San Diego beaches, areas, etc?

[MagicalMomAZ]

If no one has these answers, maybe you know a site I can ask?

We typically summer vacation in Orange County. We know what areas are good, scary, etc. Which places have the best vs. scariest boogie boarding & so on.

Well, we want to try San Diego now but we know NOTHING.
I'm hoping someone can help me!

1.For a family of 4 (non-partying, non-scary)which area is best? I DON'T think we can swing a month on Coronado...although I would love that.

2.Which beaches have the best boogie boarding? Not too scary (like Balboa & The Wedge), and enough BEACH to lay out & not worry about getting poked with someone's umbrella (like Laguna).

3.Which area has good dining (local not chain) & is easy to navigate? We prefer to walk everywhere when on vacation...for meals, the beach. Of course a trip to Sea World would warrant a drive in the car.

4.Which area can you pretty much bet your neighbors won't be partying all night (like Newport Beach on 4th of July!)

Again, I thank you for any navigational tips you have. We've become quite content in OC, but we'd like to stretch our wings.

 

[spellhex]

I admit I haven't stayed in any other areas in San Diego, but it does sound like Mission Beach would be a good choice for you. There are a TON of beach front condos you can rent by the week, and there are also quite a few condos just off the beach that are quite a bit cheaper but are a minute walk to the beach.

There's a good mix of children, teens, and adults, and it's not really a partying environment. The beaches, since there's not really any available street parking, are pretty empty - we often set up a sand volleyball court and several tents and still have a bunch of space. The boogie boarding is good; there is the omnipresent undertow, but nothing a 7 or 8 year old can't handle. Outside of a specific area, surfing isn't allowed during the daytime.*

*Note: the further south you go (i.e. the closer you are to Belmont Park), it gets a ton more crowded with more partying and surfing, as there is parking at Belmont that people use to go to the beach.

Belmont Park, an amusement park area with lots of shops and eateries, is just a few minute walk to the south, and there are other shops and dining choices to the north.

 

[eduk8r26]

The farther south of Belmont Park you go, the less crowded it is. There is much more beach, also. We've stayed in Mission Beach a number of times and find that between the Crystal Pier and Belmont Park is the most crowded.

 

[rtfelt]

Mission Bay is great for lounging in the water and kayaking, or windsurfing and things but if you want to boogie board, there's no waves except when you're outside the bay. Oceanside and Carlsbad (north of SD) have mellow waves that would be good for young/novice boogie boarders. The sand is real soft and the shallow water usually goes out quite a way for the little ones.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

We went to San Diego for a week last summer, and I used Trip Advisor's San Diego forums a lot. There are (or were) several locals who could answer your questions.

We stayed on Coronado at the Marriott. We absolutely loved it and a great area with shops and restaurants about five minutes down a path. The beach was about a five minute drive across Coronado. It was never crowded if you were far enough from the Del.

We loved San Diego. There is so much to do, or you can just hang out at the beach!