1st time to DL & want to visit other attractions..????

[shuteye]

We are planning on going to DL this June. We plan on spending 3 days at DL/CA and then have another 3 days to explore other places. We have never been before and would also like to visit Sea World and beach. I'm guessing we will need to rent a car to get to Sea World and not even sure what beach would be closest/best to spend a day at? IT will will my dh and myself and our sons 11 and 7. I'm pretty lost on how to plan all these places out with hotels and transportation and hotel recommendations as well. Any advice or can point me in the right direction? Thanks!

 

[HydroGuy]

Driving from DLR to SW can be a pain with traffic. Either get a place in SD for the night or visit SW on a weekend when traffic is lower if it is a day trip.

There are lots of beach options but since you are going to DLR and SW I would suggest you do one close to one of those. If at DLR then probably Newport Beach or Huntington Beach. Both will be at least 30 minutes from DLR if you decide to keep your DLR hotel and go from there.

If you do the beach in SD then there are places near SW. We stayed in Mission Beach a few years ago for 3 days.

Beach houses in the summer will almost always want a full week reservation. We got lucky and found a place that let us stay for 3 days. You would need to do a conventional hotel if you were in SD because you would only want a day or two.

Other places to see - don't spend all your time at theme parks! So many options. Hollywood Blvd is usually a draw. La Brea Tar Pits is very unique right there in the middle of LA. Take a day boat trip to Catalina Island. Visit Santa Monica Pier. Visit Mission San Juan Capistrano. Rent bikes at Newport Beach or in SD Mission Beach and ride the board walk. Just to name a few.

 

[dougsmom98]

I personally would rent a car. There are shuttles available to places like Sea World, the beach, Hollywood... but for four people, it will add up quickly. You could just rent the car for your 3 days away from DL, but by the time you add up the cost of transfers to and from the airport for four people, it might be better for you to get one for your entire stay. We got a van for the week for $300 total including taxes and fees. If you go to this link, you will find out about renting a car. If you click on the various car rental links, you will find codes to use that will often get you a better price on a car rental.
http://www.mousesavers.com/rentalcar.html#dllocations

I am also having a hard time deciding on a beach to go to. I want to go to Santa Monica pier because it is famous and has been in so many movies, but I am guessing the beach is not that pristine there. Here is a link that gives information about various beaches near Anaheim. It seems like Newport and Huntington Beach are pretty popular.

http://www.askusanaheim.com/anaheim/anaheim_beaches.htm

As for a hotel, you may want to choose one within walking distance of Disneyland. A lot of people recommend Park Vue Inn, Howard Johnson, Desert Inn and Suites, Candy Cane Inn... You can get some information about hotels etc... on this link:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1072276

 

[shuteye]

Thanks so much to the both of you for the info! That really helps me a lot in deciding!