Best of: Groupons to make your summer memorable
With summer fast approaching, here’s a collection of the best Groupon options for fun excursions in Orange County. Photo illustration by SAM ANDRUS, Photo Editor
For many students — myself included — a year of navigating work, school and social life from behind a computer screen has created an unprecedented sense of restlessness.
My roommates and I have developed a toxic Saturday morning habit. Around 11 a.m., we emerge from our caves. Inevitably, one of us asks, “So, what are we doing today?” The rest of us propose a myriad of COVID-safe options: pool, beach, a hike, thrift shop, bookstore.
And then, one by one, we eliminate them. Sometimes we cite distance, sometimes money. Mostly, we’ve forgotten how to leave the house. But as California vaccination rates increase and case numbers decline, we are determined to fill this summer with safe and refreshing fun. We just need it to be convenient, affordable and organized by someone else.
Enter: Groupon.
Too often, college kids leave the glory of Groupon to PTA moms, and it’s time we flip the script. With opportunities ranging from art classes to all-inclusive resorts in locations both regional and international, all neatly categorized and one simple search away, the site can be the ultimate guide to an adventure-filled summer. And to make things even easier, I’ve compiled a list of the best deals in the Orange County area for anyone seeking an activity that takes them beyond our beloved Old Towne Orange.
Outdoor activities
No. 3 – Butterfly Farms
This might be my favorite opportunity listed on all of Groupon. I’m a huge butterfly lover, so the chance to stroll around a vivarium with dozens of butterflies fluttering around sounds like a dream. Maybe I could even stream “drivers license”’ through headphones and pretend I am live at Olivia Rodrigo’s butterfly-filled BRIT Awards performance. At only $9 for admission for two, it’s a highly affordable opportunity, though it requires a bit of a drive, as Butterfly Farms is located in Encinitas.
No. 2 – Kayaking or Paddleboarding
These two options offer an oceanic option besides parasailing, for those of us on more of a budget. Renting a double kayak offered by Everyday California is a fitting activity for a variety of relationships: athletic enough to promote team-building, secluded enough to be romantic and chaotic enough to be shared between friends. Everyday California offers a 90-minute double kayak rental for only $25, which is a great deal at less than half of the full price.
Located in La Jolla, however, the activity requires more of a commute than the paddleboarding option. Paddleboarding is similarly suited for a wide range of relationships, but be warned, it may be more athletically challenging. Paddle Board Newport Beach is a half-hour drive from Chapman’s campus, and customers can pay $23 for a two-hour rental of a paddleboard or kayak for one.
No. 1 – Parasailing
If you’re looking for something to get you out of the house, parasailing could be your new favorite pastime. Think about it; you’re in the exact same physical position as if you were sitting on the couch, except you have a view of the Pacific Ocean instead of the TV. Sure, your face might get sprayed with water, but come on. You’re literally flying. Seems like a fair tradeoff.
With locations in both Newport Beach and Long Beach, California Parasail is easily accessible by car. Financially, it isn’t the sweetest deal on this list, as it only gives Groupon users 25% off the normal price. But at $139 for a two-person flight, if you and a friend are wanting to have a “Treat Yo’ Self Day,” you can each spend $70 to soar above the waves.
Self-care
No. 2 – Dermaplane Facial
While I plan to continue to exercise an abundance of caution in my own mask-wearing, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mask recommendations shift for vaccinated individuals, I’m realizing there will eventually come a day when the built-in acne shield I’ve relied on for a year will stop serving me so loyally. As such, I need to give my face some serious rest and rehabilitation. Speakeasy Aesthetics offers a $31 Dermaplane facial with more than a 50% discount, which will aid me in my quest for — if not a hot girl summer — at least a clear-skin girl summer.
No. 1 – Aromatherapy Deep Tissue Massage
For those like me who carry the tension of finals week in their bodies, Health Atlast’s Groupon offering might provide the release needed for a relaxing summer. For a mere $39 instead of the usual $115, customers receive a 60-minute deep-tissue massage. Based on reviews, people who buy this Groupon may want to ask for “Candace.” She gave one client the “best massage of (their) life.”
Food and drink
No. 3 – Hello Fresh
Vietnamese Iced Coffee trips aside, not all fun has to occur outside of the house. For those who enjoy cooking but dislike the planning, shopping and preparation that accompanies it, Hello Fresh’s Groupon could be a great fit. The company ships a box of groceries directly to your doorstep, along with three step-by-step recipes for tasty and healthy food that will make you feel like a chef without having to put in too much work. Customers can get a week of three meals for two people for only $30, which is half off the original price and only $15 per person if split between two.
No. 2 – Vietnamese Iced 949Coffee
The cheapest of all options in this list is Hoang Gia Restaurant’s coffee deal. For only $2, customers receive a Vietnamese Iced 949Coffee. While this opportunity may sound small and trivial, that’s sort of the point. It’s the perfect activity for those afternoons where you’re feeling too tired or too broke to do anything significant, but also energized enough to feel guilty if you don’t get out of the house to do something. A quick, affordable coffee trip enables you to proclaim that you actually left the house, but avoids the occasionally expensive and draining features of a longer outing.
No. 1 – Din Tai Noodle
For the days when you’re too lazy to cook but selecting and picking up takeout also sounds like a chore, consider Din Tai Noodle’s Groupon. The Fullerton restaurant offers four different combos, each at approximately half the original price, that provide delicious Chinese food at very little effort of the consumer. All you have to do is pick a combo number; none of that painstaking choosing of your own entree and side. At my house, this will become the go-to takeout element of our “Gilmore Girls”-style movie nights.
Classes and activities
No. 3 – Archery Lesson
Customers can channel their inner Katniss Everdeen at a lesson at Orange County Archery. According to reviews, staff is exceedingly friendly and patient, and the activity is engaging for people of all ages. If the appeal of archery isn’t enough in of itself, just think: if you get good enough at it over the summer, you have a go-to fun fact for the first week of school next fall, a prize valued far higher than the $15 lesson fee.
No. 2 – Sushi Making or French Macaron Baking Class
Ever wondered how to make sushi that will rival that of the vegetarian sushi (the inarguably superior cafeteria food) in the Randall Dining Commons? How about macarons like those you may find in everyone’s favorite local French cafe, Pandor? With CocuSocial’s cooking class Groupons, now you can. These options are more expensive than some of the others offered in this list, at $69 per class for one, but could be worth the splurge if you’ll use your newfound skills in the future.
No. 1 – Pottery Class
On a Zoom call I attended a few months ago, I saw a girl spinning a pottery wheel in her camera. I still think about that mesmerizing image of the clay forming into a vase-like shape almost daily. And now, because of Groupon, I can attend ARTime BARRO in Costa Mesa for my own pottery-making experience. For $40, more than half off, buyers receive an in-person pottery class, with the supplies needed included in the cost.