Location: 401 Newport Center Dr.,  Newport Beach

Parking: Free, though valet is available, also

Fashion Island is an especially enjoyable outdoor mall. It is the only outdoor mall (that I know of) that is practically right by the ocean—in fact, you can see the ocean a little ways in the distance if standing in a certain area of the shopping center. Most of the stores there are what would be considered as “high end,” with the department stores being Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. It’s a fun place for us shoppers to go for some outdoor window shopping and browsing.

The fountains at Fashion Island add to its picturesque setting.

One thing I like in particular at Fashion Island are the fountains. There are at least three fountains in the center, which all add to the seaside atmosphere of the shopping area (one of the fountains is fish-themed).

One other fun thing about Fashion Island is the trolley. There is a very cute little trolley that will pick up people in the parking lot, and it actually drives around in the shopping center—not just around the parking lots. This is especially handy for us shoppers when we’re too tired to walk all the way back to the car!

A cute little trolley takes passengers around within the shopping center and to the parking areas.

Notable Shops at Fashion Island

A rarity in the O.C., Lush (featuring homemade bath items and cosmetics) is located in Fashion Island.

Lush. The reason this is notable is that never have I ever seen another Lush store in Orange County…ever. My first time hearing about Lush was when I saw people reviewing their products on YouTube. Lush has various bath and body items, as well as cosmetics, that are handmade—some of the items even have tags on them saying “Made by So-and-So” (or something similar).

Teuscher Chocolates & Cafe. This is another store that doesn’t seem to exist elsewhere in Orange County. Like Godiva, they sell chocolate and also have drinks available. This is not a place to buy cheap chocolate—but the items they do sell are worth the extra money.

Juicy Couture. And yet another store that doesn’t seem to be easy to find! A lot of places sell the Juicy Couture brand, but at Fashion Island, they have an actual Juicy Couture store.

Overall, Fashion Island is a lot of fun if you’re looking to browse and get some fresh air at the same time. It is also well-known for its Christmas-tree-lighting ceremony that happens during the holidays.

More info available at Fashion Island’s website.