Recommendations for beaches south of LA?
 

Hi all Fodorites,

My husband and 1½ year old daughter will join me for a conference in SB around the 1st of March 2013, and then we will have a family holiday for 1-2 weeks afterwards.

In addition to visiting some favorite places from when we lived in SB some years ago, we would also like to stay 1 week or more (renting an apartment or similar) in one place.
Since we've never been south of LA, we would like to explore this section of CA - but where should we base ourselves?? I hope you can recommend specific areas we should look into.

I would like to be within walking distance of the coast (I realise the timing is not right for extensive beach life) so we can have morning coffee on the beach while the little one is digging in the sand, and some nearby nice (not fancy) dining options would also be great.

best regards from Stockholm!

Newport Beach is a big long beach with many shops and restaurants. You then have the Newport Bay harbor with all the yachts, Balboa Island, all the beautiful homes.

Manhattan and Hermosa Beaches would be my pick - lots of listings on or near The Strand (beachfront walkway) in VRBO. You can walk to all sorts of cafes, etc. in minutes.

I also like Newport Beach, or Laguna Beach. To me, they feel less city and more beach town.

Manhattan Beach is a great day trip, but not so much for a vacation week. Especially since you are coming from Stockholm!

In Newport Beach, we love The Crab Cooker. So does most of the population, so get there early for a table. Or get cups of their wonderful chowder with their homemade cracker rolls, to eat outside while you wait.

For high-end lodging, the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel is amazing.

If you are in the Newport Beach area, you could also easily take the Catalina flyer boat to Catalina Island for a nice day trip.

The area near the Newport pier would be a good fit. Sort of a funky old California beach town feel.
Lots of dining and shopping with an interesting pier and a lovely beach.

<<<If you are in the Newport Beach area, you could also easily take the Catalina flyer boat to Catalina Island for a nice day trip.>>>

You'd also be close to the ferry to Balboa Island, which is very pleasant on a nice day for a few hours.

How far south of LA? What about Oceanside or Torrey Pines?

For beach quality time, I would pick Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, or north San Diego County.

March can bit a bit cold and rough water for going in the water, even if you are from Sweden.

yes mlgb! the water will be in the low 60's on a warm water day that time of year (if you are lucky). you probably won't want to go into the water unless you have a wetsuit.

Thank you for all your suggestions! Wonderful! It sounds like Newport has lots to offer - I shall look into that.
We have previously stayed in Redondo and also enjoyed Hermosa and Manhattan so thought we should try something else this time.

Chris: it can acutally be as far south as the SD area - we want to visit San Diego anyway so just somewhere btw. LA and SD ;)

Plenty of beaches south of LA - into Orange County - and then another hour or so south - and you are in San Diego, and Carlsbad - or Del Mar might fit you just fine.

You could actually split time between Orance County and North San Diego, or even get to the cute village of La Jolla.

For more info - see: http://www.sandiego.org/what-to-do/beaches.aspx

And BTW: There can be storms blowing through in March - but you can also get some nice sunny days. And hey - I think a brisk swim in the ocean at that time of year is great. :)

So La Jolla if we would stay in the SD area?

La Jolla, Coronado, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Carlsbad. If you really want direct beach access, read the reviews carefully, many locations are on a bluff above the water.

The beach in Coronado tends to be a bit stinky, for swimming I prefer the north coast (Torrey Pines northwards).

If you decide to just get a hotel and forgo the direct beach access, I recently stayed at the Homewood Suites Liberty Station, which is quite close to Coronado. Units have kitchens as well as breakfast and some dinner service included in the rates.

In the winter, we usually take our daughter to Coronado Island in San Diego. It's idyllic with a nice pedestrian feel (once you're on the island) and almost year-round sunshine. It's more likely to be warm and the beach is huge with clean sand. We were there in February of last year and needed sunscreen! There is a naval base on part of the island, so you'll occasionally see (and hear!) fighter jets flying just above you - something your child may enjoy if she is interested in airplanes. The Hotel del Coronado is right on the beach and an interesting historical building.

Torrey Pines State Reserve in La Jolla (north part of SD) has beautiful hiking trails along cliffs above the water.

Newport Beach is nice as well, but be careful on the weekends. On weekdays, the beachfront hotels are quiet and relaxing. On the weekends, the entire area turns into a loud party scene that lasts well into the night.

Wherever you end up, just be careful to time your driving around rush hour!

Definitely Laguna. Beautiful beach, boardwalk, tide pools, and a great little town for shopping/dining.

<i>We have previously stayed in Redondo and also enjoyed Hermosa and Manhattan so thought we should try something else this time.</i>

Okay, so scratch the LA-area South Bay.

In Orange County, I'd personally look at "Little Bal" - Balboa Island - rather than the Newport/Balboa peninsula. You won't have open ocean beach (but a short ferry ride away) but instead you'll get a gorgeous waterfront village, with shops, restaurants, and lovely little houses, convenient to the "mainland" - Newport shopping centers, roads out, etc. - but cozy and private-feeling.

Or, farther south, look at rentals facing Mission Bay in San Diego. The bay is warm and shallow, has nice kid-friendly sandy beaches with no waves, and it too is convenient to various commercial/recreational activities. Again, the ocean beaches with surf etc. are very close by, in some cases walkable, on the MB/PB/OB (west) side of Mission Bay.

In March the actual ocean beaches are going to be cold, so I'd be mindful of what there is to do when you're <i>not</i> out on the beach.

At the end of September my family of four spent two nights at the Crystal Pier Hotel in San Diego, http://www.crystalpier.com. Located in Pacific Beach, the hotel is a group of historic cottages built on an actual pier. We had one of the two bedroom cottages. It was neat as a pin, decorated in nautical blue and white, and very comfortable. Parking was right in front of the cottage. The immediately surrounding area is a bit raffish, similar to the area around the Newport Pier on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, but it didn't feel unsafe. The gate to the pier is locked during the night. La Jolla is a 10-minute drive north. Very cool.

Thank you all for your answers! It is so great to get this kind of feed back and good suggestions.

We have decided to spend a few days in Newport or Laguna (still haven't booked hotel/b&b)before going down to La Jolla for the major part (10 days) of our family holiday. Look forward to exploring these areas!

And yes, bon_voyage, that is one super-cool location!!!
Maybe if I wasn't so worried about the little one falling into the water :)