lt20

Hi - I will be in Huntington Beach in mid-August so my daughter can play in a weekend volleyball tournament. Is it realistic to think we could do it without renting a car? Any suggestions on reasonably priced hotels? We don't need to be on the water but would love to be walking distance to HB. Or are we better off renting a car and finding a better value further away? Thanks, this was an unplanned (unbudgeted!) excursion, trying to keep the costs reasonable.

mlgb

If you don't want to drive, I think you will be paying peak rates for your hotel. Anything within walking distance of the beach will be expensive in August.

Huntington Beach is a big town.

StuDudley

Southern Calif without a car is a "non-starter". Huntington Beach is one of my least favorite areas in that region Laguna Beach, Corona Del Mar, & Newport Beach are far more interesting, IMO. You may want to make some excursions into those three cities when you're not involved with the tournament.

Stu Dudley

dmlove

Also, how would you get from your hotel to the tournament site? In SoCal, everyone else will be driving!

mlgb

You should be able to walk from the Hilton or the Hyatt in HB. Traffic is usually horrible when there is a volleyball tournament, so something to consider.

dmlove

mlgb, you're assuming its a beach volleyball tournament? That didn't even occur to me; I assumed it would be at some school.

Jean

I didn't occur to me that it would be anything but a beach volleyball tournament.

USA Beach Junior Tour Championships, August 16th, Huntington Beach.

dmlove

Aha! Well, then the answer is obvious -- stay in walking distance to the beach!!

mlgb

Dmlove, I guess you've never been to HB!

I once made the mistake of trying to drive to Newport Beach via Pacific Coast Hwy when they were having a weekend volleyball tournament. Ugh!

lt20

Thanks all - sorry for not being more specific - Jean, etc - y'all are spot-on - the Junior Beach Nationals Aug 16. I don't think we'll have much time for excursions (unfortunately) although with weekend traffic might not be worth it anyway. Yeah, I am trying to weigh the pros/cons of paying extra to stay by the beach and just need transport from the airport vs. saving some $ and staying further out but having a car.

Mambo_

For a fun dinner, go to The Crab Cooker, in Newport Beach, very close to Huntington. It is a funky place that is very popular. Very good fresh grilled lobster tails, scallops, shrimp. Reasonably priced.
>-

Jean

Yes, traffic will be really bad. I think if you can find decent trans from the airport to a hotel close to the beach, that's the way to go. No hotel and beach parking charges (which can really add up), and no battling traffic in a foreign neighborhood. There are lots of dining options close to the beach.

Good luck to your daughter and her team!

lt20

That sounds like a plan - I have a niece in W. Hollywood who may come visit for the day and she could drive us to dinner 1 night perhaps.

Thanks for the good wishes Jean - she is 13 and this is her first year to compete in Beach with her partner (they play club indoors) so we fully expect them to be seriously "schooled" by the CA girls ;-) but hoping it will be fun and great experience!

StuDudley

>>we fully expect them to be seriously "schooled" by the CA <<

I've lived my entire life in Calif, but went to college in the mid-west. In '68 between my junior & senior year, about 8 of us from our fraternity rented a house on 36th st in Newport Beach for the summer. Some of us played intermural volleyball in college. The first week there, two of us (not me) put in their names for "next up" on the beach volleyball court. "Our" team got the opening serve - but it was their last serve. 15-zip.

Stu Dudley