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Old 05-10-2015, 01:56 PM
 
Location: Arizona
20 posts, read 86,190 times
Reputation: 20

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Hello, my family and I moved to Chandler AZ a year 1/2 ago from the Midwest. We've been to LA, Santa Monica, Sedona, South Mountain, etc since we've moved here. My mother is finally coming out for a visit at the end of May. She will be here 6 days total. The first few days will be relaxing and taking her to some local restaurants, etc. She has never seen the ocean and has always wanted to look for seashells, walk a pier, etc. Seems simple eh? So the closest beach is Puerto Penasco but she's not interested in getting a passport, etc at this time. I'm thinking of driving her to one of the San Diego beaches since I believe that's the next closest. Problem is there's a lot of beaches to choose from and we've never been! I also thought of taking her to the Grand Canyon but If I'm going to drive 4 hours there, may as well just take her to a beach which would be a dream come true for her. We won't spend too much time there as she's only in AZ for a short while but just enough to get her toes in the sand, experience some good food or dinner cruise and get some shells! Any suggestions on which beach in San Diego to go to that's a shorter drive and ideal for a first experience and that's not an extreme amount of money. (Santa monica we paid $440 per night for a hotel and do not want to do that again)
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Old 05-10-2015, 02:09 PM
 
Location: Sonoran Desert
39,107 posts, read 51,328,001 times
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She'll likely be more awestruck by the Grand Canyon than Mission Bay, but if she has always wanted ocean and it's one or the other....

Note: San Diego will probably be cold and gloomy at the end of May as well.
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Old 05-10-2015, 02:13 PM
 
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
2,155 posts, read 5,186,182 times
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Nothing against San Diego, I love it. But why not try the Newport Beach (Orange County) area? It is closer, in the middle between LA and San Diego so you can go either way easily. It will probably be warmer. You can find nice hotels at a low cost. Lot's to do in the area.
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Old 05-10-2015, 02:21 PM
 
4,624 posts, read 9,291,680 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AZJoeD View Post
Nothing against San Diego, I love it. But why not try the Newport Beach (Orange County) area? It is closer, in the middle between LA and San Diego so you can go either way easily. It will probably be warmer. You can find nice hotels at a low cost. Lot's to do in the area.
As someone from that area, there's not much in the way of beach front hotels in Newport Beach, and the peninsula is a bit overrun by knuckleheads (OK for me to deal with, maybe not the OP's mom). There is a Four Seasons, however it is not on the water. I would recommend Laguna Beach, Surf & Sand Resort is my favorite. Aliso State Beach is the cleanest, least crowded beach in the area, Main Beach in Laguna gets crowded but is also fine IMO.
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Old 05-10-2015, 02:38 PM
 
Location: Amongst the AZ Cactus
7,068 posts, read 6,483,931 times
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Personally if I were to go to a beach in So Cal from Phoenix, I'd go to some of the nicer/more upscale areas like La Jolla and Coronado Island. I can get there driving from Goodyear in about 5 hours. La Jolla is a very nice city with shops/restaurants and nice small ocean cliffs to see/walk around on an easy access sidewalk that surrounds the main part of the oceanfront that your mom might appreciate. Torrey Pines, right down the road from La Jolla, is also a very nice area with a beautiful state park that's high on a cliff looking over the ocean. Coronado Island is another nice/upscale area with a nice small town and beach access. You can walk the grounds of the Hotel Del Coronado which are really nice even if you don't stay there. The town itself has a nice beach you can access. Puerto Penasco is closer as you say but to me it's no where near as picturesque/as nice as La Jolla or Coronado.

Someone mentioned Newport. Personally, it feels more like a basic old school beach in my book and gets very crowded in the summer as it's closer to LA though Balboa Island close by is a nice area though very small. I personally find La Jolla, Torrey Pines, and Coronado much nicer/more upscale over the beaches close to LA like Newport and less crowded people and traffic wise driving from the Phoenix metro area.

Since you're short on time, not sure if you've been to Dobbin's Lookout in Phoenix:


Dobbins Lookout - Overlooking Phoenix Arizona - Scenic Overlooks on Waymarking.com

I'm not sure if it's open as the road has been in repair mode for sometime but it's a place to get a great view of the Phoenix valley, especially at night. I'd make sure you call 1st to see if the road is open yet if it's something you might be interested in.

Last edited by stevek64; 05-10-2015 at 03:28 PM..
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Old 05-10-2015, 05:16 PM
 
Location: Arizona
20 posts, read 86,190 times
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There seem to be some pretty good deals on Coronado Island, CA. Is that too chilly? Should I still be looking towards Lagauna/ NB instead?
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Old 05-10-2015, 06:08 PM
 
Location: Southern Arizona
9,601 posts, read 31,737,853 times
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I agree with Ponderosa, Msmizzl . . .

There are lots of beaches around the country / world but only ONE GRAND CANYON . . . thanks to my job I have experienced just about everywhere and have forgotten many places but never the sights and beauty of The Canyon.

You may want to consider . . . Welcome to the Grand Canyon Railway | Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel, Arizona

Good Luck.
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Old 05-10-2015, 06:09 PM
 
Location: Amongst the AZ Cactus
7,068 posts, read 6,483,931 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Msmizzl View Post
There seem to be some pretty good deals on Coronado Island, CA. Is that too chilly? Should I still be looking towards Lagauna/ NB instead?
You'll more likely be in the 60's day/50's at night, maybe low 70's here and there this time of the year in all areas of the So Cal coast though sometimes La Jolla/San Diego will be somewhat cooler than towards LA, but again, it all depends on many factors. We were in Laguna Beach once some years ago and it was frigid in the 50's during the day when it should have been in the 60's/70's because of a cold front that moved in. Check the weather 10 day charts over time for the beach cities and you'll get a general feel of what to expect. Regardless, you of course are going to be quite a bit cooler along the coast vs Phoenix which is why many go to the coast in the 1st place, for a bit of a change from our summer heat.
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Old 05-10-2015, 06:17 PM
 
Location: Amongst the AZ Cactus
7,068 posts, read 6,483,931 times
Reputation: 7730
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bummer View Post
I agree with Ponderosa, Msmizzl . . .

There are lots of beaches around the country / world but only ONE GRAND CANYON . . . thanks to my job I have experienced just about everywhere and have forgotten many places but never the sights and beauty of The Canyon.

You may want to consider . . . Welcome to the Grand Canyon Railway | Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel, Arizona

Good Luck.
Hopefully the OP can sneak in both the Grand Canyon and the ocean if it's such a high priority for the OP's mom. We've done the Grand Canyon many times as a day trip just for a fun road trip but I realize some aren't as driving crazy as I am.
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Old 05-10-2015, 06:36 PM
 
1,500 posts, read 1,777,002 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Msmizzl View Post
There seem to be some pretty good deals on Coronado Island, CA. Is that too chilly? Should I still be looking towards Lagauna/ NB instead?
Coronado is paradise. It's only a 4.5-5 hour drive from phx. She'll love it! While there you could go to the gas lamp district for dinner too.
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