Can you help me pick a beach?

[Nermel9]

Hi everyone,

I'll be going to Disneyland next week, and one or 2 days during our visit, I have to visit a Southern CA beach. I'm just so confused on which one to go to...I'm not planning to spend the entire day there, basically I just want to see the Pacific Ocean, since I'm from the east coast. There are SO many to pick from! I've read a lot of people who visit DLR go to Huntington Beach, which looks ok, but I've also read that Laguna Beach and Newport Beach are nicer? Is that true? Laguna Beach kind of scares me, lol, I feel like I won't fit in if I go there (this is all based off of watching that Mtv show Laguna Beach). What about Malibu or Santa Monica, are these places too far? Like I said, I'm not planning on spending the day there, I just want to get out, walk around, take some pictures and go. I'd LOVE to be on a beach at sunset but I don't know if I can time it right haha.

Any suggestions would be great, and we are renting a car so we don't have to worry about transportation or anything. Thanks!!

(I apologize if I got any of the names of the beaches wrong, I was just researching them and I went off memory!)

 

[cedricandsophie]

We love Huntington Beach. I would recommend. The town is cute and lots of great place to eat. But I've been to Laguna beach and Newport Beach which are OK. Not sure why they would scare you. Malibu is fine but a little far and parking is a pain. Santa Monica is also fine but seems more touristy to me than Huntington. Another great place is Venice. Wonderful atmosphere and great people watching. Or if you have day drive to Santa Barbara. Fabulous.

 

[SMD]

I would start with what else you plan to do besides the beach if the plan is just to see the Pacific. For example, in SM you can spend part of the day at the pier, go down to the beach and then continue on to something else in the area. In Laguna you'd really just be there for the beach. I'd put Huntington in between in terms of other activities, like the pier. If you really just want to see a beach, and are flying into LAX you can go there directly from the airport. It has a parking lot that I think costs $8-$10 and you can walk right out on the sand from there. Or continue south to Manhattan Beach or Redondo, stop for lunch or dinner and continue from there to DLR.

 

[Califlove]

Huntington is super close (20 minute-ish drive that you can do on city streets vs freeway if you choose) and is very comfortable. I love Laguna because I think its the most beautiful. But Huntington is cool and it will fit the bill as far as seeing the Pacific. The pier is cool and there are lots of shops and restaurants all close to the pier. You can watch surfers at Huntington too.
I also love Santa Monica and Venice, but factor in the traffic. Those places/roadways are much busier than around Huntington. So, if you want laid back, choose Huntington. If you don't care about traffic and the longer drive, you would like any of the choices.
Ask any specific questions you like. Maybe we can narrow it down more for you. Happy deciding!

 

[StageTek]

Laguna Beach kind of scares me, lol, I feel like I won't fit in if I go there (this is all based off of watching that Mtv show Laguna Beach).

You know (of course) that the TV show shows the worse people not the best. The people of Laguna Beach are
wonderful, friendly and family oriented. The tourists come from all over the world and are welcomed by all of
them. The beach and town are beautiful.

Like I said, I'm not planning on spending the day there, I just want to get out, walk around, take some pictures and go. I'd LOVE to be on a beach at sunset but I don't know if I can time it right haha.

For a short trip where you just want to walk around, take some pictures and go I suggest Westward Beach
http://www.californiabeaches.com/beach/westward-beach/ No tourist stuff, no shops, very few people. You'll
recognize it from the movies; Grease and Planet of the Apes were filmed there.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

If you just want to see the beach and walk around, they are all fine TBH. Just go to whichever one is more convenient.

In terms of the cities themselves (at least the area close to beach), you're right that Laguna Beach and Newport Beach are a little fancier than Huntington. I always judge by how many art galleries are there, lol. But they are all pleasant places to walk around. They all have places to eat, get ice cream or whatever. Huntington feels more like a traditional beach town to me, Laguna is more upscale, Newport somewhere in the middle (closer to Laguna than Huntington I would say).

I ate at a restaurant called Splashes in Laguna Beach once at sunset. The tables were right next to the beach. I don't recall how the food was, so it probably wasn't all the memorable, but the scenery was fantastic.

I think if I were a tourist visiting for a few hours and convenience wasn't an issue, I would probably go to Laguna Beach or Manhattan Beach, but as I mentioned you can't really go wrong with any of them if you just want to see the sand/water and maybe a bite to eat.

 

[Nermel9]

Thanks for all of the advice, I still am not sure which beach to go to, but depending on time, maybe I'll be able to visit more than one! I love the beach to walk around on, but I'm not a "beach" person, meaning, I'm not going to be bringing a towel and chairs and spending my whole day there. I only need maybe an hour or two and I'm good! Thanks again!

 

[ncc1701]

Thanks for all of the advice, I still am not sure which beach to go to, but depending on time, maybe I'll be able to visit more than one! I love the beach to walk around on, but I'm not a "beach" person, meaning, I'm not going to be bringing a towel and chairs and spending my whole day there. I only need maybe an hour or two and I'm good! Thanks again!

Another vote for Huntington Beach. The pier area is a great place to watch the sunset, it is the closest to Anaheim and there are a decent selection of restaurants to grab a bite.
One of our favorite towns to vacation.

 

[pinkprincess30]

I love Huntington. On our trip last year we went to Malibu only because we had friends who met us there who were coming from the North. We found it to be too far away for our liking. I don't really like Venice Beach (too dirty). We might try to make it to Huntington Beach this trip.

Have fun!

 

[bethbuchall]

This has been very helpful, since I had the same question. We also want to see the beach and walk around a bit but aren't really "beach people." But we definitely want to see the Pacific Ocean!

 

[B4DlandOpened]

This has been very helpful, since I had the same question. We also want to see the beach and walk around a bit but aren't really "beach people." But we definitely want to see the Pacific Ocean!

If you want some scenery as well as a nice beach, it's hard to beat Corona del Mar.
Huntington and Newport are great "walking" beaches.
The Balboa area is fun - and you can take a ferry over to Balboa Island where you can get frozen bananas!

 

[Pintail]

Huntington Beach is a great choice. Duke's is a restaurant right on the beach, next to the pier at Huntington Beach. They have an awesome Sunday Brunch, and you can valet Park right in front. Lunch on other days (except Monday) is good too. You can eat and visit the beach, that would make it fun and easy trip. If you know when you will be there, you can make a reservation. Enjoy your trip!