on a wobbly board.

After an impromptu dip in the sea due to a misjudged balancing pose, the pair help me improve my paddling so that I can at least attempt to imitate their graceful gait.


Balance board: Combining yoga and a surfboard is easier said than done


Once you have mastered the technique, the possibilities are endless. Noelle goes out to catch waves, paddles along rivers - and had even taken her board to go whale-watching the day before our class. In London I have spotted one mad person paddling their way to work along the River Thames.

Noelle's enthusiasm is contagious and I find myself planning to look up local clubs in the UK on my return in an attempt to bag myself those elusive rippling abs.
Sadly, my fervour doesn't last long.

Attempting to haul my broken and aching body out of bed the next morning I yelp as muscles I did not even know existed make their displeasure felt.
Perhaps I don't need Jennifer Aniston's body after all.


Travel Facts

Sarah flew to Los Angeles airport with Air New Zealand (www.airnz.co.uk) return flights from London Heathrow start from £431. There is currently a sale on the London to LA route.

A stay at the Newport Beachwalk Hotel (www.newportbeachwalkhotel.com), officially the closest hotel to the beach in Newport, starts from $135 (around £85) per night for two people in a double room.

Segway Tours (www.segwayoctours.com) of the Newport Beach area cost from $64.95 (£40) for up to an hour and a half.
SUPcore classes at the Newport Aquatic Center (www.newportaquaticcenter.com) cost $90 for a private lesson, $65 each for a two-to-one and group classes are also available.

Carolyn Clark offers exclusive guided tours of Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Los Angeles through her company Newport At Your Feet (www.newportatyourfeet.com).


source :dailymail