Santa Monica or Newport Beach?

[OFF TO WDW!]

Hello,


We (myself, wife and 14 year old son )are going on our first trip to DL, and never having been out to California, we would like to spend a day in one of these areas that I read about. Which one is the question.

Santa Monica or Newport beach?

How far is each one from Disneyland?


We would like to see things, restaurants (I love good food and eating!).

Which one would be recommended?

Thanks

 

[carnival kid]

Have not been to Newport Beach so i cannot comment.

We LOVE the Santa Monica Area. There is the actual pier to explore and its amusement park.

we then walk along the path that leads to Venice Beach. It is a lovely walk and great people watching. Many people hire bikes and ride along the path.

If you are there on a weekend there is a markets at the Venice Beach end.

There is a restaurant and shopping strip in Santa Monica (the name slips me now) that is buzzing at night with heaps of great places to eat.

 

[KCmike]

Obviously Santa Monica Pier has the roller coaster and other attractions but its farther away.

Newport is great for closeness and has a nice pier. There is also a concrete boardwalk where you can take sunset cruises, harbor cruises and get some good corn dogs and other tasty treats. Just south, seperated by a jetty and less than a mile or so, is Corona Del Mar which a is a great crescent shaped beach perfect for families and swimming. I would choose Newport/CDM.

 

[howieebub]

Disneyland is a lot closer to Newport than Santa Monica. Newport Beach is about 25 minutes driving distance, and Santa Monica is about 45. If you travel during rush hour, expect those times to double. Newport Beach is more of a laid back environment, while Santa Monica has more attractions and more of a festive atmosphere.

 

[dabrosis]

I would agree with Newport, especially when you can save yourself the drive up into LA. From Newport you can go a little bit north to Huntington Beach (Surf Capital USA) or south to Crystal Cove State Park (great tide pool viewing) and Laguna Beach (great food and art).

 

[mickeymom629]

We are thinking of the same thing - what is the opinion of Hermosa Beach? We are thinking of staying 2 nights after DL.

 

[abayaflowers]

Hello,


We (myself, wife and 14 year old son )are going on our first trip to DL, and never having been out to California, we would like to spend a day in one of these areas that I read about. Which one is the question.

Santa Monica or Newport beach?

How far is each one from Disneyland?


We would like to see things, restaurants (I love good food and eating!).

Which one would be recommended?

Thanks

Newport Beach, Balboa Island, Coronado Del Mar are all great places. All along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH as they call it).

Take 5 South to The 55 Freeway South will take you directly into Newport Beach area. Absolutely gorgeous.

I like Santa Monica, too. However, it is far and living in Orange County (OC) in my college years, the traffic is horrendous especially if you coming from Anaheim.

 

[pixarmom]

Absolutely Newport! I just created this thread, which may be helpful: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2895078

 

[EKW]

I'm going to throw in a couple of things to consider:

Have you ever been to tidal pools? If not, and if you have transportation, I'd suggest starting one morning during low tide at Laguna Beach. Hit the main beach and head north...you'll find the tidal pools. They are one of my family's favorite things about the beaches there. You can see so many creatures up close...just amazing! The beach there is nice...there's lots of seaweed, tho. There are a ton of great places to eat right along the beach, but the only place we've ever been to is the ice cream shop. There's a Johnny Rockets there if you don't mind a chain.

Newport is a short drive north of Laguna. I've heard good things about the beach there, but we've never visited it. It's where my boys want to go on our next trip.

If you've never taken your car on a ferry, I'd suggest taking the ferry over to Balboa. My boys got a real kick out of the experience. I wish we'd had time to explore, but, as it was, we'd already been to Aliso and Laguna...on top of having flown in from CO at 6 that morning...and they were both tired and ready for bed.