Illustrative image of a coastal bluff and a modern building at sunset

Monarch Beach, Dana Point, California

Monarch Beach commercial real estate, one coastal area at a time

A resort under its own specific plan, a golf course and a neighborhood shopping center, each with a permit history. Start with the property type you are weighing.

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Commercial property in Monarch Beach

Property types covered in this guide

The resort and its grounds

The resort hotel and the land around it, governed by the Monarch Beach Resort specific plan.

The golf course

Monarch Beach Golf Links and its public clubhouse off Niguel Road.

Monarch Bay Plaza

The neighborhood shopping center above Pacific Coast Highway.

What are you weighing?

Prepare before you talk to a broker

Finding space

What to gather before you look for space here, and a note to take to a California-licensed broker.

Leasing a building

What an owner should prepare before leasing a building here.

Selling a property

What to assemble before you sell a commercial property here.

Seven sourced facts

Monarch Beach at a glance

Monarch Beach has no figures of its own from the Census Bureau or Kidder Mathews. Where a number covers a wider area, the label says which.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Dana Point (citywide) had 32,232 residents in 2025, compared with 33,076 in 2020, and its 2025 Gazetteer lists Dana Point (citywide) at 6.488 square miles of land and 0.267 square miles of water.
The California Coastal Commission records that permit 5-92-168, approved in 1992, covered a 400-key resort hotel and 86 residential units. Hilton's January 2021 release describes 400 guest rooms and suites, and the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach describes 175 oceanfront acres.
The City of Dana Point Zoning Code, as hosted on gocodebook, lists SP91-01 Monarch Beach Resort among its adopted specific plans, and says an adopted specific plan supersedes the base land use regulations it addresses for that property.
The Southern California Golf Association's FORE Magazine reports that Monarch Beach Golf Links opened in 1983, and that two of its holes lie on the ocean side of Pacific Coast Highway.
Orange Coast Magazine describes Monarch Bay Plaza as a Spanish-style mall perched above Pacific Coast Highway. No source reviewed publishes its size, owner or anchor tenants.
Kidder Mathews reports a combined Dana Point/San Juan/San Clemente submarket that does not break out Monarch Beach. In 3Q 2026 its office inventory was 2,468,827 square feet at 5.5% direct vacancy, and its industrial direct vacancy was 6.8%.
The City of Dana Point quarterly financial report for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 puts the Dana Point (citywide) General Fund revenue budget at $51.5 million, with property tax projected at $12.3 million.

Sources

Plain advice

How to use this site

Pick the page by question. Property types covers the three kinds of property in this area: the resort and its grounds, the golf course and Monarch Bay Plaza. Market outlook is where the Dana Point (citywide) budget figures and the combined submarket rows live, with a plain note on what no report publishes for Monarch Beach. History follows the golf course, the resort and the 1989 cityhood fight. Fun Facts holds resort rooms and acreage, the course, Salt Creek Beach and Monarch Bay. The FAQ answers questions about the plaza, the specific plan and coastal permits. Three preparation guides cover finding space, leasing a building and selling a property. Treat every citywide or multi-city figure as context, not as a Monarch Beach number. The publisher of this site is not licensed in California, and the site offers research, not brokerage services.

Know the area