alawes

We are a family of 6 (kids - 20, 18, 15, 15) and we are beach people. We live on the Jersey shore, so we go to the beach every day. Kids have been very fortunate and have traveled in Europe. They want a total relaxing beach vacation. I neeed help, thinking of arrivning in San Diego and leaving from Los Angeles. But where to stay on the coast is difficult for me. 8 nights total. Please help with suggestions. Thanks

travleis

Budget not an issue? Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel is the place to stay. Loews Coronado in San Diego is nice as well, but not as nice as RC.
The St. Regis next to the Ritz can be had for better rates but is still suffering some growing pains. A better value in some respects.
You don't give any clues at all about your tastes, budget, amount of space you're seeking, etc so hard to offer much useful advice.

alawes

Thanks for the advice. True, I didn't give enough info. We will need two rooms, which sleep 3 in each room. I would say we are looking at 4 to 5 star hotels on the beach.Price is always an issue, but we are not on a tight budget. Hope this helps,thanks.

jd

In the LA area,we stayed at the Beach House on Hermosa Beach. It is 7 mi. south of LAX. The beach is gorgous here, and your kids will love being able to walk to the pier area where there is alot going on, and good restaurants. Each room is a mini-suite with a seperate sitting area, fireplace,balcony.Breakfast included.

Surfergirl

You might consider the Surf N Sand in Laguna. Great rooms, right on the beach!

alawes

ttt

joesorce

For "totally relaxing beach vacation" I would say San Diego and Los Angeles are much too hectic, coming from Jersey do you really want to deal with MORE traffic?
I would suggest Santa Barbara California which is perfect for the age group of your children. Not much to do other than the beautiful beaches, upscale shopping, many great restaurants....you might take a day trip up to Hearst Castle, or down to Beverly Hills/Los Angeles (about a 90 min drive).

Some call Santa Barbara "America's Riviera". The Harbor View Inn is highly recommended.

Gardyloo

There are surprisingly few "beachfront" hotels along the So. California coast, most likely due to hotels' inability to keep the riffraff off "private" beaches (all beaches public right-of-way). Still, there are a few high-end places, none cheap but all pretty nice.

The "Hotel del" (Coronado) on Coronado Island in San Diego comes to mind - old, deluxe, great - that's great - beach, but not in downtown SD so not hectic. See "Some Like it Hot" before you go.

A couple of 3-star places on Mission Bay north of SD city center, the Bahia and Catamaran come to mind - older and with funky attributes, but Mission Bay is wonderful. The Ritz Carleton mentioned above near Laguna is very luxe, as is the brand new Hyatt at Huntington Beach (actually across the street from the beach, but no biggie), surf city itself. The place mentioned in Hermosa is closer in to downtown LA, or if you want to be in the middle of stargazing country (and pay dearly for it,) then Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica is your place. Celebrity sighting a daily event.

If you are okay with staying close to, but not on the beach, then the list grows rapidly.

You don't say when you're traveling, but be advised of the "June gloom" phenomenon on So. Calif. beaches.

DB

Try:

http://www.waterfrontbeachresort.hilton.com

or

http://huntingtonbeach.hyatt.com/

Barbara

Also look at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and the Sea Lodge next door. They can both be found at :

http://www.ljbtc.com/

Avalon4

Hi! I too am from the Jersey Shore. We just got back from an Easter week vacation at the Loews Coronado. The hotel was lovely-but it is not on the beach. It is bayfront. The Hotel Del in Coronado is directly on a very nice beach. It's right on the downtown Coronado strip and can feel very crowded. We have also stayed in Pacific Beach at the Pacific Terrace directly on the beach. Nice hotel and beach has better waves than Coronado, more like the ones you might see in LBI or Avalon. The Pacific Ocean is cold!!! My unheated NJ pool in May is warmer. The PB area has more nightlife and surfer atmosphere than Coronado, teens might love it, but I would supervise, it is nothing like the comparatively "quaint" teen boardwalk scene in NJ. You might feel more comfortable allowing the kids to bike ride/sight see alone in Coronado. Hope this info helps-we have also stayed in Santa Monica -but can be overwhelming for children as there is a large homeless population. Enjoy your trip to California!

ReneeS

There is an article in todays Los Angeles Times on Laguna Beach with lists of 4 and 5 star hotels. latimes.com then go to the travel section.

I agree though that Santa Barbara would be a more relaxing beach vacation than most of LA or San Diego.