Disneyland and Beach HELP

[SpaceMountainUK]

Hi all,

Im planning a trip to Disneyland at the end of April, but we would like to stay in the LA area (preferably on the coast) for 4 nights first. What beach would you reccomend as the best in the area? I've heard mixed reviews of Santa Monica so I really dont know where is best

Thanks in Advance!

Spacemtuk

 

[voodoo321]

I would suggest Newport Beach, although it is south of L.A. It is pretty nice, albeit expensive. If you've never been to L.A. you may be surprised at how few beach areas there are. The coast is pretty rocky with many cliffs. Most of the really nice beaches are dominated by residential properties as there are very few resorts, hotels or tourist entertainment.

 

[clarksfan95]

Santa Monica actually has a pretty nice beach area and the pier itself is a landmark in and of itself. I went to an animation convention out there and spent 4 days at Disneyland and then the rest of the time in Hollywood (at the Hollywood Roosevelt - great place - very historic). The one thing about the beach is tho.....all the winds come straight off the ocean and it is usually 10 degrees cooler on the coast than it is 10 miles inland. The water was very cold and I only walked in it for a short while (I was there at the end of July and beginning of August - so not a cool season for out there). I liked Santa Monica, it had ....3rd St., I believe totally closed off and it was almost like an outside mall. You could walk from store to store across the street - it was very cool. Disneyland was............neat. I stayed at one of the little satelite hotels that are basically across 2 lanes of traffic. The lines (at least in late July/mid - August) were terrible and their fast past program worked like a broken computer...not very well...35 fast passers for every 10 regular people. It was a neat place to go and I'd probably go back, but it's definitely a different experience. Nice place though with some really cool rides - I must say that I'm not a fan of roller coasters that go in circles rather than up and down - and all Disneyland Rollercoasters have this circular downhill motion. With the exception of the one in California Advernture. You should have a good time, but no matter where you stay....it's going to be expensive.

 

[kal1484]

We got lost trying to get back to DL after driving to somewhere (don't remember, went to go sightseeing) we ended up at Santa Monia Pier..it was okay, nothing more than a hourish trip however. The beach was nice, we didn't take a dip or anything. My tip is to go driving, with a good map, and get lost. We had a BLAST getting lost.