@jeepster Hello, The Victor Hugo Inn is a well known location. It is at the top of the Northern cliffside portion of Laguna Beach. From this viewpoint, all of Laguna Beach can almost be seen. But, it is one of the most heavy traffic portions of Laguna roadways. There are a row of art studios along the road, several popular old homes have been turned into cafes and restaurants while, the famous Laguna Art Museum is on the corner of Cliff Drive/PCH. But next to the art museum is the other portion of the Victor Hugo sign entrance. It is now called Las Brisas Restaurant. It is one of the most popular places to dine in all of Laguna Beach coastline. We all yearn for the nostalgia of the past, Las Brisas is the perfect bridge to that feeling in the present. Its origins stretch back to the Victor Hugo Inn in 1938 and it represents a romantic bygone era of beauty and charm Back in 1938, when Laguna Beach was a more isolated beach town, the building with its grand ocean view, was the Victor Hugo Inn. Cliff Drive at PCH looking at Main Beach, Southward direction… a 1930’s slant back sedan parked on PCH. The old Hotel Laguna is the tallest building near the middle of the old photo. The Main Beach is right below on the shoreline. In recent days, Cliff Drive at PCH near Las Brisas Restaurant and the Laguna Beach Art Museum. Jnaki In our Laguna Beach files, we have several old photos of the Laguna Beach “hot spots.” Victor Hugo Inn Laguna Beach, CA 1950's was a sight to see as our dad would drive by going South to “his” rocky shoreline surf fishing spot(s). Our mom was not the most likeable person on these longer fishing road trips. But, she liked the area so much that she proposed to our dad that we buy some clifftop property near his favorite beach areas that we had frequented in those very early days. Wow, a possible memory of a couple of teenagers growing up on the beach community, with access to good surf, closer better surfing spots and the ocean lifestyle from the 50s through the present time. What a picture! The Victor Hugo Inn opened in 1938 in Laguna Beach, CA. It was gutted by fire in 1954, reopened, and finally closed to become the Las Brisas Restaurant in 1979. Las Brisas Restaurant where the old Victor Hugo Inn used to stand. Las Brisas Restaurant ocean view, cliff top restaurant, it is a fabulous place to take out of towners for lunch or dinner. A little on the expensive side, but the impression for those that have never seen it, is outstanding. We took several relatives from Oklahoma and Wisconsin to the Las Brisas and they could not get over the fact that we were sitting over the cliff with the ocean just out there, on a bright - sunny So Cal day. The Victor Hugo Inn was a popular place, as was all of Laguna Beach. The summer time crowds flock to this city and it is a nightmare to drive from one end of the town to the other during those times… YRMV
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