My husband, son (15) and I will be in the Anaheim area and will have 3 extra days to spend seeing California for the 1st time. We tend to like the beach and other outdoor activities as opposed to museums. I have been looking at San Diego, Orange County beach areas (Laguna, Newport, etc.) and the Pismo Beach area. We are budget conscious and would like to stay somewhere with ocean views in the $150 per night range. I would appreciate any suggestions on which area to concentrate on and any suggested accomodations.

What time of year is this, and does your three days encompass a weekend?
I ask, because weekdays not in the summer, won't be too hard to acomplish $150.- or under. Weekends in the summer can go higher than that even for marginal motels like days inn and Econolodge. I was shocked when I saw a Super8 go to $129.- plus tax last summer in Monterey on a weekend. Usually $45-50 in non summer, weekdays.

Look at La Jolla and Coronado in San Diego.

I live near Pismo... and there's nothing here you won't see better staying south. With your timeframe... I wouldn't go further north than Santa Barbara. (depending on the time of year... they have great beach volleyball tournaments that are fun to watch also whale watching some months) Keep in mind that many hotels have two night minimums year round.

We will be visiting in mid June from Monday through Thursday. My son would enjoy playing beach volleyball.

Volley Ball on the beach? I think of Venice Beach, Santa Monica or Malibu. I'm not sure about the prices though. Check this website, I found it helpful:
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/index.html

Oh, one of my Southern CA friends mentioned to me that Hermose Beach is often a more affordable option. You can firnd the city you want, then check tripadvisor.com.

Sorry it's Hermosa Beach.

http://www.seaspritemotel.com/

I live in So. Cal and only want to mention to be prepared for a plan B other than the beach just in case of lousy weather. June is known for having what we call "June Gloom" where it's often overcast and the sun may not come out until mid afternoon. It seems to be some type of June phenomena here. I like the idea of Orange County or San Diego. San Diego has Sea World and the zoo which is always fun.

Price range would depend on month of year/day of week, but I can recommend lagunariviera.com

Just stayed one night in Santa Monica, and think it would be the place to go for beach volleyball - tons of nets set up. There's also a great path on the beach for roller blading or biking.

I love Santa Monica -- I've always managed to find a decent place w/a decent price (my last visit, in late Jan., I got a great deal on an oceanfront room at the cute & funky Hotel California, via hotels.com). Sure, SM has drawbacks, but I'd go again in a heartbeat, esp. if I had a teenager in tow.

I second the point re: the beach not being particularly warm, even in June. I'm from the Atlantic Coast & when I took an early July vacation in San Diego years ago, I was surprised by the weather, esp. in the AM. The air was warm, but the Pacific was cold, & the haze/clouds didn't disappear until afternoon.