Beaches near Disneyland?

[disneyfanUSA]

Is Huntington beach the closest beach to disneyland? Are there any other beaches near Disney? Is it nice and worth the trip?

 

[CrazyDuck]

Is Huntington beach the closest beach to disneyland? Are there any other beaches near Disney? Is it nice and worth the trip?

No... Beaches in California suck! But I may be biased!

 

[disneyfanUSA]

No... Beaches in California suck! But I may be biased!

Thank you that was very helpful!!!

 

[CMHusband]

Huntington Beach is beautiful. Newport Beach is close too. Laguna Beach is really nice as well. Depends what you want to do or experience.

oh, but if you're Crazyduck and you live in Hawaii - Then yeah. our beaches suck.

 

[CrazyDuck]

Thank you that was very helpful!!!

Sorry, Did you want me to explain why?

Water is cold: http://www.beachcalifornia.com/beach/california-ocean-temperature.html The average temp in Hawaii is 74. http://gohawaii.about.com/cs/travelplanner/ht/when_to_visit.htm The only place that comes close is San Diego, but thats 2 hours away.

That's where they dump their doo!: http://www.surfermag.com/features/poopsucks/

Seaweed Washup... stuff like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbzzjourney/5278905965/

Brown sand: All the beaches have dirty brown sand... no such thing as white sand in Cali (except maybe San Diego)

 

[disneyfanUSA]

Sorry Crazy Duck I didn't see you were from Hawaii I thought you were being sarcastic. Thanks for the replies!

 

[disneyfanUSA]

The only place that comes close is San Diego, but thats 2 hours away.
(except maybe San Diego)

We are also going to San Diego for part of our trip. We are going to Disney, La/Hollywood and San Diego. I was playing on going to the Venice boardwalk/ and Santa Monica Pier when in LA. We also want to go to a beach when we are in Anaheim and San Diego. What beaches would you guys recommend?

 

[sonnyjane]

We are also going to San Diego for part of our trip. We are going to Disney, La/Hollywood and San Diego. I was playing on going to the Venice boardwalk/ and Santa Monica Pier when in LA. We also want to go to a beach when we are in Anaheim and San Diego. What beaches would you guys recommend?

If you're coming down here to San Diego, try Coronado or La Jolla, as they are the nicer beaches in the area. That said, I'm with Crazyduck. I am originally from the Gulf Coast of Florida, went to college in Miami, and got married in Hawaii, and I can say that California beaches are lame/cold/ugly. Worth seeing if you're not from around here, but BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

 

[disneyfanUSA]

Ahh I didn't know the water would be that cold. I knew California was chilly, but I thought the beaches would warm up in the Summer. We are going to Cali in July. I see from the charts crazyduck posted the water will be around 70... Maybe we will spend less time at beaches and do more attractions or sight seeing. I'm not sure what to do

 

[sonnyjane]

Ahh I didn't know beaches were that bad. We are going to Cali in July. I see from the charts crazyduck posted the water will be around 70... Maybe we will spend less time at beaches and do more attractions or sight seeing. I'm not sure what to do

I mean, I am admittedly spoiled. If you're not used to being near a beach, many people might find SoCal to have lovely beaches. The truth is though that, as crazyduck said, the water is cold, the sand is brown, rocky, and covered in kelp, the waves are rough, and the water isn't clear (okay for me, but not so great for anyone afraid of sea critters). I would go to La Jolla. They have tide pools where you explore and see small animals, "Children's Pool" where you can see harbor seals and a few sea lions, and there are nice places to eat lunch along the coast. It's not an expansive "set-up-your-umbrella" type beach, but it is a nice place to go. I just find the beaches around here to be very breezy and a bit cool, even in summer. I think you should go for a day, maybe, ahem, half a day, but I wouldn't plan on spending several days at the beaches. To illustrate my point, I'll let you know that I have been living here in San Diego for three years now, and I have only gone to the beach to sun and hangout four or five times. I have gone to kayak, or walk for exercise, but when it comes to enjoying the SoCal weather, I much prefer a swimming pool!

 

[CrazyDuck]

Ahh I didn't know the water would be that cold. I knew California was chilly, but I thought the beaches would warm up in the Summer. We are going to Cali in July. I see from the charts crazyduck posted the water will be around 70... Maybe we will spend less time at beaches and do more attractions or sight seeing. I'm not sure what to do

If it's a sunny day and the water is 70 that would be pretty nice. At 70 you don't need a wetsuit. Since you are going to San Diego definitely try an get to the beach down there. Coronado is nice...

 

[VallCopen]

In my opinion I wouldn't waste a second in Venice. We went with our kids, and they were scared, it was dirty and just not family friendly at all, but worth something to talk about later. We love going to Newport, but it is always cold and we enjoy Laguna. We have never tried Santa Monica but I would imagine it is even colder, being more to the North, but we will try it this year, I hope.

 

[KCmike]

The same question is answered above with some pictures I added. I agree Newport is great and Corona Del Mar is wonderful for families.
Here is the link...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2647596

 

[PHXscuba]

Yes, the water will still be cold even in the summer. I'm sure Hawaii's beaches are beautiful -- still trying to get there for an accurate comparison.

But I think you will like CA's beaches. Newport is nice. Try the Balboa peninsula -- that way if you get tired of baking on the beach you can walk around the Fun Zone and the little shops. My DH loves the "beach town" feel.

One thing nice about Huntington Beach is that it's one of the few beaches in the area that doesn't have development on the beach side of Pacific coast highway. Great public access (if you don't mind paying $$ for parking), a nice downtown, and a huge, wide beach. It's great to walk out on the pier and watch the surfers.

I don't think you'd go wrong with either.

PHXscuba

 

[lapdwife]

I live in Huntington and gotta tell you, there are people in the water even today. I sat on our balcony and watched the surfers all morning.

 

[lcasa]

Boy I feel like I have to defend my town! You're from NY - our west coast beaches are very different than yours ( I've been known to stay at the Jersey Shore before) and are definitely worth checking out. Venice is a bit seedy - Santa Monica is better and has a pier with rides and kitchey stuff.

In summer the water will be plenty warm - and a nice break from the hot summer sun. As another poster said, one of the nice things about HB is that there is no development on the beach side, nice and open (stay away from the pier for swimming though - there are dangerous tides there). Our sand isn't brown either! Maybe not Hawaii white, but not brown. I think San Diego will actually be cooler - they're always a few degrees lower than here for air temp. Laguna has lots of art museums and has grass near the ocean and pretty cliffs - a very different experience. Lovely, just different.

 

[Miss Peach]

If you are going to Newport Beach look into renting a Duffy.

http://www.pavilionskiff.com/duffyboatrental.htm

(this is just one of many rental places)

You can pack a picnic and cruise around the harbor for an hour or two. It is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Cathy

 

[bambii]

has a great beach and town.. it has a little pier.. it is like 45 miles south of disney on on the 5... and also Dana Point...

 

[Midnightred]

On the recommendation of a friend who is from Riverside, we plan on spending two nights at Laguna Beach, it just looks gorgeous. The beach is still the beach. I have spent time in Hawaii, Florida, New Jersey, and a small amount of time in California, and i's fun to be at the beach no matter what!

Cheyenne
DL July 2011
Taking DH, and our 2 sons, 7 & 9 to DL for the first time!