Laguna Beach Sights.com

What to see, where to stay, shop and eat while visiting Laguna Beach. Advice from people who live and play in Laguna Beach.

Laguna Beach Insiders Share Their Favorite Experiences of Their Favorite City

Frances Choosing the right vacation is an important decision. Finding the best places to visit once you are there is equally important. And who better to provide you insights into the sights then a local resident? Laguna Beach California is a favorite destination of millions of people, many of whom live close by. They too can provide tips on how to make the most of your time in Laguna (as the locals call it) so your vacation is all you have dreamed it will be.

Many of our tips are provided by long time Laguna Beach resident Frances Heussenstamm. Frances has spent much of the last three years traveling the world as a cruise ship guest lecturer (great gig if you can get it!). Having seen most of the world, much of it twice, she has a unique perspective of living and visiting sea ports, and exploring their hidden treasures. Although her travels take her to some of the most exotic ports of call in the world, none are better than Laguna Beach.

Laguna Beach California is well known for famous resorts like the Montage Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach restaurants like Las Brias and Five Crowns are also quite famous. If you need to know where is Laguna Beach, see the Where Is Laguna Beach section below. There is even a map titled Where Is Laguna Beach for your reference.

In addition to the Montage Laguna Beach there are other fine hotels and resorts. A beach front alternative to the Montage Laguna Beach is the Surf & Sand Resort. The Surf & Sand Resort is smaller than the Montage Laguna Beach and offers a quieter experience. If beach front isn't a requirement, then the Aliso Creek Inn and Golf Club offer another Montage Laguna Beach alternative. More information about where to stay can be found on the Where To Stay tab.

Laguna Beach restaurants run the gamut from high end ocean front dining to off the beaten path hole in the wall locations where the food is as spectacular as the view is at other Laguna Beach restaurants. Check out the Where To Eat tab for our favorite restaurants.

There are many reasons to choose Laguna Beach as your primary destination. One of the most common reasons is the beaches. Laguna's beaches are swimmer friendly and many of them also provide opportunities to explore. For example, just south of what is commonly call "Main Beach" are tide pools where old and young alike can explore and view great examples of the ocean's wild life. All totalled, the Laguna Beach Lifeguards list 22 separate beaches. Popular activities to experience at the beaches include surfing, skimming, diving, fishing and tide pool exploring. Additionally, some beaches have basketball and volleyball courts too. Not all activities are available at all beaches, so keep reading for a summary of the beaches, their location and featured activities.

In the heart of Laguna Beach is Main Beach, which is one of our favorite places to go when we only have a few hours to spend in Laguna and we want to mix some shopping or dining with a toes in the sand experience. Main Beach is also a great place to go just to watch the world go by. In addition to a great sandy beach with gentle surf, Main Beach also features basketball courts, volleyball courts, a little tikes play area and rental office to pickup any needed toys. For more on Main Beach, see the Main Beach summary below.

Laguna Beach Hotels

Travelers looking for a Laguna Beach hotel have a wide range of choices. Laguna Beach hotels range from the lavish resort style accommodations offered by the Montage Laguna Beach to the simple but comfortable Art Hotel Laguna Beach.

If you are looking for a higher end Laguna Beach Hotel but would like to save a little on accommodations, I would definitely consider the Casa Laguna Inn & Spa or the Surf and Sand Resort. Both hotels receive consistently high marks from quests and are closer to the center of Laguna Beach than the Montage Laguna Beach.

Golf in Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach is home to one of the most beautiful and serene golf courses in Orange County. The Aliso Creek Golf Course is a 9 hole par 32 layout that equally tests and rewards golfers of all skill levels. Carved out of the lush Aliso Canyon the course has been challenging golfers since 1950.

Towering canyon walls frame the course creating a sanctuary away from the business of downtown Laguna Beach. As you wind your way through the canyon it is easy to forget you are only a couple of par 5s from the mighty Pacific Ocean.

In addition to the golf course, the property also features a 62 suite inn with heated pool, sun deck and spa. Read all about it on our Where To Stay page.

Where is Laguna Beach

All this talk about Laguna Beach California is probably peaking your interest, but you may be asking yourself, "Where is Laguna Beach California?" If you are a long distance traveler, Laguna Beach is located about a 60 minutes south of Los Angeles International Airport and 85 minutes north of San Diego International Airport. Of if you can fly into Orange County's John Wayne airport, you are only about 15 minutes away.

For those on driving vacations, the short answer to the Where is Laguna Beach California question is, Laguna Beach is at the end of the Laguna Beach Freeway (CA-133) and Laguna Canyon Road. The freeway is more of an expressway, but it is free. Laguna Beach Freeway can be reached from the I-405 and I-5 freeways or the CA-73 andCA-241 toll roads and transforms into Laguna Canyon Road after it passes the CA-73 toll road and it transforms again into Broadway Street when you get closer to town.

The map below shows two pin points. The pin point that is in the middle of downtown is pointing to the 200 block of Broadway St. which is the home of two of our favorite eating places, Romeo Cucina and Dolce Gelato. The other pin point is pointing to Laguna Beach California's city hall. Hopefully, you won't need to spend any time there<s>.