Which beach not to be missed?
 

Hi,

We are planning 7 days in LA in September. If we were thinking of visiting a beach area and staying for a night then driving back to LA, which would you recommend, as being the most scenic and interesting?

We've been thinking about Santa Barbara ... but wondered how this would compare to say, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport or Laguna?

Many thanks.

Newport and Huntington are in my opinion the prettiest...as for most "interesting" well that title goes to Venice Beach!

i agree with vegasnative. but i like newport beach's water better for some reason...

oceanside is pretty cool, too.

Prettiest in greater LA area in my opinion is Laguna Beach. However, if you're including points in San Diego County, I'd put Laguna neck-and-neck with La Jolla, which is also gorgeous. Newport is pretty too-- prettier than Huntington. Laguna is a very arts-oriented town, so it has some keen cultural interest.

<i>[Lengthy aside: Long Beach's actual beaches, in comparison to Laguna's, aren't particularly good (which pains me to say since I live there). It's an industrial town that's much nicer to live in than to visit as a tourist (however, it has some outstanding restaurants and an unusually good orchestra). For a beach-oriented night's stay, strike it off your list.]</i>

September weather is usually spectacular along the coast, so hotel prices may still be a bit steep.

Laguna Beach is great. Santa Barbara is a wonderful town to spend a few days in.

If SD is an option (about 2 hours south of downtown LA) then Torrey Pines, La Jolla Shores or Del Mar are worth the drive.

I haven't been to Newport Beach in a few years but I remember that the water broke right on the beach making it quite dangerous for kids. I'm not sure if this is the case for all of Newport or just the part I happened to visit. That being said Newport Beach is still a fun town to visit as well.

rjw, I like the beaches in Pittsburgh better. :-&quot;

Kal, that's only cuz you like IC Light Beer and sandwiches with french fries stuck in 'em...! :p

Let me be Kal's &quot;good friend&quot; and top it for him

I don't drink anymore...I don't drink any less, just not any more.

Never had a &quot;Primanny's&quot;. It's on my To Do list for our planned May '07 visit.
I wonder if Sunshine Steph is available for a GTG?((H))