Santa Monica vs Laguna vs Huntington vs Newport vs Malibu

[WDWOswald]

We only have time to go to one beach on our short trip to California next month.

I am looking for a beach that is:

- Beautiful and has a view of some cliffs/mountains. I'm from long island so we have nice beaches but not a lot elevation around. I take my DSLR everywhere and would like to go someplace that is picturesque!

- Is near an area with lots of shopping and restaurants. We'd like to get a taste of the areas the rich and famous like to shop and eat.

- Is within roughly an hour or and hour and a half drive from LAX.

- Will give me the "vibe" of southern california

 

[ILUVALASKA]

Laguna Beach, hands down. Santa Monica feels dirty, Huntington is flat.

 

[WDWOswald]

Thanks! Any other responses?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Take Pacific Coast Highway (PCH, aka Hwy 1) along the coast to soak in as much scenery as possible. And that way you can stop to take photos, too. On the way to/from Laguna, stop at Fashion Island shopping center in Newport Beach. Nice outdoor shopping mall with nice places to eat. Crystal Cove along PCH, just south of Newport, has nice shopping and dining, too. In Laguna, you can dine at Las Brisas (Mexican food) for a great view or for higher end dining, go to the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel. Eat in the lounge (great view) and then stroll down to the beach.

Going the other direction from your proposed beaches, have you thought about visiting Santa Barbara? Beautiful area, lots of "rich and famous" people live in the area, nice shopping area on State Street, Biltmore Hotel is historic and has lovely grounds, the mission is historic, surrounding area (Los Olivos, Solvang area, etc.) has good wine tasting (have you seen the movie "Sideways"?).

For non-beach high end shopping, stop by South Coast Plaza. Very nice indoor mall with many high end stores (sort of like Rodeo Drive, but indoors).

 

[rtfelt]

I second Laguna. It has everything you're looking for: cliffs, shopping, beach volleyball and basketball going on all the time--very Californian, quaint beach town feel, restaurants, galleries. You probably won't see famous people, but you rarely do anywhere. It's all luck. It's also fairly close to DLR. Just be aware they have metered parking so bring lots of quarters or plan on parking a LONG way from the beach. It gets crazy in the summer so go early to get a spot.

 

[sksjasams]

Just a quick Laguna Beach question please...how close is the parking if you are willing to pay to park? Are there any lots right at the beach, or is it all street parking?

Thank you!