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Check out Laguna Beach for shopping and beaches that look like they're out of movies (my favorites are Table Rock, Crescent Bay, Victoria, and Treasure Island beaches), your gf will fall in love. Grab a drink at Rooftop Bar, the views are incredible.
Go to Dana Point Harbor and go on a wine cruise around the harbor or rent a boat. Or even hop on the Catalina Express (goes out of DP harbor) and check out the island for the day.
If you're into surfing, Trestles right there in San Clemente is a legendary beach where some big surfing competition is held (forgot what it's called).
If your gf wants to do some shopping, I love Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Outdoor mall that's fun to just walk around. Can check out Crystal Cove State Beach thats close by after.
If you're into music, bands are always rolling through here. Verizon Amphitheater is a huge venue in Irvine where big bands play. The Observatory gets great bands regularly too, in a smaller more intimate setting. There's also a million smaller venues.
Then there's the standard stuff like Disneyland, Ducks or Angels games, etc etc.
Quite a bit of stuff to do within Orange County itself.
Take a hike on one of the many local parks.
Drive back Silverado Canyon.
Cruise around the Dana Point Harbor.
Walk out the San Clemente Pier.
"Trestles"
Hang out on the Balboa Peninsula, then grab the ferry over to Balboa Island and get a frozen banana.
Check out the Anaheim Packing District, an old packing house converted into a culinary dream.
4th Street Market in Santa Ana is small, but full of delicious treats.
Old Town Orange has a great mix of long-time, older locals and Chapman University students.
Downtown Fullerton is thriving and full of great restaurants (a Lebanese restaurant comes to mind).
Laguna Beach...'nuff said.
Grab some Vietnamese food for lunch in Garden Grove or Westminster, communities home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese people in the world outside of Vietnam.
Mission San Juan Capistrano, approaching 250 years old.
Walk around the campus of UC Irvine. Simply beautiful.
An Angels and/or Ducks game.
Knott's Berry Farm
Last, but not least...Disneyland.
You can still take the Catalina Island Express or drive to Long Beach (Belmont Shores is a great community), Los Angeles, San Diego, and Tijuana pretty easily from OC.
Last edited by EclecticEars; 05-02-2015 at 08:55 PM..
Check out Laguna Beach for shopping and beaches that look like they're out of movies (my favorites are Table Rock, Crescent Bay, Victoria, and Treasure Island beaches), your gf will fall in love. Grab a drink at Rooftop Bar, the views are incredible.
Go to Dana Point Harbor and go on a wine cruise around the harbor or rent a boat. Or even hop on the Catalina Express (goes out of DP harbor) and check out the island for the day.
If you're into surfing, Trestles right there in San Clemente is a legendary beach where some big surfing competition is held (forgot what it's called).
If your gf wants to do some shopping, I love Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Outdoor mall that's fun to just walk around. Can check out Crystal Cove State Beach thats close by after.
If you're into music, bands are always rolling through here. Verizon Amphitheater is a huge venue in Irvine where big bands play. The Observatory gets great bands regularly too, in a smaller more intimate setting. There's also a million smaller venues.
Then there's the standard stuff like Disneyland, Ducks or Angels games, etc etc.
thank you!
i've visited CA multiple times as i have lots of family there. i am just trying to nail down the most "intelligent/efficient" itinerary for someone who hasn't been.
i love laguna, dana point, (i've never surfed trestles, but i have surfed salt creek - great times), fashion island. done all of that. and enjoyed it and plan on doing that with her as well.
so, let me update my thread a bit. we will most likely be arriving on Saturday, somewhat early (coming from NYC hope to take the earliest flight we can get).
we will rent a car and go from there. the ONLY plan set in stone is that from either wed or thurs on we will be staying with my brother in San Clemente (he is letting us crash at his place) until we depart the following sat/sun.
SO, from Saturday AM until Wed we are completely open to ANYTHING. and this is where it gets tricky.
i was considering shooting straight up the 1/PCH all the way to San Francisco and staying Sat, Sun, Mon in San Francisco and then coming back down Monday and maybe stopping somewhere along the way (Santa Cruz? Santa Barbara?) Tues night. come back to San Clemente for Wed-Sat and maybe do a day trip to LA on Thurs and a day trip (maybe overnight) in San Diego Friday.
SO, from Saturday AM until Wed we are completely open to ANYTHING. and this is where it gets tricky.
i was considering shooting straight up the 1/PCH all the way to San Francisco and staying Sat, Sun, Mon in San Francisco and then coming back down Monday and maybe stopping somewhere along the way (Santa Cruz? Santa Barbara?) Tues night. come back to San Clemente for Wed-Sat and maybe do a day trip to LA on Thurs and a day trip (maybe overnight) in San Diego Friday.
i didn't even think of this as i thought the price of flying into one airport and departing another would be outrageous.
it's not.
so now i am wondering if it makes sense to:
fly into San Fran, stay overnight Sat and Sun
drive down PCH stopping at some coastal cities along the way (good place to stay overnight along this route?)
make our way eventually to San Diego and stay over night either Monday and Tues or Tues and Wed.
this would entail skipping LA entirely.
thoughts on this?
What might be outrageous is the drop off fee to return the car to a different location.
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