Hi
we're looking to spend 4 days at the beach in July (15-19 approx).
we'll be leaving from and returning to Palo Alto.
We're looking for somewhere quite laid back and not too noisy. We've been to Capitola and liked it, it's nice to be able to walk from hotel/condo to beach and resturants.
Any suggestions please? Also fog comments!
There will be two families, including 4 kids 8-14.
Thanks!

Cambria is lovely with many very nice accommodations right on the beach. The town has art galleries and very good restaurants but is a quiet place. You're just a few minutes away from San Simeon, if that interests you.

Further south would be Pismo Beach. Great beach and walkable town for families.

This is a good link/ resource:
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/cities.html
My suggestion would be to focus on San Luis Obispo county.

or farther north - along Monerey Bay, Pajaro Dunes has some large properties.

Monterey Bay (but you knew what I meant) . . . .

We stayed at Marina Dunes, about 10 - 15 minutes north of Monterey. A little windy though. In addition to Pismo Beach, I also like Cayucos: http://www.beachcalifornia.com/cayucos.html
More quiet than Pismo Beach, but still nice with a good stertch of beach.

Avila Beach, but there is very limited lodging. Quieter than Capitola, but a bit warmer and less likely to have fog. Probably only 2 or 3 choices for restaraunts in walking distance, but SLO makes a nice evening if you drive.

Pismo, Avila, Cayucos are all nice beaches.
Pismo has more tourist facilities like hotels, restaurants, shops, etc. Cayucos has some of that stuff, too, but it's a smaller town.
Avila is still short on amenities except the beach.
They aren't that far away from each other, so maybe you can try a different one each day
I've given up on Cambria. It's always cold and windy there. Good place for seaweed and rock hunting though.