For MomDD:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...boa-ferry.html

I love how the police drove the family to a car rental place, and they just continued their vacation. I don't know what else they could do, but I have this vision of four dripping wet people walking into Hertz and saying their rental was now in Newport Harbor and they need another car. OK, sure, whatever you say, here ya go. You want insurance with that?

You say the beach on Balboa Island is tiny? Not sure which part you went to but when friends of mine rented a place there on the Pacific side (they later bought one on the bay side) - you had a very long beach and it was over a hundred yards wide.

And one of my old roomies also lives a half a block from the Boardwalk/Ocean side - and there is a beach all along there as I recall.

And yes, a car/SUV came loose on the ferry and pushed another one into the bay. It was a rental I believe.

Here's the story. Guess they just sort of sat there until rescued but I would have been breaking out windows.

http://www.brownandstowell.com/car-s...rry-4-rescued/

Oh yes, due to the heroic actions of the guys in the nearby skiffs, the family didn't even get wet. Why the parents were just sitting there in the front seat of the van is beyond me though. They even had the windows already down to see the sights - so I guess they must have "frozen up".

And I would still take San Diego beaches over the harder to get to ones in LA.

Tomsd, I think your friends' rental "on the Pacific side" was on the Newport Peninsula which does have a nice, broad beach. Balboa Boulevard runs down the center, but this is not Balboa Island. If you mean "Ocean Front Walk," that's also on the Peninsula.

Balboa Island is completely within Newport Harbor, has a seawall and an extremely shallow "beach" in places of perhaps 20 feet at low tide. But in many areas, the seawall is at the water line, and there is no beach. Interestingly, the island's HOA is studying whether to increase the height of the seawall in anticipation of future rising water globally. New homes are required to be built so that the first floor is x number of inches above high tide.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar...evels-20110306

Yes, what Jean said. I too have rented a place in Newport Beach twice - it was on the Pacific side. Balboa Island is a small quaint little "island" - it is exactly as Jean explained...

Off to read the article....

MomDD, when can I join you there? Oh, yay!

I still think this is a good place for the OP. The kids will be safe walking everywhere on Balboa, to shop or grab a bite. If the OP wants a beach vibe little town, this is it.

The beach is closeby, and I assume they will have a car and are old enough to drive.

Lack of a pool could be the game-stopper, though.

June 16 - 20 and again June 24-29 and then driving up to pick up dd at tennis camp and making our way back to the 100 plus degree weather in Texas. Bleck.