Duffy boat is ideal way to tour Balboa Island

If you want to see how the other half lives, consider a daytrip to charming Balboa Island. This Southern California hamlet is an expensive place to live -- with bay front lots going for $3 million -- but not to visit.

And that's only for the lot. Building that dream residence on the island will cost extra.

Fortunately, one doesn't have to actually live on Balboa Island to enjoy its unique atmosphere. Today the island is a fascinating day trip for those who are living or vacationing in and around Los Angeles. The island is located in Newport Beach where accommodations, restaurants and shopping are all top-drawer.

The island itself has a tiny, but busy Main Street – actually it's called Marine Avenue – which is just a few short blocks with about 70 shops and restaurants to explore. This little example of Small Town Americana offers a wide selection of shops in all price ranges as well as several boutiques and galleries. The visitors who browse this street are a combination of couples and families with an unusually high percentage of style mavens – which is what you expect in Newport Beach and other nearby beach communities where expensive clothes and fancy cars are just part of the lifestyle.

The downtown shopping area is just part of the attraction on Balboa Island, an island small enough that you can walk entirely around its perimeter in less than two miles. It's fun to observe life on an island that remains exclusive because it is so expensive. There is no denying that the ever-present sunshine and the harbor views create a quiet respite from bustling city life and clogged freeways. As you miight suspect, the island is full of colorful villas and vacation homes, and everyone's yard is picture-perfect. It's a patriotic little place, too – American flags are posted on several homes and along Marina Avenue.

But given the real estate prices, it's also interesting to observe that people will pay so much money for so little space. The island at times seems a little congested with homes built so close to each other that a good-size Balboa yard really is just slightly larger than a shuffleboard court. Most residents have to park one or more cars on the street and it's common to see the locals abandon cars altogether by using golf carts to take their trips to the downtown market.

Nevertheless, the island is a great escape for a morning or afternoon, and will flood the senses with spectacular harbor views, incredible sunsets and a feeling like you're visiting the California version of Martha's Vineyard. Adding to the flavor is the little ferry that hauls just a few cars at a time from the island over to the Balboa Fun Zone area of the Balboa peninsula. Balboa is connected to the mainland by bridge on the west, but the tiny ferry gets you out on the water for just pocket change.

Of course another way to get out on the water – and get a different look at Balboa Island water – is to rent a Duffy boat for a couple of hours. Duffy boats actually are made in Newport Beach and are perfect for a group of people to go out cruising in comfort with little operational expense. We rented a 21-foot boat which, surprisingly, could accommodate 10 adults and featured plush seatting and plenty of table tops for drinks or snacks. On this hot day, it was a relief that the boat was entirely covered -- but there are plenty of open areas to gaze at the scenery. It came equipped with a Sirius satellite radio which we left tuned to the classical music channel that seemed so appropriate for our gentle cruise in and around Newport Beach harbor.

Visitors with little or no boating experience needn't worry – like our Duffy attendant told us at the dock: "This will be like driving a golf cart." The convenient forward/reverse throttle made it easy to go just the right speed for docking or any other maneuvers that might be necessary out on the calm waters of the harbor. The electric engine is quiet, smooth and gives you just enough power to cruise through the harbor at the maximum legal speed. Since the boats don't leave the harbor, the electric motor is more than adequate.

When we pushed away from the dock, our Duffy opened up a whole new panorama that offered picture-postcard harbor views in every direction. As we made our way down the channel we observed the "best of the best" Balboa homes – the ones that were out on the water, often with 60 or 80-foot luxury yachts moored at their own private docks. It was like an episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." Which moguls or movie stars owned these spectacular villas? Which big-time CEO's were lounging on their decks watching us put-put by in our Duffy?

Then up the channel a little further we came across a man settled into a floating lounge chair that had drifted far out into the channel where he was intently staring at the fishing line he had dangling in the blue harbor waters. Next it was a regatta of sorts – a few tiny sailboats with a couple of kids in each boat, apparently learning how to sail. Then came the parade of pleasure craft, five or six boats each headed out to sea and none of them less than 60 feet long.

Those heads in the water up ahead turned out to be a family of sea lions, playfully cruising through the harbor with no regard to the speed limit. And then we were dodging the island ferry – although both we and the ferry were going so slow that there was plenty of time to contemplate our next move. We just got off the throttle, watched the ferry conclude its crossing and then went about our way further along the channel.

After a couple of hours it was time to return our boat to the dock where the attendant was on hand to grab our boat as we glided effortlessly into the reception area. The experience had given us a new look at Balboa Island, and a fun afternoon on the water.

Balboa Island is part of Newport Beach, and this affluent beach community includes a long list of natural and man-made visitor attractions. The beach is a big draw, of course, and once you're out on the Balboa Peninsula there are miles of wide beaches as well as visitor attractions such as the Balboa Fun Zone amusement park. Nearby Crystal Cove Beach offers great tide pools and is excellent for beach walking, hiking and biking.

The Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve is Southern California's largest estuary – nearly three-and-a-half miles long and a half-mile wide. With 752 acres altogether, there are thousands of birds – including many rare species -- that are found in these habitats.

If you are serious about shopping, Fashion Island is one of two shopping icons in Orange County – the other being South Coast Plaza, just a short drive from Newport Beach. You can window shop on Via Oporto, a tree-lined cobblestone street in Lido Marina Village. And there are galleries, unique shops and waterfront cafes in Cannery Village.

There are also some interesting museums in Newport Beach. The Orange County Museum of Art has a changing schedule of exhibitions that feature California's rich artistic heritage and contemporary art. While you're out there, you'll go by a paddlewheel riverboat that is docked and open to the public as the Newport Harbor Hautical Museum.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Balboa Island is part of Newport Beach, located in Orange County just south of Los Angeles.

WHAT: With its colorful architecture – both contemporary and Cape Cod – Balboa Island feels like the "Martha's Vineyard" of California, albeit on a much smaller scale. It's the perfect place to enjoy nautical scenery, sunshine and see "how the other half lives."

WHEN: Any time of year.

WHY: Balboa Island is charming, easy to reach and is bordered by many other visitor attractions. Several major hotels are in the area, and some island villas are available for rent by contacting local real estate firms.

HOW: For more information on Balboa Island, visit www.balboa-island.com. For more information on renting a Duffy boat, call (949) 645-6812 or visit www.duffyboats.com. All rentals are 21-foot boats and hold up to 10 adults comfortably.

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