What Southern CA Beach would you visit fom DL?

[rentayenta]

I agree totally with Huntington Beach. Also nearby is Bolsa Chica/Sunset where you can do a bon fire at night. Seal Beach is also cool. Laguna is highly overrated IMHO. I LOVE Walt's Wharf. Their oak grilled artichoke is to die for. Also a great breakfast place is Schooner or Later, right after Sunset in Belmont Shore.


I miss home!

 

[c&m]

We really liked Huntington Beach. It's a long stretch of beach. We didn't feel the crowds at all, and we were there in mid-July. Our DDs had a lot of fun playing in the sand and boogie boarding. The parking lot was not full at all. You do have to pay for the parking ($10 for the day, I think). We walked the beach path to eat at Duke's. We also saw there was Ruby's at the end of the pier and Chimayo was located below Duke's. The menu for Chimayo looked really good but we didn't get a chance to eat there.

Yes, it's a bit windy and the water is a bit colder than what we have experienced in Hawaii. But it's still a beautiful place that we enjoyed very much.

 

[SnowWhite12]

this may be a stupid question, but once you get to Laguna, how easy is it to find the public beach that you can park at and go to?

anyone?

 

[disney-inspired]

I like both Santa Monica and Huntington.

The SM Pier is cute, it has a little amusement park, arcade, restaurants. When you get off the pier they have other stores. It's close to 3rd street Promenade, bunch of stores and a mall.


huntington because the water is perfect. "]

 

[prncssmel]

I agree on Huntington. It is not too far and not too crowded.

Parking is a pain at every beach. Be prepared to pay or drive around trying to get a street/meter spot.

 

[winewooltravel]

We just got back from DL and while there we drove to San Juan Cap. , then hit the PCH north along the water. We drove through Laguna and Newport-which are such neat looking towns!!- and stopped at Huntington Beach to let the kids play.

Can't answer the question about Laguna public beach-we just drove through.

We sat next to someone on the plane down who suggested Huntington Beach as a more "family friendly" atmosphere than some of the other beaches. It was practically empty when we were there (ok...it was also under 70 degrees ) and the kids had a great time playing. Park to the right of the pier as you are looking at the water-it's $1.50 per hour vs. $10 at the state park beach. We were also told that they have a street fair kind of deal on Tuesday nights around 4pm, but my kids were worn out and sopping wet after the beach so we didn't seek it out. I think it's on Main street?????

 

[annieb727]

We are striving more for the beauty and not so much the teen/outdoor mall scene. Isn't this awful? All I know of Laguna Beach is from the MTV show. It did look beautiful though. We may try Laguna Beach. What's your opinion of Santa Monica and the Pier? I'm interested to see what all of you think of it.

I took my son to Santa Monica Pier...we had a lot of fun! We got bracelets for unlimited rides. It was a fun change of pace. I want to go back sometime.

 

[cinderella_mom]

this may be a stupid question, but once you get to Laguna, how easy is it to find the public beach that you can park at and go to?

All of the beaches in Laguna are public. To get the best feel of Laguna Beach, you would want to go to Main Beach, which is at by the shops on Broadway and PCH. Laguna Beach is easy to get to from the freeway (quickest) or by driving south on PCH (more scenic). To get to Main Beach from the 5 freeway, exit 133 freeway south, which ends at Laguna Canyon Road and then becomes Broadway. If you get there early, you shouldn't have a problem finding metered street parking. There is a parking structure south of Broadway and there are smaller lots with meters or attendents.

There is also a beautiful beach just north of Main Beach where we find parking to be easier. It's called Diver's Cove. There are metered street spaces and some free parking in the residential areas. To get there follow the directions to Main Beach, but turn right on PCH and then left on Aster. A right onto Cliff Drive takes you right to it. Diver's Cove is park of the Heisler park area.

 

[Caseydilla]

Those pictures of Salt Creek are lovely. It looks nice there.

Whenever we are in Newport Beach, we always go to Crystal Cove beach. It's our favorite beach spot. The walk down the hill is far but I think it's definitely worth it and it's not as crowded as other beaches. Some pics of Crystal Cove that I took on one of our last trips there.