Chillout beach town recommendations on the west coast of USA

solid 5

Hi All - had this over int eh Nprth America forum but not as many visitors as here. Any help much appreciated.

Looking at hitting the West coast in mid June for 3 weeks in total. Were doing thinking of doing LA, SF, Vegas, Yosemite, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon and the likes.

We'd like to take 4/5 days out and to just relax completely in a nice beach town / spot. Can anyone recommend somewhere nice to just totally relax at the beach for a a few days, hit some nice restaurants in the evening.

There must be some great spots on the west coast for this?

If we dont find somewhere we may just jump on a flight to a Mexico resort or even down to Florida but would prefer to stay on the west coast.

Thanks in advance

Faith

Anywhere on the coast of California, basically! Personally I'd recommend Santa Barbara or Santa Cruz.

finbarrk

Well I wouldn't recommend San Jose anyway. A hole of a place, got stuck there for a while a few years ago.

juanyjuans

Laguna beach, CA

alastair

Laguna Beach would be a good choice alright, or La Jolla. Pacific Beach in San Diego is a nice spot, but likely to be jammers with American students and J1'ers in June.

thudd

If you are looking for a chilled out vibe, it HAS to be Ocean Beach, San Diego. Everything is slowed down by about 50% down there, ridiculously laid back and possbily the greatest beach town ever.

alastair

thudd wrote: »

If you are looking for a chilled out vibe, it HAS to be Ocean Beach, San Diego. Everything is slowed down by about 50% down there, ridiculously laid back and possbily the greatest beach town ever.

Bit noisy with the planes landing at the airport though.

Ponster

Santa Cruz gets my vote. Lots to to and see in the area should you get bored of the beach.

solid 5

Cheers all. Thanks for all of your responses, hugely appreciated here.

Were thinking of not booking any accomodation, were happy to stay in cheap motels / hotels while travelling (driving down the coast). Will rent a condo or something near the beach in San Diego alright, will book that well in advance.

My question is - has anyone used Priceline before with success and should we leave it late to book a couple of nice hotels for the trip or book now (talking Vegas and maybe Santa Barbara / Santa Cruz / Balboa Peninsula)?

Any more recommendations for a nice beach area around San Diego?

solid 5

Any advice on the last couple of questions?

thudd

dont know anything about priceline. But regarding beaches in SD, you have the two built up, commercial beaches of Mission Beach and Pacific Beach, which are basically the same stretch of beach, McDonalds and Wendys on every corner. Further north of them you have La Jolla beach and cove, very very expensive and 'exclusive' up there.

Then there's Ocean Beach, just south of Mission Beach and Pacific beach (20 min walk away, could do a different beach every day really) as I mentioned before, which is all independent types shops and stores which leads to the more laid back, less pretentionus vibe about the place.

So, for me, once again its gotta be OB. Most the shops have signs that read 'No shirt, no shoes, no problem'. Lots of other coves and more private beaches within walking distance of here too. Chill on the beach for the day, drink at the fire-pits on the beach at night. If you want bars and a more lively atmosphere, they cater for that too. Although in fairness to the other beaches I mention above, they have some good bars etc there too.

It all depends on the individual really.

alastair

I've used Priceline for last minute booking if hotels while taking a train around the US (mostly in or around the Pacific N West), and for NY trips a couple of times - there's a good priceline strategy/pricing forum at http://www.betterbidding.com

Well worth it in my experience, but it's pretty much down to the demand in your location at that time of year - ymmv.

Re Ocean Beach - I liked the vibe of the place too, but it definitely has a higher crusty/homeless quotient than other beaches, and the smelly stoner scene might get as old as the frat boy / spring break thing at Pacific Beach. La Jolla beach is nicer than both imo, but La Jolla itself is very 'ladies who lunch'. It has a decent comedy venue though - and dead handy if you want to buy a Ferrari, Aston Martin or Lamborghini.