sandy456

Cheap accomodation in coastal Orange County, CA


Ok, because my earlier post (about hostels in coastal OC) didn't provide any positive results, I'm now willing to look for a place that is above my budget ($40-50/night) if it means an extra few days in the area.

And the area I wish to explore is the coastal Orange County starting as high up as: Long beach all the way to Laguna beach (I'll take accomodation anywhere in between if it's close to the water, the Pacific Coast Highway, and with public transport nearby) I don't have a car. And I know that I should have one.

So I want to see the beaches (and the hilly areas around the beaches so I can take pictures) - These can include Seal beach > Newport beach > Huntington beach > Laguna beach . Pretty much all those beaches and eventually work my down to San Diego (on the PCH) taking in Oceanside, Encinida, Jolla and etc..

Thanks

janisj

Is $40-$50 your increased budget?? That is pretty low for anywhere in CA but especially on the coast. And even if you could find a $50 place - it would total nearly $60 by the time you add the sales/transient taxes.

Have you found a for-cash car rental agency yet?

lovesublime

$40-$50 a night will not get you much more than a pay-by-the-hour flea motel. And you will not be on the coastline, more like inland by a freeway/truck stop. Im not trying to rain on your parade just being honest. OC is a ritzy area not attractive to those on a budget. Theres the Seacliff Laguna Inn which will probably be under, but close to $100/night. Good luck1

Cali

That is pretty inexpensive but maybe you can find something close to that price by using Priceline or Hotwire. I have used them both on several occasions and have gotten great deals and have been very happy. Good Luck!

Lori

I lived in coastal CA for many years and still go back frequently, and I doubt if there is anything for $40-$50 night along the coastal areas. You are talking about some of the most expensive real estate in the U.S. here. $40 might get you a cheap motel someplace but not in So. California along the beach.

I am not sure where you live but Long Beach is a large suburban city, and yes there are nice areas along the Pacific, but there are also areas that can best be described as slums. Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are very built up surburbia. There are public beaches along Pacific Coast Highway but any motel you find along there is going to be pricey. If you go inland you are in housing developments, strp malls, freeways and more malls. There are motels along Beach Blvd. in Huntington Beach but I do not think there are any buses that run from there (or if there are they are limited in scope). I also doubt if any of those motels are in the $40 range.

You need to explain what you want to explore ???? The dwindling oil wells (there are still a few around), housing developments and urban sprawl, or what? I am not being sarcastic, it is just that there is little or nothing to explore along that particular stretch of Pacific Coast Highway. Yes, the ocean is right there, and while it is lovely it is not a "tropical looking beach area", i.e. nothing like Hawaii for example if that is what you have in mind (I know from past experience that some touists have been very disappointed to find the CA beaches are not like the Caribbean or Hawaii). It's mostly a wide expanse of sand. There are a couple of piers that are fun to walk out on along the way however. Many of the public beaches have fire pits, picnic areas, etc.

Newport Beach is very expensive as well, as is Corona del Mar. I cannot think of a single inexpensive place to stay along this strip.

Laguna is lovely, very very upscale (expensive). The coast there is more cliffs/rocky and attractive. It is also very built up.

There are cheap places to eat along the coast, i.e. the usual McDonald's, Burger King kind of places.

If you do not have a credit card I rather doubt if you can use Priceline. Anyplace that deals in cash (motel wise) would probably be renting by the hour and you do not want to be there.

Lori

I might add that getting around these towns without a car is just about impossible and I would NOT recommend hitch-hiking. So. CA is not known for public transportation. There is Amtrak trains that run from LA to San Diego (probably costly) and I would imagine Greyhound Bus runs from LA to San Diego altho I honestly cannot remember ever seeing one on the road in the 25 yrs I lived there.

janisj

"maybe you can find something close to that price by using Priceline or Hotwire"

Unfortunately that isn't an option -- sandy456 doesn't have a credit card (info from another thread)

nytraveler

I thinok that you're trying to do a vacatin that simply isn;t possible within your budget and without a credit card.

As a first step - please get a credit card. Even if you have bad credi you can get a secured card (you deposit the money and can then use the card to that limit). That will allow you to rent a car (even if only rent-a-wreck) since you really can;t tour this area without one. It will also allow you to use Priceline and Hotwire - and so perhaps get a chance at bargain rates at decent hotels.

Otherwise you may have to settle for a very inexpensive package to somewhere (Las Vegas? Orlando?).

rjw_lgb_ca

Time for some Tough Love, I fear.

The sum of all your posts so far is leading up to the same results: The trip you are envisioning is impossible.

$40-50 a night for a hotel room in coastal California is undoable. I note that you haven't even asked about San Diego; that hotel room rate is frankly laughable.

Although mass transit does exist, it's simply not an efficient way for a tourist to navigate the huge distances between cities. For the type of touring you want to do, you MUST rent a car.

And without a credit card, you will be required to leave vast cash deposits for hotel rooms and rental cars.

Even with a credit card, I don't know that any reputable rental agency will allow you to rent a car without proof of insurance. And if you're under 25, the underage driver fees are very large.

The only way the vacation you're proposing is possible is by:

-- Getting a credit card (with a fairly high credit limit)
-- Increasing your hotel budget to $100 a night (and that won't get you much)
-- Getting some kind of auto insurance (I don't know how, if you don't have a car, but there must be something)

Do you have any access to a Canadian Automobile Association office (www.caa.ca)? Wouldn't they be able to help you out?

Lori's description of the coast is accurate. Long Beach (which, incidentally, is in LA County) is a large industrial town that happens to be on the coast, and the number of nice hotels on the coast in LB is very small; the nicest parts of LB don't cater to the tourist trade (and we like it that way), and some parts of LB are frankly scary. I live here and love it, but there's an honest appraisal.

DB

You may not have a car, but if you have a driver's license and credit card there is one possibility: rent an SUV or van for about $40/day and sleep in it while exploring the area.

TahitiTams

Hey sandy456..
There is a hostel in Ocean Beach, California that is less than a block away from the OB pier that is about $15 a night and they pick you up at the airport/train/bus..popular place.
OB is a classic So. Cal. town..sort of in a time warp but a great surf town..
Click on the O.B. Hostel link
www.oceanbeach.com