Nice Family Beaches

[princesssonny]

We are heading to DL end of May through the beginning of June. We would like to take a couple of days and visit a beach. My husband and I have been to Santa Monica Pier and want to take our son definitely to that, but what is a good beach for families (my son is 5 and my grandmother will also be with us). We want one we can actually get into the water and spend a few hours just swimming and playing in the sand. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Amber15]

Huntington Beach is great. There are bike rentals available, and the surfers are fun to watch. I was there a few years back, and it's my favorite beach in SoCal. Very tame. I hear Newport Beach is nice too, and it's just a short trip up the coast from Huntington.

 

[Sherri]

Huntington Beach is great. There are bike rentals available, and the surfers are fun to watch. I was there a few years back, and it's my favorite beach in SoCal. Very tame. I hear Newport Beach is nice too, and it's just a short trip up the coast from Huntington.

About how long of a drive from DL are these beaches? We will be doing this as well. We will have a rental car. Thanks

 

[mytwotinks]

I would love to know about how long the drive to Huntington Beach is from Disney Land. Is it a fairly easy drive? Is there anything nearby (shopping, food????) to do?

Thanks!

 

[my3boys]

We are wanting to do the same, so any advice I'll greatly appreciate. We'd also love the name of recommended hotels/resorts on the beach to spend the night.

 

[casaazul]

But as I recall 30-45 minutes from DL to Huntington Beach. Worth the drive. We loved the beach. We had bbq on Bolsa Chica beach near Huntington with my cousins who lived there, saw dolphins jumping and watched a beautiful sunset.

There is a great kite shop on Huntington Pier, plus surf shops etc.

We usually drive down Brookhurst, Magnolia or Beach, just drive west on Katella and these are on the left. Google map it.

Have fun.

 

[PrairyChikk]

We spent a good part of Easter Sunday at Huntington Beach. It was about a 30 minute drive from DL. We had lunch at Ruby's Diner on the end of the Pier - the kids thought that was just the greatest thing. Yummy shakes there too. We played in the water, picked sea shells and talked to a few surfers. We took a stroll up the street and checked out the shops and the Surfers Walk of Fame. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

 

[tmatthews]

We did Huntington and Laguna and preferred Laguna. Both are pretty close about 30 minutes! We must have sat in a bad place at Huntington because I didn't think it was all that great! (we sat by the Hyatt)and the main parking area. Laguna was only about 18 miles from DL but took about the same amt of time due to traffic. The Hyatt at Huntington Beach was absolutely gorgeous! Had a bridge that went over the drive to the beach. The drive to both was easy and very doable! HAVE FUN!

 

[Sherri]

We did Huntington and Laguna and preferred Laguna. Both are pretty close about 30 minutes! We must have sat in a bad place at Huntington because I didn't think it was all that great! (we sat by the Hyatt)and the main parking area. Laguna was only about 18 miles from DL but took about the same amt of time due to traffic. The Hyatt at Huntington Beach was absolutely gorgeous! Had a bridge that went over the drive to the beach. The drive to both was easy and very doable! HAVE FUN!

Is it easy to find parking and is it meter parking?

 

[sharoncity]

We are just back from Huntington Beach and loved it. It was too cold to spend too long on the beach and VERY windy one day. We stayed at the Hyatt and I highly recommend it. I got a good deal for two nights at $537 total. It included all taxes and resort fees, breakfast for 2 people in restaurant, S'more kit and buy one get one bike rental coupon. There is a main street a few blocks down with a bunch of shops, restaurants and bars. There are several beach parking lots (you pay, but I don't know the price) as well as on street metered parking and parking for the "downtown" area. The beach is very wide, there are lots of fire pits on it to have beach bonfires. All and all, very cool!

 

[tmatthews]

Huntington had a huge public parking area right on the beach ($10)! In Laguna I found a small public parking lot for $10 but most people park down the side streets. (not sure if it is metered or not!) I am a beach person and loved the ca beaches! We live on atlantic ocean so it was neat to the pacific. Laguna's beach is beautiful with the mountains around! It was very strong the time we were there. Actually a few people lost their lives in the surf during our stay over easter! My son who is only 3 had a hard time standing in shin deep water. I don't think it always like that though. (PS saw some homeless sleeping on the beach too!)

 

[aapechy]

Laguna (crystal cove) or newport (balboa) are our favorties with the kids.

Newport close to the wedge is not very crowded (there are no bathrooms though) Very clean and you get to look at all the beautiful homes on the shore as well as all of the boats coming out of the jetty. Plus you can go to the boardwalk at balboa and take the ferry ride and play games.


Dependant upon traffic the drive from DL to huntington/newport is about 20-30 min