I am planning a trip to California. I haven't been back there in over 20 years.
Can anyone recommend any must see places to go? I know I will do a few days in Disney. Maybe San Diego? Laguna Beach?? I have two teenage daughters. We are planning on going for about 9 days. I don't think we will have time to go up to San Fran though. Any favorite places and hotels would be greatly appreciated. I know this is a very general question.

San Diego Zoo is great if you are headed that way.
http://picasaweb.google.com/DebitNM/SanDiegoZoo2009

Balboa Park has lots of great museums.
http://www.balboapark.org/

Not sure 2 teen girls will like it, but The Midway aircraft carrier is a great tour.

http://picasaweb.google.com/DebitNM/...oTheMidway2009

Deb

You are going to get responses all over the map, based on assumptions that your teenagers are stereotypical. They probably aren't. I'm sure they have unique areas of interest. And so do you. Tell the board please. It will help narrow things down.

It is a little general

Budget? I mean the Montage in Laguna is amazing...but it is around 500.00 a night...

Are your girls into the whole "hollywood" deal?

Btw, you can do 48 hours at Disney and be fine. I live 20 minutes away and my school is across the street from Disney - we go often - it is not like Disneyworld. If you need suggestions of hotels by Disney I am happy to help but need a budget... the California Grand is wonderful - it is a Disney property - right in Downtown Disney and their most expensive property. I have stayed there as well as the other Disney properties and it is by far my favorite.

I also recently stayed at the Paradise Pier which is also a Disney property (the least expensive one) and it was good as well - but more budget. If you stay at a property you can usually get in the park early - but confirm that.

There is also a Marriott Fairfield Inn I have stayed at - which is RIGHT across the street - and it was okay. Good prices and clean. A little noisy. There is a Marriott as well within walking distance that is much nicer then the Fairfield Inn.

You can also use Priceline - I have done for the Disney area and usually end up with the Doubletree which imo is not within walking distance but they have shuttles. I have gotten it for 50.00 a night I believe.

As far as where to stay in Laguna or LA - you might fly into LA and stay 2 nights in Santa Monica - your daughters will likely enjoy Third street promanade and you can do the whole Rodeo Drive, LA deal...

Drive south to Disneyland - stay 2 nights - and then head south to San Diego, where I would spend the remainder of my time. But I am partial to San Diego.

Where to stay there really depends again on the experience you want - when are you coming? Do you want to stay in a beach area? Or Downtown?

My teens did enjoy the Midway tour - they all thought it was cool... they also enjoyed Old Town San Diego for one night - walking around after Mexican food...

Priceline also works well for Down Town San Diego.

momddtravel:
Thanks for your info, it was very helpful. I think we are coming in the first part of August. Any suggestions on hotels in the San Diego area? Is the Corando nice? How many nights are good in San Diego?
I think we will be coming out there for a total of 9 nights.
Is Laguna a nice town to stay in or is it better to stay near by and go there for the day? I will look into the Montage that you suggested.
Yes the girls would like the Hollywood thing? Is that near Laguna or should I stay somewhere else?
I was planning Disney for 3 nights, but they have a special of stay 3 nights and get 2 nights free so I was thinking that maybe it would be a good place to base and travel out from there? Not sure though, is there anything nearby to visit?

So maybe 2 nights Laguna, 5 nights Disney, 2 nights San Diego?
I also need to spend 2 nights near Simin Valley to visit friends. Does that make sense at all? Fly into LA and out of San Diego? I really appreciate your help.

I would not spend 5 nights in HOT August in Anaheim. Three nights is enough. Spend at least a couple in Santa Monica at the beach, so that you can see Third Street Promenade, The Getty, Hollywood, etc. That is also closer to Simi Valley. The Montage is a beautiful, but it's $750 a night in summer now.

San Diego is great. We stay at the Pacific Terrace Inn, it's right on beach in Pacific Beach area.

http://www.pacificterrace.com/

You'll probably want to spend more time in San Diego than Anaheim especially in August. I went to Disneyland and California Adventure in the last month. I did CA Adventure in a day and can't imagine spending more than two days at Disneyland as it would get tiring.

Coronado in San Diego is very nice, but it is an island so not the most convenient location to stay and also the prices tend to be higher. However, the beach right next to the Hotel Del Coronado is, in my opinion, the best beach in San Diego.

Because I live in San Diego, I've never actually stayed in any hotels so I can't give you any information on that, but I second Balboa Park and the Zoo as great places to go.

Ocean Beach is a fun place to wander with a great beach area, a pier, good restaurants(Hodad's is a great burger place and Stephanie's Bakery is a yummy vegan bakery) and lots of local color.

If your girls are interested in music, the San Diego Symphony does a great summer pops series right on the bay. You can buy cheap ($15) lawn tickets, bring a blanket and a picnic lunch and enjoy a fun outdoors concert with yachts pulling up next to you to listen in.

http://www.sandiegosymphony.org/summerpops/index.php

Thanks for your info. Is August a bad time to go? Too hot to enjoy? Is there a better time of the year to go to Southern California? We had originally planned the beginning of July, but it looks like my daughter needs to have her tonsils taken out so I wanted to give her a couple weeks to get back to normal again.

Mers, Aug isn't that miserable in Southern CA. We usually don't have humidity and our nights are cool. You will love being in the beach areas during that time. It might be warm at Disney but if you stayed at one of the Disney Hotels (I also recommend Disney Grand Californian)you could go back to the hotel for a couple hours during the hottest time and then back into the park as it cooled off. I agree the beach at the Del Coronado is the best in San Diego Area, but don't know if I'd want to stay on Coronado unless you mainly planned to go to the beach. You can easily get back and forth from Coronado to downtown if you really want to stay on Coronado. I also agree that you might want to stay in the Santa Monica Area for a couple days in the LA Area. Laguna Beach is a really great city and you will enjoy that area very much. There are many shops, restaurants, art studios, etc. They also have a Main Beach which is right off the downtown Area. The Montage is a wonderful and fabulous Resort and a great place to stay, but I don't know if I would want to stay that far south of Laguna if I was there to explore Laguna Beach. Many posters have recommended other Laguna Beach hotels and motels which are closer to town. The Surf & Sand is closer to town and also very nice. Have a great trip.

I second the recommendation of staying at the Pacific Terrace Inn. It's a really nice place and only a stairway to the sandy beach plus also on a hiking, skating, biking trail. Also in San Diego, Sea World and the Wild Animal Park are great for visitors of all ages. Re: flight----yes flying into LA and out of San Diego works just fine. Southwest has great flights to both, if they fly from your local airport. You can get a one way rental car from LAX to SAN.