First trip - need advice please

[erin1715]

Hi all, my hubby and I are possibly taking our first trip to Disneyland (and California!) in February from 2/15-2/21. We'll be arriving late and departing early, so I figure those days are out as far as sight seeing. So, we will have 5 days to work with, and I definitely want 3 days at Disneyland. Right now, we're flying in and out of LAX, but if I can find a cheaper flight into another airport nearby I will switch the flights.

I was thinking of doing Disneyland the last 3 days of our trip because the beginning of that week is Presidents day so I was hoping maybe it would be less busy later in the week, but who knows. Do you think that sounds right?

So what should we do the other 2 days? My husband has wanted to see San Diego but I think thats just too far to drive for a couple days. Is there a nice coastal area near Disneyland or LAX that we could spend a couple nights? I appreciate the recommendations!

 

[figment_jii]

I was thinking of doing Disneyland the last 3 days of our trip because the beginning of that week is Presidents day so I was hoping maybe it would be less busy later in the week, but who knows. Do you think that sounds right?

It's worth noting that by that time of the year, fireworks, Fantasmic!, and Mad T Party will only be presented on Fri to Sun and on President's Day Monday. So if you want to see most of the nighttime entertainment, you'll need to plan on one Fri, Sat, or Sun. I think weekdays are fine; the crowds tend to be lower because folks have school and work, but the hours are shorter.

So what should we do the other 2 days? My husband has wanted to see San Diego but I think thats just too far to drive for a couple days. Is there a nice coastal area near Disneyland or LAX that we could spend a couple nights? I appreciate the recommendations!

Disneyland and San Diego are about 1 hour and 45 minutes apart, depending on traffic. If you do go to San Diego, I highly recommend the zoo. I probably wouldn't drive to San Diego and back in one day, but if you left early on the first day and then drove back late on the second day, you would have almost two full days in San Diego.

 

[SMD]

Or look into flying into or out of San Diego and do a one way car rental.

 

[erin1715]

It's worth noting that by that time of the year, fireworks, Fantasmic!, and Mad T Party will only be presented on Fri to Sun and on President's Day Monday. So if you want to see most of the nighttime entertainment, you'll need to plan on one Fri, Sat, or Sun. I think weekdays are fine; the crowds tend to be lower because folks have school and work, but the hours are shorter.

I didn't realize that, so thank you. I did want to at least see World of Color so hopefully we'll be able to catch that Friday night.

Disneyland and San Diego are about 1 hour and 45 minutes apart, depending on traffic. If you do go to San Diego, I highly recommend the zoo. I probably wouldn't drive to San Diego and back in one day, but if you left early on the first day and then drove back late on the second day, you would have almost two full days in San Diego.

We may fly into San Diego, spend 2 full days there, and then Tuesday night drive to Anaheim. That seems like the best way to go if I can get a good flight price. Thanks!

ETA: On second thought, I"ve priced a few different car rentals and the drop fee to go from one airport to another is about $100 more and that is with a crappy rental car agency. So I may have to stay with flying in and out of LAX. Planning a trip to WDW is so much easier!!

 

[Angrose]

If you don't want to go all the way down to San Diego, you should consider Laguna Beach which is in Orange County, probably only 30min or so from Anaheim. It is really beautiful, reminds me of the Mediterranean. There's not much to do there, except enjoy the beach, restaurants and galleries. It actually might be a nice relaxing place to spend a few days AFTER 3 days at DLR!

 

[Belle612]

If you decide to go the San Diego route, I think it's a great idea to fly into SD and spend your first 2 days there. My brother went to school there so I have visited many, many times - there are so many things to do and it is a beautiful city! If you end up going that route, be sure to visit Balboa Park and Old Town San Diego.

If you are in need of a hotel in SD, for my brother's graduation my parents flew all of my grandparents out and we stayed at the Best Western Plus Island Palms Hotel & Marina - it was an absolutely beautiful location, and the rooms were all updated, clean and overall just really lovely. The price was very reasonable as well. If you want to splurge a bit more and be right on the ocean, we have also stayed at the Pacific Terrace hotel, which is a boutique hotel right on Pacific Beach in SD, absolutely beautiful rooms, and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.

If you decide not to go the SD route, I recommend without question going to Huntington Beach. My family has visited here numerous times as well, and my parents fell in love with it so much that they just purchased a condo there. HB is one of the only coastal towns in Southern California that has unobstructed views of the ocean on Pacific Coast Highway, because there are no houses on the beach. It has 8 miles of path and bikeways along the ocean, and a lovely Main Street area with many shops and restaurants. If you are looking for a hotel there, I recommend the Waterfront Beach Resort, A Hilton Hotel. We have stayed here many times and have never had a bad experience - in addition, every room has an ocean view there. Bonus - HB is only 25 minutes from Disneyland!

Have an amazing time! My family loves SoCal, and having Disneyland there is an awesome bonus!

 

[erin1715]

If you decide to go the San Diego route, I think it's a great idea to fly into SD and spend your first 2 days there. My brother went to school there so I have visited many, many times - there are so many things to do and it is a beautiful city! If you end up going that route, be sure to visit Balboa Park and Old Town San Diego.

If you are in need of a hotel in SD, for my brother's graduation my parents flew all of my grandparents out and we stayed at the Best Western Plus Island Palms Hotel & Marina - it was an absolutely beautiful location, and the rooms were all updated, clean and overall just really lovely. The price was very reasonable as well. If you want to splurge a bit more and be right on the ocean, we have also stayed at the Pacific Terrace hotel, which is a boutique hotel right on Pacific Beach in SD, absolutely beautiful rooms, and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.

If you decide not to go the SD route, I recommend without question going to Huntington Beach. My family has visited here numerous times as well, and my parents fell in love with it so much that they just purchased a condo there. HB is one of the only coastal towns in Southern California that has unobstructed views of the ocean on Pacific Coast Highway, because there are no houses on the beach. It has 8 miles of path and bikeways along the ocean, and a lovely Main Street area with many shops and restaurants. If you are looking for a hotel there, I recommend the Waterfront Beach Resort, A Hilton Hotel. We have stayed here many times and have never had a bad experience - in addition, every room has an ocean view there. Bonus - HB is only 25 minutes from Disneyland!

Have an amazing time! My family loves SoCal, and having Disneyland there is an awesome bonus!

I'm thinking that we are going to skip SD just because it sounds like too much to do in such a short amount of time for us. I anticipate Disneyland will be commando-park touring, so I think we'll want to be somewhat low-key the first couple days and just take in some of the beautiful Cali coast. I looked up the Waterfront Beach Resort, and wow! It is beautiful! Thank you for the recommendation. I also love that it has pathways along the ocean and is along the highway. Also good that its so close to Disneyland!

Of course I need to run this by my hubby to ask for his preferences

 

[Belle612]

Not a problem! I also wrote a review on Tripadvisor on this resort, posted below...FYI we have also stayed at the Hyatt in HB before, but we prefer the Hilton since its a much taller building you get better views, and all of the rooms at the Hilton have ocean views.

Tripadvisor Review -
I stayed at this resort with my parents for 5 nights in Mid-October. This resort is AMAZING! I have stayed at numerous Hilton properties and this one is by far the best. My parents have stayed here 5+ times, as my brother lives in SoCal and they stay here every time they come to visit.

The rooms are gorgeous, and our room had wood floors, which was really nice. Our view, while not considered "oceanfront" was spectacular and we still had beautiful views of the Pier and the ocean. The beds were extremely comfortable and the housekeeping staff was awesome - one day we came back to the room while they were still cleaning, and so we waited on the balcony for them to be done - they were vacuuming, dusting, and scrubbing the bathroom.

The pool is beautiful and has views of the ocean. It felt like paradise with the palm trees, pacific breezes, and refreshing cocktails. We also had breakfast every day downstairs in the restaurant, and everything was always super delicious. If you get the chance, order the cinnamon roll french toast - AMAZING!

The hotel is super easy walking distance to Main Street in Huntington Beach, and is located right on Pacific Coast Highway. My Dad is a surfer and simply had to walk across the street to get to the best surfing in the world.

I went to Disneyland 3 days during our trip, and it is a quick 25 minute drive, I never hit any traffic. This is actually a great place to stay if you are looking to spend 50/50 time at the beach and the Disney Parks.

The staff here is awesome and everyone was always extremely friendly and ready to help...the Valet and Front Desk team in particular went above and beyond. On the first day we asked if they had any bottled water available, and they asked us how many we would like, complimentary! They have a little fridge by the Concierge desk so if you want some water to take with you just ask...this especially came in handy on our Disney days!

Room Tip: Be sure to request a room with views of the pier, and not the oil refinery.

 

[SMD]

I have family in SD and will drive down a few times a year for the day and turn around and drive home without spending the night. Of course, we bypass going through Anaheim because it's quicker. And only once have we tried to squeeze in a normal all day activity, like the zoo. So from my perspective it is worth driving down to SD just to spend 1 night, but YMMV.

 

[whistlinmickey]

I'm thinking that we are going to skip SD just because it sounds like too much to do in such a short amount of time for us.

I hope your trip is as fun and relaxing as you are anticipating.
As for San Diego and back, I agree it can be a bit of a daunting drive for most. But because I've found myself in San Diego county for business trips more times than I can remember, I've become accustomed to the drive between San Diego and Anaheim. Having Disneyland Resort less than two hours away is just too much of a temptation for me to resist. So I've found myself driving up to Anaheim just for dinner and a little window shopping several times. 3-4 hours round trip behind the wheel just for dinner makes for very late and somewhat tiring evenings. But I've found it worthwhile for the way I prefer to spend my free time. If you plan it just right, it's possible to miss the worst of the traffic. And if you go along I-5, the view of the ocean is quite pretty in many spots. There's not a whole lot that I personally find particularly interesting in San Diego. But the Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and Old Town are actually quite nice to visit. With some planning, all three of those sites could easily be visited in just two days. If you had just one day, I personally would recommend a day at the Zoo and then an evening at Old Town for a tour and some delicious Mexican food.

 

[erin1715]

So far there is a slight change in plans (and it could change back depending on flight prices). I found a cheaper flight into Burbank. Any suggestions where to stay for a couple nights near there? I know that Disney headquarters are there and I wouldn't mind swinging by there for a few photo ops, but what about other things to see? It looks like Santa Monica would be the closest beachy area.