Good beach hotel in California?
June 26, 2010 4:07 AM Subscribe
I'll be traveling around the states with my family in August and I'm looking for a good hotel in California, somewhere around LA and San Francisco. It has to be close to, or more preferably own a good beach. I was looking at some resorts in Santa Barbara, but maybe there are some other nice places to stay in.
What do you want to do at the beach? Santa Barbara isn't so swim friendly. Too cold!
nthing rdr's entire post.
posted by k8t at 5:53 AM on June 26, 2010
nthing rdr's entire post.
posted by k8t at 5:53 AM on June 26, 2010
You do know that San Francisco is generally quite cool and often very foggy in the summer, yes? Ocean Beach is not very swim-friendly; the water is cold and the currents are treacherous. I am not aware of an beach-front hotels in San Francisco.
For ordinary swim-and-sun beach fun, you'll have better luck in the southern part of the state.
posted by rtha at 8:42 AM on June 26, 2010
For ordinary swim-and-sun beach fun, you'll have better luck in the southern part of the state.
posted by rtha at 8:42 AM on June 26, 2010
I'm pretty sure you want a hotel "on" the beach not a hotel that "own"s a beach, so let's just start from there.
Santa Monica and San Francisco are about 400 miles apart, so you've got quite a lot to choose from. It would be helpful if you could describe a little bit more about what you're looking for. Swimming? Surfing? Beachcombing? Tidepooling? Romance? A wild sea with big waves? A calmer sea? A big strip of beach that stretches as far as the eye can sea? A lively beach culture with lots of people? A spot where you're likely to be alone? That will help us guide you more.
But without that, and off the top of my head, here are a few of the nice seaside towns between SM and SF. You can go to Expedia or another site and start checking to see what they list in these places. Malibu, Oxnard, Ventura, Summerland, Montecito, Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, Cayucos, Cambria, San Simeon, Carmel, Capitola, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Pescadero, Half Moon Bay.
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:45 AM on June 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
Santa Monica and San Francisco are about 400 miles apart, so you've got quite a lot to choose from. It would be helpful if you could describe a little bit more about what you're looking for. Swimming? Surfing? Beachcombing? Tidepooling? Romance? A wild sea with big waves? A calmer sea? A big strip of beach that stretches as far as the eye can sea? A lively beach culture with lots of people? A spot where you're likely to be alone? That will help us guide you more.
But without that, and off the top of my head, here are a few of the nice seaside towns between SM and SF. You can go to Expedia or another site and start checking to see what they list in these places. Malibu, Oxnard, Ventura, Summerland, Montecito, Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, Cayucos, Cambria, San Simeon, Carmel, Capitola, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Pescadero, Half Moon Bay.
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:45 AM on June 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Yeah, I did mean "on" a beach, not "own" a beach.
I know that the San Francisco area is generally pretty cold in the summer. It's just that after we finish with the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas we have around 10 days before our flight from San Francisco international airport and we still want to spend some time in the city. We just want to spend around 4-5 days lying on a beach and playing in the ocean, so I thought it wouldn't be wise to go too far south of LA.
Something between LA and SF would be ideal, we don't surf, I like big waves, but my mum prefers the calmer sea, so that would be better. And a "big strip of beach that stretches as far as eye can sea" sons absolutely awesome.
BlahLaLa: thanks for the suggestions.
rdr: Montage seems awesome, but also a bit too expensive. I'll look closer into laguna beach though.
posted by mck at 10:26 AM on June 26, 2010
I know that the San Francisco area is generally pretty cold in the summer. It's just that after we finish with the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas we have around 10 days before our flight from San Francisco international airport and we still want to spend some time in the city. We just want to spend around 4-5 days lying on a beach and playing in the ocean, so I thought it wouldn't be wise to go too far south of LA.
Something between LA and SF would be ideal, we don't surf, I like big waves, but my mum prefers the calmer sea, so that would be better. And a "big strip of beach that stretches as far as eye can sea" sons absolutely awesome.
BlahLaLa: thanks for the suggestions.
rdr: Montage seems awesome, but also a bit too expensive. I'll look closer into laguna beach though.
posted by mck at 10:26 AM on June 26, 2010
Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica is quite nice and you are close enough to LA to do LA stuff and take a day trip to Santa Barbara. And you are right by Pacific Park, the amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier, which would be fun for your kids.
posted by cecic at 10:27 AM on June 26, 2010
posted by cecic at 10:27 AM on June 26, 2010
Would you consider going a bit further south? The Hotel del Coronado in San Diego is gorgeous, and on a gorgeous stretch of beach.
posted by BlahLaLa at 1:03 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by BlahLaLa at 1:03 PM on June 26, 2010
I recently had a very nice stay at the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz. It's right on the beach, and it has a pool. It's walking distance to the board walk, but not so close that it's noisy. Santa Cruz weather in the summer is usually quite a bit warmer than San Francisco's, and it's sunnier. The beach is long and flat and sandy, and it's got enough waves for beginning surfers to learn on but not so big (in the summer, at least) that ordinary swimmers risk drowning.
posted by rtha at 1:21 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by rtha at 1:21 PM on June 26, 2010
You really don't play in the ocean in Northern California unless you're thinking of a wetsuit and not a swimsuit.
It's going to be a trade-off. If you really want to spend 5 days on the beach, you're going give up a day to travel to Southern California. (Southwest has tons of flights between Oakland and San Diego and other Southern California locations.) The Hotel del, as BlahLaLa mentioned, is wonderful. La Jolla has warmer water the Coronado, and there are plenty of nice hotels within a walk to the beach. For my money Swami's beach and the Encinitas area is the prototype of Southern California surfer towns - not so many hotels that come to mind, but a great place.
posted by 26.2 at 2:15 PM on June 26, 2010
It's going to be a trade-off. If you really want to spend 5 days on the beach, you're going give up a day to travel to Southern California. (Southwest has tons of flights between Oakland and San Diego and other Southern California locations.) The Hotel del, as BlahLaLa mentioned, is wonderful. La Jolla has warmer water the Coronado, and there are plenty of nice hotels within a walk to the beach. For my money Swami's beach and the Encinitas area is the prototype of Southern California surfer towns - not so many hotels that come to mind, but a great place.
posted by 26.2 at 2:15 PM on June 26, 2010
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I've never stayed at the Montage in Laguna Beach but if I were looking for a resort on the beach and I didn't care about money it would be at the top of my list. If I were looking for something more realistic I'd look at the Hilton near Half Moon Bay or the really cush camping site again near Half Moon Bay. If I were planning a year in advance, I'd look at reserving a cabin in Crystal Cove State Park. But that's me. I don't know what you're looking for. Is it privacy, good waves, long sandy beaches, lack of pollution, beautiful scenery, or warm water?
In general terms, Southern California is going to be more crowded and polluted than Northern California. Southern California will have warmer water. Every easily accesible beach in California in August will have a fair number of people. You might be able to find some uncrowded beaches if you avoid the easily accesible beaches. You're not likely to find many waves in August in Northern California.
If you're interested in beaches as beaches, then the California Beach Guide is a good guide.
posted by rdr at 5:22 AM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]