The staycation has gained another ally with Hotel Irvine.

The gastropub fare at EATS features a great burger as well as chicken and biscuits with rich country gravy. (photo by Jonathan Van Dyke)

If you feel compelled to leave the cozy confines of Los Angeles for our pristine neighbor to the south, Orange County, you’ll definitely find a drive-worthy experience at the newly re-branded Hotel Irvine.

Previously called the Hyatt Regency Irvine, the owners made an extensive reinvestment into the property.

Because the ownership group is independent from any hotel chain, they had the freedom to re-shape the hotel, located at 17900 Jamboree Road.

It was after speaking with Red Bar Lounge general manager David Fayette that we hit the nail on the head — this place compares to a full-service Las Vegas hotel.

Hotel Irvine has a similar feel to the most state-of-the-art convention centers. The colors pop and are bright and varied, and the main floor is wide open and welcoming. Every gathering space has complete connectivity with a ton of plug-ins for devices.

There’s a backyard pavilion and a pool area with cabanas — this place is ready to entertain inside and outside. There are meeting and event spaces for small to large events including a brand new lawn area for events like formal dinners, trade shows and large meetings.

The devil is truly in the details here. For example, they pipe in a special hotel-only scent called Asian Garden.

The Red Bar and Lounge is impressive, the kind of place that shines during happy hour, when the bartenders and mixologists will teach you how they make their signature craft cocktails. This is the kind of place that has “carbonation tubes” and makes its own ginger beer and juices — serious stuff.

The Lavender Hibiscus Mojito is a refreshing summer cocktail. (photo by Jonathan Van Dyke)

My first drink on a hot afternoon was a much needed and best-I’ve-ever-had Moscow Mule. I was overheated from beach volleyball that afternoon so we went with a homemade piña colada as a second drink — pure heaven. James Brown, who was bartending at the restaurant, swung by with a new creation he was playing around with to complete the color spectrum. He named it on the spot: Lavender Hibiscus Mojito.

The bar brings in a DJ during the evenings, and it has plush, varied seating and tables all over the place — this is where you go after a conference to meet people and have fun.

My evening concluded with a meal at the EATS Kitchen & Bar. I generally gravitate to weird and outlandish places these days, such as Animal or Ink, so I didn’t know what to expect.

EATS is a gastropub first and foremost, and I enjoyed some good, comforting food done right — not that they don’t mix it up a little. Executive chef Jason Montelibano calls it “casual, comforting — and fun — with plenty of creative culinary twists.”

I started with an individual (but fairly large) and delicious Calle Taco — marinated steak, chimichurri sauce and potato shell. Restaurant manager Aaron Crossen hooked me up with a smaller version of the over-the-top Fried Chicken & Biscuits — chicken oysters, buttermilk biscuits, sriracha butter and glorious country gravy. Thank the heavens for my fast metabolism because that was epic.

Burgers are the specialty there, so I felt obligated to sink my teeth into the delightful EATS Burger — chef’s beef blend, bacon, aged white cheddar, herb aioli, pear jam and a brioche bun.

After nearing a food coma, they brought me out the perfect dessert that should definitely pique your interest: Bananas and Brown Sugar — vegan banana bread, caramelized bananas, streusel crumble. It was a perfect capper.

Other menu highlights from my vantage point: caramelized Brussels sprouts, pork belly mac & cheese, meats and cheeses (locally curated), four different flatbreads, lamb gnocchi (killed me not to order this) and crusted tuna.

A good night’s rest after a movie with friends in Irvine, and a complimentary, better-than-your-average breakfast buffet the next morning, and I was on my way.

Hotel Irvine is located 15 miles from Disneyland, seven miles from Balboa Island, eight miles from Newport Beach and two miles from John Wayne Airport. Think of it as a little oasis off the 405 Freeway.