So would it be possible that I stay in Laguna Beach for beach time and Disneyland then move closer to LA for a few days. We wanted to do the usual tourist trap stuff in around LA. Any suggestions?

FrankS- the reason I remember your comment is because the very next day I was driving south in the canyon and northbound was halted all the way into town. There was an accident at Canyon Animal Hospital. Bad scene for all.

run- yes it is possible if you don't mind the driving. :)

run,

Its very reasonable to split your trip between the 2, and I would suggest Santa Monica as a coastal base.

Run, if you look at my last post, one of my suggestions was to stay at Laguna while you are doing Disneyland and then move to Santa Monica for the LA part of your trip.

You will be doing some driving but it's not terrible. For me, the drive from Laguna Beach to Anaheim is worth it because Laguna is so nice. The only thing I would add is what ages are your kids? If your children are small then staying in Anaheim might be better because you could take a rest during the day and head back to Disneyland at night. But if they are a little older than that might not be important. You'd also want to carve out a day to just relax by the beach. Even if it's a little cold for swimming you can still enjoy relaxing at the beach.

FrankS-Your comment about Santa Monica as a coastal base doesn't make much sense. Maybe you meant Santa Monica as a base for LA?

run, I'm a fan of Santa Monica although some people on this forum aren't. The only thing to keep in mind is that getting in and out of Santa Monica can be time consuming (traffic) depending on what sights you want to see in LA. If you stay in Laguna, you would have already gotten your coastal stay. So let us know what you want to do in LA as other areas might be more convenient. Santa Monica can also be expensive in the summer so it might depend on your budget.

There is a Hilton hotel on the boardwalk in Huntington Beach. It is a great location if you want to also be close to shops and restaurants.

<B>gr8_fun</B>: This thread is 6 months old -- run's trip was in June.