Laguna Beach/Dana Point: Where to Stay, Where to Eat and What to Do

Good morning! We recently returned from a quick trip to Laguna Beach, California. It was just what our family needed, and we are already scheming for ways to save so we can make this a February tradition. My husband and I visited a few years ago and I immediately fell in love. I was so excited to bring our kids this time! Our daughter, who really doesn’t like to venture too far from our neighborhood for dinner quietly told me she would be willing to move to California. I wish!

Also, just a brief disclaimer. Many of our activities were in Dana Point, which is just down the beach from Laguna Beach. I’ll explain more in a bit…

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THE WEATHER

The magic continued when it came to the weather. I packed my Michigan children’s swimsuits “just in case.” The weather called for mid 60’s so I didn’t bring one along for myself. It turns out that 60 degrees in California felt completely different to us than a 60-degree day in Michigan. The kids and my husband were in the pool and hot tubs every single day. We were all warm without being hot when walking around, exploring, and running. I’d recommend packing a little bit of everything (a swimsuit, shorts, pants, long sleeve T, short sleeve T, fleece… you get the idea).

HOW TO GET AROUND

We were so happy that we rented a car! It was very convenient to be able to drive from the airport (SNA) to our hotel up the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. Our hotel was located in Dana Point, about a 30 minute-drive from the airport. It was also nice to have a car to drive into Laguna Beach for dinners and shopping as well as to take a spin to catch our fishing launch at Dana Point Harbor. 

WHERE TO STAY

This was a significant # birthday trip, so we splurged a bit and stayed at The Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. It was amazing!! We had a wonderful experience. The pool and hot tubs overlooked an immaculate golf course with the Pacific Ocean in the distance. The facilities themselves were lovely and clean. There were several restaurants on site with great reviews. There was also a restaurant on the beach called The Monarch Bay Beach Club. The Beach Club also offered towels, chairs, and umbrellas. You could get beach/sports toys at the hotel to use as well. The hotel provided the cutest trams down to the beach. That said, we were fine to take the 10-minute walk down to the beach on a paved pathway and spent our time rock collecting and strolling instead of taking advantage of the club. (We ran to the beach for morning runs on this path too!)

WHAT TO DO

Laguna Beach is the perfect place to keep yourself occupied but still feel relaxed. We could have sat at the pool/beach all day long. Since we had the kids with us, it was nice that there were also leisurely activities we could take in.

We went on several beach walks and the kids were so happy to explore the rocks, finding sea creatures and interesting stones. It was difficult to convince them to leave! Watching the surfers was also mesmerizing. And the Beach Houses! There was such an intriguing variety that I could have been entertained with that all day long.

We followed a beach trail as it wound up some of the hills. There was a staircase with spectacular views of the Pacific.

The kids were set on purchasing some souvenirs, so we headed into Laguna Beach on a Sunday afternoon. It was bustling, but we magically found parking without a hitch. After focusing on coffee for R and myself, we hit up the same souvenir shop we had visited years ago. The kids each chose a necklace and were then able to focus on enjoying the Laguna shopping and browsing experience. R and our son explored together, and our daughter and I went our own way. We went into such a cute home store, and I now have so many ideas! We also went into a really fun gallery!! I mean, how could this not make you smile?!?!

Okay… this is the big one. It was a splurge, but we loved it! I can’t say that I ever dream of fishing (on vacations or otherwise). Our 7-year old, however, is obsessed with it. From the second he got off the plane, he could not stop talking about fishing. So, we went fishing. We took this charter from the Dana Point Harbor, stopped to say hi to the cutest sunbathing sea lions, and headed out to catch some fish. And catch a fish, we did! Guess what bit my line (and required complete family participation to pull up)…. An 18-pound halibut! Yikes!!! Anyway, we had such a great afternoon out on the boat. Our guide was wonderful and so good with the kids (even when they could not keep their hands out of the bait pool of sardines and were randomly throwing them over the edge). Here is the link to the charter we used. R and I also had to purchase fishing licenses, which were around $16 each for a one-day pass. We were able to keep our fish, but because it was so big and we were headed back to Michigan the next day, we gave some to the owner and our guide as well as the restaurant that cooked it up for us (Keep reading for that info!). We were also told that sometimes you can see whales (Dana Point Harbor is known as the Whale Capital of the World) and dolphins. How great would it be to get an afternoon of fishing, whale watching and dolphin spotting in? 

WHERE TO EAT

Since we are on the topic of fish, let’s start with The Craft House in Dana Point. The staff was so, so, so friendly and great with our kids! Our charter had sent us to the restaurant with our catch. We handed it over and the chef created such wonderful plates. We had sushi, fish and chips, and a beautiful dish with a butternut squash puree. So good! Even if you don’t have your own fish to fry, I have a feeling that the food on the menu is great!

We also ate at Salerno’s Ristorante in downtown Laguna Beach. It is a quaint Italian restaurant off the main streets. The staff is very professional and the food was wonderful. R’s lasagna was our favorite! They were also accommodating for our kids, making them large bowls of butter noodles.

R and I actually ate at the sister restaurant, Alessa, on one of the main streets (Forest Avenue) when we visited previously and we had so much fun sitting at the bar, eating and chatting with locals. I remember really liking the food, too.

Brussels Bistro was also a restaurant that we really enjoyed on Forest Avenue. There is a food bar at the top, but the main restaurant is below street level (although still partially open air). The kids started giggling uncontrollably at the statue fountain at the bottom of the stairs. It is clearly supposed to be funny and the restaurant is very welcoming for kids and dogs, which I love! We ordered off of the happy hour menu and also got some entrees. All of the food was delicious! We will definitely go back!

NEXT TIME

Because of our trip had been delayed by a day, we didn’t make it to the McGee and Co. Storefront just up the coast in Costa Mesa. I would love to be able to go for the afternoon or even just buzz up there while R and the kids are at the pool next time.

As mentioned previously, The Monarch Resort has several restaurants and it would be fun to try them next time while taking in a sunset.

Again, because of the shortened trip (and maybe a little because of our jet-lag 😉 we weren’t able to get drinks at The Montage. I’d love to check it out the next time we are in town.

One of the activities suggested by The Monarch was to rent bikes and pack a picnic from the sandwich/coffee shop in the hotel. This sounds like something our family would love to do!

Just to add a bit of a history lesson to our trip next time, we may want to check out the Mission San Juan Capistrano.

I think we may also want to make reservations in advance for Nick’s Laguna Beach as it is apparently a favorite!

Okay, that’s it! Thanks for sticking with me!!!