Our family has been going to Newport Beach for over 40 years. Over that time we've stayed in rentals as far north as 45th street and as far south as Balboa Peninsula/Island. Each area has it's pluses and minuses... but with adults and teens only in our group, this location was perfect!
Beach was a 2-3 minute walk away (and visable from balcony). Great shops and dining all within a 5-8 minute walk. And because you are 3-4 blocks away from it all, it's really quiet. The neighborhood was friendly. Parking on saturday and sunday was tight, but after that not a problem at all.
And Pavillions grocery store... soo close! No need to stuff the fridge on day one with big market run. Just walk/bike and get things as you need. So nice! (sign up for pavillions/safeway/vons club to save on just about everything).
The unit stayed fairly cool, but we did catch a great 72-75°F week. Always a nice breeze. Whole house fan helps the back 3 rooms stay cool and they had several box fans available.
Garage is tight so don't bring a big SUV and expect to "share" the garage. Me and the downstairs neighbors figured it out and it was fine for our midsized car/suv. I like the separate entrances to each unit and the garage (oh and 2 sets of washers and dryers!) Keeps you and the downstairs fairly separated.
Balcony is great. If you are concerned about dining when you see the 4 top table in the kitchen... relax. PLENTY of room.
Ok, like with most rentals.. nothing is perfect. There was the classic worn down non-stick pans (very common, bring one). Also, renters before us didn't clean the bbq. But my brother went to town and we left it in good shape! BTW, the top unit has a 4 burner gas grill. The bottom unit has 2 classic round briquette webers. Finally, careful around some of the bed corners. Trust me.
Verdict: Great location if you are looking for something spacious, in a quiet area, and close to great shopping, dining, and the beach!