Hi,

My family (including kids 12, 10, and 5) likes to spend a part of our summer vacation experiencing a new place each year. We live in Atlanta and will probably never move so this is a chance to really see a different part of the country, experiencing "real life" and also any fun activities around. We've been to Telluride, Bend OR, Bar Harbor, and a remote SC island. We usually leave during the last week of May and stay somewhere for a month. We don't like to move during the month but frequently will take one or two week-end trips to nearby places if we are interested in them (for example we drove to Boston from Maine for a few days).

We are thinking California this year. I have been to SF and Monterey and loved them but in the interest of variety, I am focusing more on Southern California (San Diego area?) possibly with one of the side trips being into Mexico. A place with access to public transportation would be great but not required. Access to outdoorsy activities is a requirement but I am also interested if you have thoughts about staying in SD. Can you help me focus my rental home search? What areas would be best?

Our budget is about 5-6,000 for rental for the month. So far, I see that Cardiff-by-the-sea is in that price range.

Thoughts?

Thanks so much in advance!

Wow - sounds like a great summer trip! My two cents on San Diego - it is a beautiful place but you would be more central to more things to see and do (San Diego/Orange County and LA Areas) if you stayed a little further north, perhaps in San Clemente, Laguna Beach or Huntington Beach. Even if you decide to go ahead and stay in SD, Laguna and Huntington are a great day trip. Have fun!

San Diego or coastal Orange County would be fine.

But >>possibly with one of the side trips being into Mexico.

I would say the "public transportation" option would be more than iffy....and do you have an American Express card? Most Visa and Mastercards only cover car rentals for 15 days or less.

San Diego is a great place with a lot to see and do. Cardiff, while a great place to live, is not really near anything that tourists generally want to see-other than Legoland. It's a drive to anywhere you'd want to go other than the beach.

Which month are you considering? The horse racing at Del Mar results in the availablilty of rental in that general coastal area being very limited and more expensive. The racing season this year is July 20th through September 7th.

A flight from San Diego to Acapulco or even Cancun would work as the last leg before returning to Atlanta unless you are driving your own car. I agree with janisj, stay out of Tijuana.
I want to know why you don't want to come back to Bend, OR.
Both Sunriver and Black Butte Ranch will fit your budget.
My son the Marine, loves San Clemente.

>>

Because....they want to be "experiencing a new place each year"

Another excellent choice would be Colorado or Utah (Aspen, Vail, Telluride, Park City, any of them really).

Barbara: "Which month are you considering?"

The OP says they travel for a month starting the last week of May.

Thanks, janis. Don't know how I missed that! In that case, they'd be here during the San Diego County Fair, also at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. It runs this year from Friday, June 10 through Monday, July 4. It doesn't present problems with rentals, but can create backups on I-5.

http://www.sdfair.com/fair/index.php...tion=info.home

In case you aren't aware- June is typically a foggy month along the SoCal coast. If sunshine is a priority for your vacation- you might want to look elsewhere. Time after time I've seen folks expecting California sunshine and they end up very disappointed.

Agree, skip the unsafe border towns of Mexico. Perhaps taking a short trip to Catalina Island would be of interest.

Flashing back to a time when my kids were that age...I think I'd rent a house at Mission Beach or on Mission Bay in San Diego. The outdoor activities are endless and about as ideal as you can get for kids. You can walk from Mission Beach to Mission Bay easily ( a short block or 2 at most). Daily kayaking, bike riding, ocean swimming, pool swimming, roller blading, surfing (boogie board lessons, too) - so many activities right out your door. There are many homes available for rent. Right on the beach is more expensive (and noisier) as you'd be right on the boardwalk. But the views would be fabulous. On an alleyway is actually a little better. But right on Mission Bay you'd have the views, the beach of the bay outside your door, a bike/walking path, kayak rentals, etc. Sailing also. Just spent a week visiting a friend there and we were busy all day long. I loved getting up early in the morning, walking down the boardwalk to a great little coffee hut and watching the surfers. We walked to restaurants each evening. Yes, indeedy, I think Mission Beach/Mission Bay would be a quintessential Southern California experience!

I know you said southern Cal but I have to mention Marin county just north of San Francisco. It's an awesome place. Lots of outdoorsy stuff to do. Hiking, mountain biking, kayaking. Great food, farmers' markets, restaurants, cafes. Short bus ride into San Francisco. Sonoma county a short drive to north.

My favorite towns are Fairfax, San Rafael, and Mill Valley.

Good luck.

David Robert Hogg,
My Little Nomads - the travel with kids website

Thanks everyone for all your replies. I will continue to look into those areas. We did LOVE Bend (stayed in Sunriver) and Telluride but I seek new adventures . I do have Amex ... was going to look into maybe renting a car from a reputable off-airport place to see if that saves some bucks. Gosh, we love SF too and a northern california town is tempting ... And finally, I will stay away from the boarder! Keep the ideas coming and thanks so much so far.

San Diego, Laguna Beach and Santa Barbara are some of our favorite areas of the Southern CA coast. Have fun in the sun! ***kim***