Visiting Orange County for vacation 9/1-9/9

[htnguyen504]

Wow thank you everyone so much for the recommendations! Totally looking forward to checking out everything the OC has to offer!

[htnguyen504]

Originally Posted by kauaidooley

How about a cruise through the channels of Newport Bay, look up the large harbor tour boats on the web, and party down a bit.

Later stop by BILLYS AT THE BEACH, on COAST HWY for dinner with a view of the harbor. Very, very nice, and upbeat, and good times.

Balboa Island : Neat and quaint main drag, lots of shops, but very pleasant walk along the bay fronts, neat homes, boats a sailing, and just feels good. Our fave watering hole is the VILLAGE INN, At the end of the small main street.


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SEAL BEACH ( old town ) : Just a bit south of Long Beach. Neat quaint main street, only three short blocks long with galleries, shops, botiques, several bars and restaurants. Our faves : Walts Warf for great fish: Henneseys Irish Pub and restaurant ( very nice woods and ambiance, friendly, great bar, and dining room area, good food.

Beach is very nice, stroll out on the pier, play in the ocean, and cruise the shops on main street . Also many other restaurants .

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HIKE : Several trails : I like the idea of Crystal Cove.....valley and ocean views . We head up to Corona Del Mar for after hiking reward at TOMMY BAHAMAS in Corona Del Mar, Coast Hwy, and McArthur.......Erica also stops in at the Tommy Bahama clothing store, different area same building. Tommy Bahama bar : tropical ambiance, great food and drinks, quality place .

Or: We head more toward home to Dana Point Harbor and ( top secret ) Happy Hour all day long, mon thru fri if you sit at the very nice bar ) Food and drinks are on happy hour at the bar only, very friendly, sort of a view, but after our reward dinner / lunch we go out toward the docks and slips...and just below Harpoons is a neat coffee, ice creame, and bakery and food cafe. They have Lappers Ice creame here. Lapperts originated on our home island of kauai. Excellent.

We like to walk the docks and look at the docked boats . Very pleasant. Shops, galleries, and restaurants, and tour boats, but recommend newport harbor for a harbor cruise .

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Another neat town, a few minutes inland from Dana Point ( where we live )....is San Juan Capistrano. Very cool quaint village, with lots of shops, and one of our faves is over the rail road tracks and to the right, with wonderful spanish style pottery and items.

Fave hangs and restaurants : Cedar Creek, outside and inside dining, best prime rib. And a special Margarit that is not only a huge glass, but an ice bucket with an extra small carafe of margarita for you.

Trevors at the Tracks....Train stops here....all new and totally re modeled. Out side open air dining, and cocktails. A bit touristy but, local folks like us as well.

Le Herondile ( swallow bird ) in french, wonderful out door ambiance and warm inside seating ambiance as well. Friendly, excellent everything.

Cafe Mosart : Evenings only, warm , cozy, classy , yet casual, with super and friendly service, and excellent meals. High recommend the Beef Wellington.

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Laguna Beach : We live right next to Laguna Beach, but it is super , super crowded with tourists, parking is an absolute beast, traffic is a mess, and we feel much more comfortable in the other places that are more our style.

In South county where we live, we gravitate toward, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, and up north a bit, Seal Beach, Balboa Island, Corona Del Mar.

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We also like dive bars, and can give you the scoops on some of them. All friendly and fun, some at the beach and others inland a bit.

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I worked at Disneyland, while in college, and no longer much interested in the magic kingdom. But, I had one heck of a great time working there, and actually met Walt Disney, and partied down with the employees of the park after work. Have I got great tales of fun times at the Mouse. About 1960.

Won't reveal what my job was on this forum, but should our wakes ever cross, well an adult beverage or two and the fun light could be illuminated

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Others have wonderful suggestions for what to see and do . The above are our current favorites that have lasted over the years, and some are new faves.

Regardless , have a most rewarding and amazingly fun visit . You may like it so much you will return for another visit.

Keep the fun light illuminated.

Denny and Erica

Now: Dana Point.

Over the years: Balboa Island, Newport /Balboa Peninsula, Corona Del Mar, Huntington Harbor, and Seal Beach and 10 wonderful years on Kauai Island, HI.

Which means our selections and ideas are mostly beach or near coastal areas.....WE LOVE IT !

Hoping to make time to see all these things! Thank you a bunch Denny and Erica!

[htnguyen504]

I forgot to mention that it will be the girlfriend’s birthday. Any recommendations for birthday celebrations? She will be turning the big 30!