Orange County

New Ocean-view Resort at Pelican Hill Redefines Luxury! Sitting atop a 504-acre site that is undeniably one of the most serene and beautiful coastal settings in Southern California is The Resort at Pelican Hill, owned and managed by The Irvine Company Resort Properties. Here the Pacific laps uncrowded beaches and thousands of acres of coastal habitat are permanently protected as open space or designated for recreational use only. The Resort at Pelican Hill captures the essence of an Italian seaside village, terraced on a verdant hillside, in harmony with the natural environment.

The resort's design embodies the vision of Andrea Palladio, the most acclaimed architect of the High Renaissance, whose style was based upon the classic building principles of ancient Rome and Greece and emphasizes perfect harmony with the natural landscape. The Resort at Pelican Hill blends these principles with chic and casual California elegance as it lies nestled into its terraced hillside-by-the-sea location, engaging and complementing the natural setting. Details and striving for perfection are at the core of the Palladio philosophy and The Resort at Pelican Hill achieves just that by ensuring the perfect guest experience through numerous tiny details throughout the resort.

With its expansive coastal views, The Resort at Pelican Hill features 128 spacious, terraced villas; 204 luxuriously appointed bungalows; a 23,000 square-foot rejuvenating spa; multiple world-class restaurants; the "Coliseum" Pool, inspired by Rome's famed landmark, comprised of more than a million glass tiles cut and laid by hand, and the largest circular pool in the world; the Pelican Hill Golf Club with 36 dramatic holes designed by Tom Fazio, nearly all with ocean panoramas and 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space boasting beautiful ocean views and outdoor terraces.

The resort's landscape architecture transforms the hillside into a Mediterranean village by the sea, a perfect backdrop for your special events. The design brings together everything from mature olive and fig trees to intimate walkways and courtyards reminiscent of the Tuscan countryside.

Just as the resort complements the natural setting through its design and landscaping, your destination management team at ACCESS Orange County has been busy designing themed environments to provide seamless synchronicity with special events tailored to the property's impressive features. Our Renaissance on the Riviera features wine-tasting, local artisans, village street performers and operatic arias with themed amenity options such as delicate miniature oil paintings. Roman Holiday adds unbelievably realistic living statues to richly textured specialty linens, themed centerpieces and more. Italian Elegance pulls in dark-stained wood accent pieces, damask linens with creamy ivory roses and hydrangea centerpieces set within dark wooden boxes - all in keeping with the clean, stylized feel of the evening.

Mix and match a variety of themed entertainment options including a cellist with medieval armor and a 6-stringed electric cello, Italian opera singers, singing waiters, Italian musicians, "Frank Sinatra," "Dean Martin," festival artisans and much, much more. Or, consider Visions of Venice matching the enthusiasm Carnivale brings to Venice, Italy with stunningly designed carnivale masks, interactive Venetian mask painters, bead-making stations, fortunetellers with crystals and jugglers to name a few of the many options for this theme.

Partner with your DMC creative consultants, the team at ACCESS Orange County, to design an unforgettable program of events for your next meeting, conference or incentive travel program in Orange County.

Bottom photographs represent components of an ACCESS-designed and produced theme event, reminiscent of the Tuscan countryside, held recently at The Pelican Hill Resort.

San Diego

CSR: New Beginnings for Troubled Area Adolescents! ACCESS Destination Services continues to be on the forefront of developing meaningful and sustainable socially responsible teambuilding programs and events that give back to the communities in which they were held. Recently the ACCESS San Diego team was proud to produce a rewarding CSR teambuilding event for one of our long-standing corporate clients during their conference at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara.

The beneficiary of the teambuilding efforts was a facility in San Diego's North County whose mission focuses on building positive futures for troubled adolescents, their families and the community. Approximately 40 high level corporate executives teamed up with 25+ youth and the entire facility staff in an enterprising refurbishment project for the Center which was sadly in need of classroom repair, supplies, technological upgrades including computers, sports field equipment and an overall facelift. Outdoor classrooms were also constructed based on teacher input that outdoor learning would be an effective tool in helping the kids with their schoolwork. An on-site trailer was outfitted for the youth construction program so that these students could get "on the job training" in construction in order to provide sustainable services to the elderly and low income families by repairing low income houses in the community.

By all accounts the day was a huge success with the executives stating that this was a most rewarding activity and that they wished they could have stayed later to continue working with the kids. Comments from the kids say it all, including, "That was the coolest thing I have ever done; after we built the hoop those guys [the executives] wanted to shoot hoops with us. There are people who really care in the world." A facility staff member added, "I have worked here for 12 years and have never seen these kids smile so much; I have never seen them so proud of themselves."

Now, more than ever, socially responsible events are becoming increasingly popular as inclusions within our clients' destination management programming. Individual team members benefit, your organization benefits, and the community benefits in a big way. A CSR teambuilding event creates lasting impressions on participants, fostering loyalty towards the companies that are dedicated to giving back and making a positive impact through charitable undertakings. Contact ACCESS San Diego today to design and produce a socially responsible teambuilder for your next Southern California program.

Spice it up with ACCESS

Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Slivered Almonds
From The Hollywood Cookbook, Cooking for Causes comes actor and San Diego native Eric Close's (Without a Trace) tempting salad recipe.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Few dashes of Tabasco sauce
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups slivered almonds
- 3 romaine hearts, roughly chopped
- 1 cup chopped scallions
- 1 15-ounce can mandarin oranges

Directions:

Combine oil, vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, parsley, hot sauce, and black pepper in an airtight container and shake well until combined and sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Place almonds and 1/4 cup sugar in a saute pan over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar has melted and coated almonds. Remove from pan and place on plate to cool.

Toss lettuce and scallions together in bowl. Top with almonds and mandarin oranges. Toss with dressing and serve.

Note: Turn this salad into a meal by adding grilled shrimp. Enjoy!

Enjoy!