Need base area around LA for Spring Break trip
 

Our family of 5 has some miles and vouchers we need to use up. We are considering southern California since none of us has been there. The kids are 19, 17 & 15. We enjoy the ocean and all things nautical ie poking around marinas, boat trips, ocean views. We can fly into any of the following airports: Long Beach (LGB), Orange County (SNA), Ontario (ONT), or San Diego (SAN). Can you suggest a good beach oriented town to base our explorations from?
Thanks for any suggestions.

My choice for your situation would be Santa Monica. Pretty beaches, close to some big marinas (Marina Del Rey), fun for bicycling along the miles of beach to Venice. Maybe a trip out to Catalina Island. Visits to Long Beach and of course, ALL that LA itself has to offer you is right at your fingertips. FOR YOUR FIRST TRIP TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, I'D FOCUS ON THE AREA NEAR TO LA.

you can't go wrong with san diego. great city. lots of activities for kids that age. could take a boat trip out whale watching. several marinas to explore.

For nautical interests, San Diego is great. Beautiful area, great views, the zoo is lots of fun also. The suggestion of Santa Monica is also good, and would be closer to the LA attractions, such as Universal, Disney, Magic Mountain, Venice Beach. And you can certainly take a day trip to San Diego from LA (about 2 hour drive).

Santa Monica is a great choice-- and you'll be able to use the money you save on airfare to defray the cost of the hotel. Another possibility might be to stay down in Hermosa Beach or Redondo Beach; lodging choices near the shore are a bit cheaper. The farther south you head from this point, the less convenient the beaches are (i.e., harder to get into/out of).

If you're indeed going to focus on the LA area, your best airport choices will be SNA or LGB. ONT is 40-odd miles as the crow flies out of LA, but well over an hour in a car once you factor in traffic. You'll probably have more choices in flights going into SNA (bigger airport), but LGB (my hometown airport) is super-convenient because of its size (it's a municipal field with super-long runways and full ATC facilities). Long Beach is limited as a tourist destination, frankly; the Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific are worthy attractions, but otherwise the city's charms are reserved for its citizens. And its beaches are not too hot. However, it does have two big marinas (downtown and Belmont Shore/Naples Island) and lots to do around those marinas, so it's not horrible.

I spent Saturday night down in Laguna Beach (birthday party and huge margaritas kept us there overnight)-- I always love visiting that place. May be too mellow for your kids. Make sure you get to visit Huntington Beach-- Surf City USA, and a haven for the young crowd.

You'll have a great time planning this, and an even better time when you get here! Enjoy!

With kids that age, I'd recommend San Diego as a base with a day trip to Huntington Beach (Surf City, USA). There's lots to see and do in San Diego.

Because you say you've never been here before, I'd base at a beach hotel so they have access to the sand. Everything is so compact in San Diego, it's just a short drive to most of the attractions (although the Wild Animal Park is a bit further).

Have a great trip.