vacation for 18-20 year olds :) where in california would u recommend? (Los Angeles: rental car, rental)

[oobrittyannoo]

okey so me and my best friend [we're both 18] are taking our two guys[who are 19 and 20] on a trip this summer because for graduation my dad [who is a pilot for southwest] gave me four passes [basically tickets] to fly anywhere that southwest flies

we were planning on going to florida but we found it impossible to find a hotel that will let kids under 21 check into a hotel
plus that all just kind of fell through...

soo now we are wanting to go to california! but we have no clue what area would be the best for our age group?
we would love to stay in a city on the coast so we can experience the beach
if anyone has any suggestions i would greeatly appreciate the advice thanks so much!

[mr bolo]

if you want to experience the beach, I would recommend Southern CA

Venice beach

the Los Angeles area

or San Francisco, but the beaches are cold

[Lovehound]

Too cold farther north. Somewhere Los Angeles to San Diego. LA: Santa Monica to Redondo Beach (lots of parties in Hermosa, Manhattan, Redondo Beaches), Long Beach, beaches in Orange County, or in San Diego there's La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach etc. etc. If you go to San Diego and bring proper ID to return to the US I think you can legally drink in Mexico, although I wouldn't bother and if you were my kid I'd shudder if you were going to Mexico without some mature supervision.

All these places have great beaches, that's what California is famous for. What activities do you have in mind for when you're not at the beach? That would be the deciding factor.

Heck, if I were you I'd go to Acapulco or Puerto Vallerta or something.

[bhcompy]

huntington beach, ca. you can find dang near everything within 30min of huntington.

[Paula Lynn]

I'm not quite sure if 18 year olds can get a hotel. I would check it out.

[humboldtrat]

How are you going to get around once you get to California? I don't think 18 year olds can rent a car. Public transit in the Los Angeles area leaves a lot to be desired. You might want to consider San Francisco since it has better public transit.

Also check out San Francisco Hostels - Hostelling International. There is a youth hostel in San Francisco which takes 18 year old and it's cheap too.

[MagicTouch]

Most hotels will not let you check into the hotel if you are under 21. You can sometime book a reservation but checking in and staying is another issue. I know because I booked a place for my son and had a problem checking in since he wasn't 21, but they allowed it because I called them and he is in the military.

Not sure how you are going to get around that even in CA. Hotels in the US don't want to deal with anyone who is not at least 21.

Now your other problem is a vehicle, rental car companies require the driver to be 25 at a minimum.

Like another poster suggested, how about Cancun, Acapulco or Puerto Vallerta??

Best wishes to you on finding a great place to vacation!!!

[BRinSM]

I would go with San Diego. Lots to do there and great beaches. Drinking/partying will be difficult since you're under 21, but I'm pretty sure the trolley down there runs to the border where you can hop a cab to the bars/clubs in tijuana. just be safe in mexico, it can get hairy.

[leavingcali]

I second San Diego. It is a beautiful place, lots of adventure--you can get into a lot of trouble--I mean have a lot of fun-- in SD . Plus, you can stroll on over to Mexico (although I recommend going to Rosarito instead of TJ).

I'm not sure how you'll book the hotel and rental car--perhaps if you have a co-signer who is over 21 or perhaps one of your parents can make the reservations?

Have fun!!!

[bhcompy]

dont you need a passport to crossover now? or did they suspend that rule