It’s noon and I’m lying on a lounge chair on a sandy stretch of coast-line. A blue umbrella partially shades me from the sun’s warm, energizing rays. Shrieks from joyful children splashing in the waves fill the air. My eyes are closed and a breeze blows across my body and I feel like I’m in the tropics. Yet, in reality I’m less than 240 miles from my home on the Central Coast of California.
Every summer, my husband and I pack our kids into the van and head to Laguna Beach for a summer vacation. With no costly airline tickets to purchase, a family-friendly hotel on the beach, and sunny 80 degree days and warm ocean waters, it’s proven to be the perfect hassle-free and economical vacation. And Laguna Beach happens to be the town where I grew up, so coming home each summer to share with my kids the beach life of my youth is a real treat.
We choose August for our yearly visit because we’re almost always guaranteed sunny skies and escape what the locals refer to as the “June Gloom” of the early summer months. August is the peak of high tourist season, but the hotel is located within a block of the downtown village, so we park our car and walk or take the shuttle buses.
My husband and I, both avid travelers in our BK “before kids”, days have adopted the motto that simpler is better. With that in mind, we found the perfect anecdote to complication in our accommodations at the Pacific Edge Hotel (formerly Vacation Village Hotel). The beach front hotel’s rooms are simple but many have full or partial kitchens, a big plus in saving on dining expenses. The hotel has two swimming pools and a kid’s game area with air hockey and video games.
Nestled in Orange County, fifty miles south of Los Angeles, Laguna Beach is a unique coastal town known for its stunning coves and storybook village charm. Originally founded as an artist’s colony by plein-air painters drawn to its natural beauty in the early 1900's, Laguna’s character reflects its artist’s traditions. It boasts three art festivals and the Pageant of the Masters, a live show that recreates famous portraits and sculptures using live models.
Our routine for the week is usually the same and last summer was no different. After settling into our room, my husband, Gary, walked across the street to the Ralph’s market to buy our food for the week. When he returned, we slipped into our bathing suits, grabbed armfuls of beach toys, boogie boards, and sun screens of various SPF’s and walked a few steps to the beach. A hotel attendant half asleep in the hot sun bounced back to life and set out lounge chairs, beach towels, and umbrellas for us while we chased the kids to the shore.
Jake and Jordyn ages four and six immediately took to the warm 72-degree water. Gary grabbed our boogie board and he and Jake disappeared into the white water. Later in the day when the tide rose and people, chairs, and umbrellas started piling up on each other like a LA traffic jam, we walked south to St. Anne’s beach where we found more space.
Later we cleaned up for dinner. One thing we love about Laguna is the restaurants. We decided to dine casually and walked across the street to Taco Loco. Locals crowded the small interior spilling out onto outdoor tables. A Bob Marley song filled the air and Jordyn pointed to a young man with dreadlocks. “Look at his hair,” she whispered. Later, she would tell a friend about the man with bread locks in his hair.
The simple menu offers delights like blackened shrimp and lobster tacos. I indulged in the blackened mushroom and tofu taco, and the kids enjoyed the nachos. The tacos are served with blue tortillas, and a chunky avocado, cilantro, and tomato salsa. We saved another favorite, Wahoos Fish Tacos, for later in the week. Wahoos, located two blocks south at Oak Street, features traditional Baja style fish tacos served with tasty black beans and rice.
The next day we walked in the golden glow of the morning light to Main Beach. A short quarter mile stroll along the shore led us to a waterfront children’s park. Kids of all ages scrambled on the swings and play structure while muscular, tanned athletic types spiked a volleyball on the beach courts. We followed the wood boardwalk that winds its way along the crescent-shaped strand and stopped at the historic white lifeguard tower circa 1950 to check the daily postings of air, water temperatures, and surf conditions.
Stairs at the end of the boardwalk lead up to Heisler Park. The paved trail meanders past Las Brisas restaurant, a summer favorite for the tourist-bus crowd. Its patio with postcard picture ocean views is the perfect place to relax for lunch or sunset cocktails if you’re willing to bear the wait. A stroll through Heisler park with its purple, yellow, and pink flowers swaying in the salty ocean breeze, public art work, and stunning vistas is a testament to why Laguna is referred to as the California Riviera.
Heading back to the hotel, we stopped in downtown Laguna. High end boutiques, bistros, and art galleries line Forest Avenue, the town’s main throughway. Our kids shunned the boutiques in favor of Wyland’s art gallery on Pacific Coast Highway next to the Hotel Laguna. “I feel like I’m under the sea,” Jordyn squealed while looking at the intense yellow, green, and red tropical fish in a Wyland seascape. Outside, Wyland’s original Whaling wall mural painted in 1981 covers the side of the building. Since then, he’s painted over seventy around the world with a goal of 100 by the year 2011. A stop at Haagen Daazs ice cream for the kids and the neighboring Starbucks for us capped off our downtown venture.
The sun greeted us again the next morning and after building sand castles with the kids, we walked to Thalia street beach, three blocks south. A trip to Laguna wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the local surfing beach. Goff, from Costa Azul Surf shop, who we met the summer before, was giving a surf lesson. With his bronze skin, rippled abs, and sun-bleached hair, Goff, at thirty-five embodies the true local Laguna spirit. “Killer, you’re pumping now,” he yelled to his twelve-year-old female student visiting from Connecticut. We asked Jake if he wanted a lesson. Eyeing Goff’s student tumble over the falls, he replied, “Maybe next year.” At $75 for an hour lesson (includes board and wetsuit), we were fine with waiting too.
For dinner, we ate at our favorite Italian Restaurant, Romeo Cucina. Located downtown, it was a ten minute walk from the hotel. Like the interior of an Italian villa, warm orange and muted yellow walls radiated warmth and a casual but stylish sophistication. The waiters, like the restaurant’s best wines, are imported from Italy and greeted us with a cheerful “Buon Giorno!” We ordered our favorite dishes, the gnocchi pasta and the farfalle with salmon and capers. The kids savored their pizza cooked in a wood-burning stove.
After dinner we caught the trolley to the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Canyon. It’s our favorite art venue because while the more traditional Festival of Arts reminds me of a rich snobby uncle, the Sawdust festival is its cool hippie cousin. Founded in the 60's as a revolt to the local art establishment, all of the participating artists reside in Laguna Beach.
We roamed across the sawdust laden floor eyeing brightly colored pottery, artwork, jewelry and clothing booths. While I got into the artsy spirit and was fitted with a toe ring, the kids wandered over to watch a glass blower blow hot, liquid glass into a giant bubble of swirling pinks, blues, and purples. Later we stopped to watch a potter throwing a bowl on his wheel. His strong hands pressed and molded the brown clay as it swirled in a blurred never-ending circle.
The night ended eating drippy ice cream cones on a bench in a eucalyptus grove on the festival grounds, a gentle waterfall gurgling to a creek below. We swayed to the music of a live jazz band and inhaled the woodsy scent of sawdust mixed with the soothing scent of eucalyptus leaves. The outside world melted away and I felt that we’d gone back in time to a simpler, easier way of life.
The tide was unusually low on our last day so walked on the beach a mile south to Woods Cove. We entered through a natural rock arch onto a rocky tide-pool filled wonderland. Crabs, sea urchins, and tiny snails filled small puddles and crevices. The kids splashed in a natural kiddy pool filled with sun-warmed sea water and a sandy bottom. A blow hole a few feet away blasted white streams of mist and water into the air.
Summer sunsets in Laguna are a cause celebre for locals and tourists. In the evening, we watched our last sunset on the beach. The sun, a bright orange ball, sunk quickly into the green-blue sea leaving behind a psychedelic streaked sky. The kids waved goodbye to the sun, “See you next year.” Indeed we’d be back again for another Laguna summer.
Information on Lodging and Restaurants:
Lodging:
Moderate priced:
Pacific Edge Hotel
http://www.pacificedgehotel.com/
647 South Coast Highway
Reservations (800) 843-6895
Rates: $170 for double room for 2 Adults/2 kids
rooms with kitchenettes are $219 weekdays/$259 weekends
Off-season rates are less expensive
Rooms in summer book a year in advance
Laguna Riviera
www.lagunariviera.com
825 South Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA
Reservations (800) 999-2089
rates range from $117-$274 summer
(many rooms with kitchenettes)
(Rooms in summer book a year in advance)
off-season: $92-$214
High end:
Surf and Sand Resort
www.surfandsandresort.com
1555 S. Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA
(888) 869-7569
Oceanfront Rooms starting at $460/night
Restaurants:
Taco Loco - 640 S. Coast Highway. Across from hotel (use light at Cleo Street to cross). Great lobster tacos and blackened fish tacos.
Wahoos - 1133 S. Coast Highway. Fish tacos. Four blocks south of hotel on PCH between Oak and Brooks St.
B.J.'s Pizza - 280 S. Coast Highway. Downtown on PCH (walking distance from hotel). Always crowded so expect a long wait.
Romeo Cucina - 251 Broadway Street. Great Italian food. A little more upscale, but kids are welcome.
Z Pizza - 30902 Coast Highway. 499-4949. Good order in Pizza.
Breakfast:
Heidelberg Cafe - 1100 S. Coast Highway. Four blocks South of Hotel on PCH at Brooks Street. Casual outside seating. Muffins, coffee, and full breakfasts.
Zinc Cafe - 350 Ocean Avenue. Trendy European style cafe with outdoor seating in downtown area. Great food and coffee drinks.
Coyote Grill - 31621 Coast Highway. Great banana pancakes. You have to get in the car to get to this one in South Laguna. Wait can be long.
Local Attractions (mileage and distances:
Disneyland
25 miles. 40 minute drive.
Legoland
41 miles. 55 minute drive.
San Diego Zoo
71 miles. 1 hour and 20 minute drive.
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