Help! Mom & adult daughter want to vaction in July in CA somewhere warm on the beach
 

My mom and I are trying to figure out where to go in the CA area where the weather will be warm, we are wanting to travel in mid July. We want a place to stay where there is a great beach, a nice town to explore and go shopping, with a relaxing feeling. Does anybody have a good ideas?

What do you mean by warm? The far southern end of the state (San Diego, Orange county, LA) will be warm-ish, but don't expect tropical or Florida-type temps. There can be warm to hot days at the beach - but they are the exception, not the rule.

The eastern Pacific is very cold and much of the coast is cool to cold and foggy in the summer.

Newport Beach in Orange County is great. Check it out on-line. The water temp is going to be cool, but tolerable. The morning fog is unpredictable, but expect it. Afternoons are usually clear and sunny. The further north along the coast that you travel, the more unpredictable the weather can be. The central coast is often windy. I suggest southern California. I have family in the area that I stay with, so I can't recommend any particular lodging.

Consider flying into San Diego and driving up to Del Mar. It's pretty quiet, but you could take day trips to La Jolla or Laguna/Dana Point for shopping.

I've lived on the coast of CA my whole life and I've never see the compass point east toward the water. Surely you're not discussing Baja California...
When did they move the Pacific to the East, janis?

The eastern Pacific would be the part of the Pacific near California. The western Pacific would be near Asia.

fehgeddaboudit: in case you don't get what Nikki means -- If you will look at a map -- the eastern edge of the Pacific is the one that laps your feet along the CA coast, and the eastern Pacific is cold water . . . . .

san diego or laguna beach

"Relaxing Feeling" does not describe San Diego, Laguna Beach or Newport Beach. These are among the most crowded beaches in California. Traffic and parking at any of these is hectic and difficult during the summer.
If you are looking for beaches without crowds or hectic traffic and parking, I would recommend smaller towns in North County San Diego (Carlsbad, Encinitas), South Orange County (San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano), or Ventura County (Carpinteria, Port Hueneme).

I agree with joesource that Del Mar would be a good place for you to base yourselves. Great beach, nice restaurants (a couple right at the beach) and some shopping all within walking distance-which is good because parking there is a bear.

You're a short drive from all of San Diego's attractions if you're inclined to visit.

It depends on how relaxing you consider relaxing to be. Some people want to find a quiet hidaway and let the world slip away. Others want non-stop action, and some want a combination of both.

Just about anywhere along the southern coast of California will be a tourist mecca in mid-July. Heck, there are a lot of us natives hanging out there as well! There are some quieter beaches, though, that can be found mixed in amongst the hectic places.

When I first read your post, I immediately thought "Laguna Beach". Yes, it will be crowded during July, but it also sits in the heart of a great area to explore. A short drive up the coast is Newport Beach with some good restaurants and a good shopping area known as Fashion Island. Driving just a little south will put you into Dana Point and San Clemente - fast disappearing as quaint beach towns, but retaining some of their charm. Laguna itself has some cute little shops, a few art galleries, and some nice restaurants. There is also the Sawdust Festival, which is a short distance out of town, but an interesting thing to see. (Local and not so local artisans selling all manner of unique and interesting ceramics, jewlery, furniture and knick-knacks. The Festival of Masters is also underway during that time, but it occurs at night. Tickets can be hard to come by, but worth it if you are interested!

There are lots of moderately priced hotels in Laguna, but I would definitely check into parking arrangements. Most hotels are within a few minutes walking distance to beaches, but a car will give you greater freedom to explore other beaches in the area. But a word of warning, if you do want to drive to another beach, you will have to get there a bit early - around 9 or 10 - as the beaches anywhere on the southern coast fill up fast in summer!

The weather in July is usually very warm. If we get a heat wave, the temps can go into the 90s and 100s, but the beaches usually stay cooler. Sometimes there might be what we term a marine layer (a thin layer of early morning clouds) but this usually burns off by late morning. (Just in time to lay out that beach towel and soak up some rays!) I've never encountered fog at the beach in July and I've lived here all my life - where the heck did that come from! June is normally the month we get the highest incidence of overcast. July is usually clear. So, I'm not sure what the previous poster is talking about, unless they are referring to the mid or northern coast.

The ocean here never really warms up - not even in late summer. However, just do what the natives do: work your way in and before you know it you'll be swimming around having a great time! (Amazing how the body adapts!) You will also find the water is murky and not clear, but still can be fun. Around the coast of Laguna there are tidepools that can also be explored.

Of course, there are many other places you could consider, but hopefully this gives you and idea of what Laguna is like.

Enjoy! July is a great month to visit So Cal!

My favorite is Carlsbad- cute town and shops, great beach, easy access to other attractions, you can take the Coaster train to SD if you dont want to drive - the Carlsbad Company Stores is there ( outlet mall) - there is a boardwalk at Tamarack Beach where we walk every morning- great for bike riding also - I think Carlsbad has a very small town feel to it - also love visiting the other coastal towns of Solana Beach, Cardiff by the Sea, Encinitas-
My daughter lives there and I have a great time every time I visit!!

I agree with many of the responses that voted for Del Mar. It is a cute little town with wonderful shops and restaurants and close to San Diego. Carlsbad and La Jolla are also close by. Try the Del Mar Inn (a Clarion Hotel). Peggy is the innkeeper and is so sweet. Also, Del Mar Pizza has the best New York pizza in all of California. We drive and 1 and 1/2 hours one way just to have some. Carpinteria is also nice and very close to Santa Barbara and all those great wineries of Santa Ynez Valley. Carpineria is very close to Santa Barbara for shopping and dining and not as expensive as Santa Barbara for lodging.

Count me in voting for Del Mar. Reasons have been outlined already. There is a great beach, good restaurants (Jake's, Il Fornaio among others), it is close to La Jolla for more great dining options and upscale shopping and just a short drive (about 20 min.) into downtown San Diego. So basically you've got all the action you could want and still reside in a pretty upscale relaxed beach community.

Del Mar again. Between Del Mar and La Jolla is Torrey Pines Beach, backed by 300 foot cliffs; there's a trail up to the park above if you get tired of the beach. It does get crowded in summer, but you can move down the beach away from the parking area to thin it out a bit. But if you go too far, you're on Black's Beach, which is unofficially clothing optional, and a sometime scene for naughty behavior. If you stay north of Flat Rock, where the trail starts up, you have nothing to worry about in this regard, though.

since I have spent anywhere from 3 to 60 days per summer for the past 45 years in Carlsbad, I vote for it. From there it is a convenient day trip to Laguna Beach if you want to see it (I went for the first time in many, many years last year and enjoyed it). Del Mar, San Diego, La Jolla are all very convenient day/afternoon trips.