Southern CA Beach Vacation
 

Hi Fodorites: I am planning a vacation for my family (wife and 21 yr, 19 yr and 14 yr olds) in mid-June and would love to hit the beach somewhere between LA and SD (ideally. In a perfect situation, we would find condo's or villas near or on the beach (as opposed to hotel rooms) as my daughter has severe food allergies (allows us to make 2 meals per day). We can go from economical to moderately expensive in cost. Any smart ideas? Also, would love suggestions over the course of our planned 10 day visit.

Carlsbad is a good choice. If you rent an apartment, they are almost always a Saturday to Saturday rental. www.barbaramclain.com is a good source for rentals in north San Diego county.

That's a big stretch of coastline, are you thinking more towards LA or San Diego?
I like Laguna Beach for its scenic beauty and dining options.

A specific per day $$ amount would be helpful.

I would probably say that we would want to be closer to Los Angeles than to San Diego, and per day rental in the $400-$500 range could work for us.

You do know about "June Gloom," don't you??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Gloom

I was going to bring up June Gloom as well.
Most days the clouds burn off by noon, but some days it never goes away.
That's a healthy budget you have there. You might consider renting a house in the Newport Beach, Balboa area. Good beach access and lots of dining, shopping options as well as piers and boat rentals.

Yes, June will be overcast and gloomy. The closer you are to the beach the worse it will be. Not the best time to vacation. A much better time will be late August. However, it will be more crowded as well.