DCAreaMom

We plan on visiting family in San Jose possibly this summer. We have two toddlers, ages 5 1/2 and 4. I would appreciate any suggestions for nice beaches in the area, while we are in San Jose.

My husband grew up going to the beach in Santa Cruz. But I get the impression that it can get crowded ---both on the beach and the boardwalk.

We would be more interested in staying in a quiet beach area as far as enjoying the beach itself. We don't mind driving to Santa Cruz then for the boardwalk maybe early evening. But as far as the beach itself, we prefer much more quaint, quieter places.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. If anyone is familiar with the East Coast, to give you an idea, when we stay at the beaches in Deleware, we prefer the quiet of Bethany Beach, and then driving to Rehoboth for the boardwalk. We don't even bother with Ocean City, MD, if that helps.

Also, if there are private beaches that anyone knows of, we don't mind paying a little more and being able to access a private beach.

Thanks very much!

J62

Are you looking for day trips or a place to stay?

Santa Cruz gets crowded on weekends but during the week it's usually very quiet.

Just around the point you have Capitola which has a nice mix of beach, fun & amenities, and is also easy to get to from SJ.

If you want quieter, then the whole stretch south of there around Monterey Bay may be what you're looking for. Much of the area is CA state park, with ag areas inland so there are very few hotels until you get closer to Monterey. It's a longer drive from SJ - on a weekday you may get a private beach. All CA beaches are public.

You do need to be careful about the weather - most days there is a morning fog/marine layer that doesn't burn off until late morning (or later). Be sure to look into this - it can be 90+ degrees in SJ and cloudy and cold near the ocean, even in summer. IIRC this gets better towards the end of the summer, but be sure to do some homework & make sure you bring warm clothing.

Further south is the lovely little town of Carmel where you can fulfill your wish of paying a little more...

DCAreaMom

Thanks J62. I've heard of Capitola and it does seem nice. We haven't decided if we would just do the day trips from San Jose, or visit family in San Jose first, then take a couple of days to stay at the beach itself.

I didn't even think of Carmel, so will look in to that as well.

november_moon

There are lots of beaches in the Santa Cruz area - not just the main beach where the boardwalk is. I wouldn't stay near the Boardwalk anyway. There are sandy beaches along the whole of Monterey Bay. Some are more crowded than others - and as mentioned, not nearly as crowded on weekdays as weekends. I'd check out Seabright, Twin Lakes, Capitola, New Brighton, and Aptos areas.

sf7307

Here are links to a couple of picture in Capitola. The pix will give you an idea of what the whole place's vibe is.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink