bev3

Hello! We (65+ couple) and our small dog will be visiting friends in Palm Springs in November. We will have a car and would like to spend time on the coast in Southern CA without too much driving (day trips within an hour or so) over 10 days after the PS visit.

Appreciate suggestions on a base place on or near the coast. Considering one or maybe 2 VRBO accommodations. We enjoy walking (not hikes with the older dog), shopping/exploring in towns, touring parks/nature areas (again, where we can take the doggo), wine tasting, outdoor patios.

Thank you for recommendations on what town(s) might serve as a convenient base to explore the coastal area. We have been to San Diego and are willing to go back, but perhaps there are other towns to add to our list. After CA we will be driving to Phoenix, AZ

mlgb

A lot of the coastal towns have banned or severely limited Airbnb/Vrbo but have a look at Sunset Beach or Huntington Beach

jamie99

Pretty sure Newport Beach is one of the few beach towns that allows short term rentals, as well as Huntington Beach (with a permit).
Most of the LA County beach towns have restrictions on them or have banned them.

Jean

Not every coastal town allows dogs on the beach, so make sure you know the law where you are. San Diego and Orange Counties have more dog-friendly beaches, some only at certain hours of the day and/or only in certain sections. L.A. County probably has the fewest beaches where dogs are allowed.

Also, in case you don't know, it's against the law in California to leave a dog unattended in a car when weather conditions would endanger the animal's health or safety. Palm Springs in November would definitely have those conditions during the day, and it's entirely possible that temps anywhere along the coast in SoCal during the day in November could present unsafe conditions.

bev3

Thank you for this info. Interesting about limited short term rentals. When I looked at San Diego there were so many, but we preferred a more central area to explore from.

bev3

Thanks for your reply. Aside from allowing short term rentals, any other thoughts about these towns as a base? Recommendations for restaurants, things to do etc?

bev3

We would never leave our dog in a vehicle, no matter where or weather. Glad to see CA has laws against this. Travelling with a dog does restrict our activities, but for the pleasure to have her with us, we don't mind. As we say, "it's all about the puppy."

jamie99

The short term rental laws are mainly to keep housing affordable for those of us who live here year around. I think San Diego may be more lax for the time being.

mlgb

I do like San Diego for you as there are many dog beaches and San Diego's short-term ordinance is not fully in effect yet, so this might be a good year to go back there. At a minimum you should make sure that they are collecting Transient Occupancy Tax. Also do not rent an "accessory unit".

Long Beach where I live also has a dog beach and so far they do permit some short term rentals and again TOT is required. Belmont Shore is one area that you might look into, the dog beach is at the end of Granada Ave.