Hi
We (2 adults, 2 teens) will be staying at Anaheim for 4 days in Aug. We will be spending 2 days in Disney and we will be visiting friends for a day and would like to spend the remaining day at a beach. What is the nicest beach where the kids can play in the water and which has a nice stretch of sand? We have been to Venice beach in one of our previous trips and did not think much of it. We loved San Diego beaches though.

Thanks

My vote goes to Laguna Beach.

Another vote for Laguna, we were just there for 2 nights at the Laguna Reef Inn right across from the Montage where we have also stayed. Gorgeous beaches here, Main Beach would be nice for you. Las Brisas, The Cliff, Splashes, Claes @ the Hotel Laguna all have oceanview dining. We also loved our meals at The Loft @ the Montage.

This is a beautiful area of Southern CA to spend time in. Lots of quaint boutiques and art galleries in Laguna, also. You will also be close to Dana Point, Newport and Huntington Beach. Nearby San Clemente also has a gorgeous stretch of beach there, we enjoyed surfing here. Have fun! ***kim***

Thanks so much. Will the water be warm in August?

We will be staying in our hotel near Disney and driving from there. Is it a reasonable drive - not distance-wise but time-wise?

Thanks

jandee,

The Pacific Ocean water never really gets warm. August it will be as warm as it gets.

Traffic and parking for Laguna Beach will be a problem. Go EARLY (leave Anaheim no later than 8 am) in the day or don't go at all.

The water was very pleasant over the 4th, we were surfing, swimming, snorkeling without wetsuits in Laguna Beach. ***kim***

My vote would be for Laguna Beach but it is very, very crowded in the summer. Just driving a few blocks down Pacific Coast Highway can take a long time and yes parking is tough.

Another choice might be Newport Beach. Parking might be a little easier there. It's easier to get to and a little closer. From Anaheim just take the 5 South to the 55 freeway South which becomes Newport Blvd. You would want to go to the beach on Balboa Penninsula but you could also take a little ferry over to Balboa Island which has cute shops and frozen bannanas. Right next to the ferry is the Balboa Funzone which has a carousel, ferris wheel, etc. If you do to Newport Beach, go to Crab Cooker for lunch or dinner.

Halfway between Newport Beach and Laguna is Crystal Cove State Beach. I have actually never been there but drive by all the time and it looks really nice. Don't know how crowded it is in the summer.

To me the water is never that warm but my kids were always in it when they were young. Dayle is right in saying August is usually as warm as it gets for the water.

Just saw that your kids are teens. They would probably like Laguna best but I can't over emphasize how crowded it is particularly the traffic. If you can't leave early to get there, I'd pick another location. The problem with leaving Anaheim at 8am is you'd be dealing with rush hour traffic. But it would probably be worth it to get to Laguna early. You probably could go a little later to Newport.

Parking in Newport was horrid compared to Laguna on Sun. of the 4th of July weekend, they were charging $40/day to park, yikes! ***kim***

The water doesn't get Florida or Caribbean warm, but it gets swimmable. Sort of like Florida in the winter time.

Kim-Newport Beach always has a big Fourth of July party where they close off all the streets and people just walk around and party. I know this because my best friend's family has a house on Balboa Pennisula. We have gone there a few times for July 4th but finally gave it up because of the crowds and trying to get into the area to park. It's tough even if you live there.

But on a regular day, I still think Newport is less crowded than Laguna. I was on Pacific Coast Highway on a Wed about 2 weeks ago. It took me close to 10 minutes to go about a mile.

Sorry that was PCH in Laguna not Newport where it took me the 10 minutes.

I wanted to go to Laguna Beach on our SoCal road trip last week, but ran out of time. Maybe we can make it down there in the fall.

All of the beaches will be crowded in August. Personally, I always preferred the sand-walking at Newport and Balboa and the waves/water/body surfing at Laguna. My teen age daughter and her friends usually choose to go to Huntington beach. Venice Beach is much more typically about people watching than enjoying the beach in my opinion.

I think even though crowded you will like Laguna Beach. Your teens will for sure. However just a short drive south from Laguna Beach is Aliso Beach which I think has a really nice sand beach and will probably be a little less crowded.

Thanks so much for all the info! My kids love the beach and playing in the water but hate waking up early. Leaving at 8AM is definitely ruled out. So I am down to Laguna, Huntington and Newport. We will be going in a weekday (Tues) - will this make Laguna less crowded?

Thanks!

Laguna Beach is awesome. I lived in San Clemente for 7 years and worked in Laguna at Splashes Restaurant (mentioned above). There are great beaches,tons of shopping and some really great restaurants. Laguna however does get crowded but you can always park on some of the residential streets and walk down. One good street is Bluebird Canyon. Usually lots of parking around there. You have to check out Las Brisas for mexican food and Splashed for lunch (Dinner can be pretty expensive)

Stacy
www.edufire.com

There's a lot of good beach information at the website www. ocbeachinfo.com

Including pictures, beach water quality, if there's a lifeguard, etc.

I like Sunset Beach myself because I can usually find easy parking. But it's often windy and lots of waves.

I think you will enjoy any of the three. Huntington Beach typically costs about $10/day to park. In Balboa (which is about a mile farther south from Newport-walking between the piers and out is a favorite when the heat gets too much) there is a public parking lot that is very convenient and cheap (it's the street- right turn-immediately after the Balboa pier street) or if you are lucky enough to find a spot, you can park in front of the elementary school. Laguna Parking has car lots also. I definitely prefer lots to parking on the street so I don't have to deal with meters (bring lots of quarters just in case) or dings from cars. Have a great time!

Stacy21, we loved Splashes when we had lunch there this past Dec. **kim***