Beach House/Resort Near Disneyland Recommendations

vicarrieous

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 12, 2015
We are planning a trip this summer back to Disneyland. We are thinking of staying near a beach and going to DL/DCA maybe 2-3 days. We would prefer not to do a split stay between the DL area and a family friendly beach area. Hubby is leaning towards staying near a family friendly beach and using Uber/Lyft.

I am struggling on where to stay. Any advice is helpful whether it be suggestions of best family beach areas or somewhere inbetween.
 
What is your DLR touring style? If you spend a lot of time in the parks, e.g. open to close, it would be easier to use a DLR area hotel as your base and use ride share for beach days. The morning hours at DLR are when you can get the most done, so being at the gates for RD is a big advantage. Being able to walk right from your hotel to the gates saves so much time and allows you to carry less stuff because you can leave it in the hotel room and go back when you need something. Using ride share for beach days would let you choose a different beach each day, e.g. Newport, Huntington, Laguna, La Jolla, etc. Just something to think about...
 
What is your DLR touring style? If you spend a lot of time in the parks, e.g. open to close, it would be easier to use a DLR area hotel as your base and use ride share for beach days. The morning hours at DLR are when you can get the most done, so being at the gates for RD is a big advantage. Being able to walk right from your hotel to the gates saves so much time and allows you to carry less stuff because you can leave it in the hotel room and go back when you need something. Using ride share for beach days would let you choose a different beach each day, e.g. Newport, Huntington, Laguna, La Jolla, etc. Just something to think about...

We plan on going for 6 days 5 nights. My expectation is that we would go to Disney 2-3 days of that. My husband is against doing a split stay between two locations and is more leaning towards beach although I agree with your assessment. We tend to be early/rope drop park goers but then break around 2/3 until after dinner. Again a logistic/time hiccup if we are 30 minutes away and not renting a car. I see this trip being far less disney centric then our past trips. More like a summer getaway with a bit of Disney. I think we would go one day to DL from rope drop until maybe dinner. Another day to DCA rope drop to dinner and then a third just in the evening to catch Paint the Night.
 
What size family?
My in-laws own a timeshare here (yes, you can book cash stays). It looks pricey, but these are all 2 br villas;
Marriott Newport Coast

If you can score one of the cottages in Crystal Cove these are truly a gem;
Crystal Cove Cottages

I am sure you can Uber/Lyft the whole trip but I don't think that's a great idea. The beach, any beach, is a good 20 miles plus away. The Uber/Lyft each way is going to run you more than the car rental by a good margin, plus you'll want to head out to buy groceries, go out to eat, etc. There's a value in having the car at your ready disposal so you can come and go to the parks when you want to also.
 


I would recommend Huntington Beach...lots of hotel options and close to the activities and theme parks you wish to visit. You are also close to Long Beach attractions and Newport Beach.
 
We plan on going for 6 days 5 nights. My expectation is that we would go to Disney 2-3 days of that. My husband is against doing a split stay between two locations and is more leaning towards beach although I agree with your assessment. We tend to be early/rope drop park goers but then break around 2/3 until after dinner. Again a logistic/time hiccup if we are 30 minutes away and not renting a car. I see this trip being far less disney centric then our past trips. More like a summer getaway with a bit of Disney. I think we would go one day to DL from rope drop until maybe dinner. Another day to DCA rope drop to dinner and then a third just in the evening to catch Paint the Night.
FYI.... Paint the Night is no longer showing at DLR and nobody knows if they plan to return that parade for another run.
 
We are planning a trip this summer back to Disneyland. We are thinking of staying near a beach and going to DL/DCA maybe 2-3 days. We would prefer not to do a split stay between the DL area and a family friendly beach area. Hubby is leaning towards staying near a family friendly beach and using Uber/Lyft.

I am struggling on where to stay. Any advice is helpful whether it be suggestions of best family beach areas or somewhere inbetween.
Laguna Beach is very family friendly - the Aliso Beach section is great for families.
The Inn

Want to go with more of a "beach house"?
Casa Laguna If you can book The Bungalow...
 



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