When visiting the California beaches, how do you keep from taking the kitchen sink? Sand chairs, towels, umbrellas, body boards surfboards, sunglasses, coolers, purses, bags, soft drinks, sandwiches, magazines and tunes are a few top items visitors bring to the beach. Beach California asked readers what their favorite necessities are for beach-going in California. You’ll be amazed by some of the answers!
- Shelly from Santa Cruz needs her magazines. What does she read? GQ & Elle.
- Jenee from Riverside likes to bring her cooler filled with beer. OK..most beaches don’t allow beer. So how does she drink it? Paper cups, she says.
- Robert from San Diego takes a radio to the beach. He gets a little bored but likes to go with his girlfriend. When a baseball game is on, now that’s heaven, he says.
- Madison from Tulare brings her underwear to the beach. She says that when the swimsuit feels with sand and when she gets that burn, the silky panties feel so relaxing and cool.
It’s a different kind of Memorial Day, indeed at the Californiabeaches. Rain, cold and gloom gave way to sunshine on the final Monday of the last weekend of May. The grocery stores are packed, and people seem to be hanging around more than normal. Beach safety was on the mind of Chris MacDonald when he visited one of the top lifeguard units in California. He captured a video for National Beach Safety Week. Please be sure to apply the rules of safety as you enter this holiday and summer season. We don’t like to preach, but I have seen several deaths at my local beaches, just happening because people didin’t know about rip currents, cold water, and the strength of the waves in the Pacific Ocean.
You already made up your mind that you are going to the California beaches for a vacation this year. That wasn’t so hard, was it dear? Here are 5 tips to make your Calif. beach vacation better.
1. Sunburn care list: The top way people spoil their beach vacation is overexposure to sun and sunburns. First, take you sun block, sandals, etc. You can take or rent umbrellas at many beaches in Calif. But most off, take a hat and a shirt that covers your neck, plus a bandana style scarf. Guys are susceptible to burn as the shorter hair styles don’t protect the neck. And who would know that you can burn your eyes as well? Wear sunglasses and bring them for the kids.
2. Bring quarters and cash. When you get to the beach, you have to park. Some beaches are suffering from overexposure, themselves, with too many people lined up to park. While there’s not a lot you can do about paying, be sure to keep low denomination currency and coins for the optional metered parking at many beaches.
3. Safety reminders: The beach looks so peaceful and inviting. But dangers lurk everywhere. Rip currents are the top danger. They grab youth and adults and sweep them to sea. Hang onto your kids who can’t swim, and learn how to escape these currents if you are not versed.
4. Avoid bringing glass & wear shoes. Glass items are prohibited on most California beaches. Don’t bring glass, and wear shoes such as sandals whenver possible.
5. Planning - Plan the day & date. California has millions of residents and visitors, all beach bound in the summer. Certain days bring crowds that many don’t anticipate. Holidays, hot summer weekends and special events all tax the popular beaches to the max. If you don’t enjoy massive crowds and don’t like waiting in lines, pick your days (weekdays are best), and weeks to go to the beach for maximum enjoyment.
Where to stay on a California beach vacation: In the previous blog about California beach hotels, we mentioned a few hot spots and some favorites. Keeping with that theme, we’re going to reveal several more that we think I nice:
Best Western Shorecliff hotel in Pismo Beach sits on the edge of paradise. With its rocky ledge above the ocean and water line, you can exit a set of steps to access the sandy beaches and coves this Central Coast, wine-close location affords. Dining up on the hill and rooms with views all make for a super beach getaway for all ages.
A fantastic Monterey Bay hotel sits on the beach with bay views beyond compare. Best Western Beach Resort Monterey is one of the best located hotels in the land. It’s just that nice. When you see it, you’ll want to stick around and explore the coast for days.
California beach hotels have had all winter to get their act together. 
From the marketing and pr firms contacting us to let Beachcalifornia know about the offerings, we’re thinking this year is going to be one of the hottest for a beach vacation. Did your husband just leave (we can sympathyze)? Did your kid just get an F or D and you’re telling him he’s never going to graduate from high school (it’s a common problem this time of year)? Did you lose your job, lose your home, or gain 20 pounds over the winter? Who cares? The perfect answer to all your ills doesn’t come in
a bottle of pills. Just book a beautiful or affordable hotel room seaside, and you’ll notice your life will be in bloom again, not kidding. We made a list of California Beach hotels and among them are the Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach.
Another favorite is Best Western Lighthouse Hotel in Pacifica, an awesome property because it sits practically on the beach. Room rates are quite affordable most the time.
Beach vacations in California don’t get any hotter than San Diego, the beach capital. From Mission Bay’s San Diego Hilton to Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina, we’re compiling a gathering of San Diego beach hotels & resorts to cool your jets. Soft sand, soft breeze, warm tan and margarita nights. That’s San Dieogo’s way of getting it right for a beach vacation. HOT!
In a recent blog post about California’s hot vacation spots, a student asked if there are any parks such as state or national parks with mountains and beaches. I surveyed the list of nine National Parks in California, my best bet for finding this type of geology and landform, and guess what? I realized that though the “mountains” at these beaches are somewhat small (in fact they call them islands), you could consider several of the Channel Islands National Parks somewhat mountainous as their cliffs drop to the sea, with hardly a beach. One that specifically comes to mind is Anacapa Island, the Galapagos of the Pacific. To mount this majestic, island with scant beaches, you must depart a boat and climb a near vertical set of stairs leading to the plateau where seagulls find a nesting home. Tourists with strong stomachs (the hour-long boat ride gets a little bumpy and can make you sick if you aren’t prepared), have daily opportunities to visit this gem from Oxnard, the other Hollywood, as we see it. And though you can rough it and camp overnight on this small island (ideal for kayakers and explorers, but not so great for pampered travelers with kids), our very favorite beach resort in all of California, Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach, offers sand beaches, views of the islands, made-to-order all inclusive breakfasts, swimming, sand volleball, rentals bikes and paradise.
While we recently wrote about California’s hot vacation spots, its lovely beaches within reach of nearly every traveler, we bearely scratched the surface of beach operations, beach locations and attractions you may want to visit. Let your time be your guide as you veer toward the coast to see Wilson Creek Beach in the Los Angeles region. You can, on occasion, see a celebrity, though they rarely step past their gated beach estates. But visiting L.A., you just never know. We’ve seen Britney Spears, David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson and other celebs at these charmed and famous beaches.
For other famous celebrities and personalities, the exclusive Pebble Beach actually is accessible to us poor folk as well. While driving around Pebble Beach requires an entry gate fee ($10/car or so), the beaches are wide open for exploring. Pebble Beach is part of the Monterey beach vacation experience, and as such, requires time to see the Aquarium, kayaking, fishing, surfing, bird watching and maybe even head for the San Francisco Bay for a boat cruise or tour.
Back in the northern climes where you get just a few months of sunbathing without freezing your bippy off, Point St George is a beach location in Del Norte County (home to giant Redwood trees), where you’ll find summer crowds. Prepare yourself for the long walk from parking to the beach… this is not for everyone, trust me! Kellogg Beach, another Del Norte County favorite, is one of the least known California beaches. Enjoying a remote and hidden location, you don’t find as many people frequenting Kellogg as you do the other beaches such as Pelican State beach popular with swimmers and sunbathers. As the name indicates, Pelican is known for its llarge birds.
California’s 1,000 miles of beaches, some of the best in the US, are popular because they offer diversity ranging from rocky beauty to sand expanses, making the California coast a must-see for tourists and local vacationers. Sunbathing at Venice, Santa Monica and Redondo, Seal Beach, Huntington and Newport, offer similar experiences in Southern California. What enhances the beach experience is the recent Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board vote to unanimously enact bacteria pollution limits into the Los Angeles County, making cities accountable for clean beaches and protecting public health.
The best place to go to the beach is in Cali, and the best spots to sunbathe are the sandy coves such as Laguna, Cabrillo or Will Rogers State Beach. With the sun shining brightly, tan sand that you can sink your toes into, wide open spaces to lay, relax and catch a tan, bring the tots and they’ll be entertained all afternoon, building sand castles, splashing in the waves or sitting next to you, and maybe even napping. Beaches are free to enjoy and stretch throughout the state in regions Northern, Central and Southern California, varying slightly in temperatures, scenery, parking and crowds.
How hard is it to send a message to elected officials, letting them know that you want rapid testing of water quality and posting of advisories about ocean pollution? We’ve previously reported that we’ve heard tourists time and again complain about getting sick after entering the Pacific Ocean. Why? Pollution. Now is your chance to do something about it, and it’s so easy, you won’t believe it. Why is it necessary to do this? Local government and city agencies don’t often publish water quality results on a timely bases, especially when those reuslts could impact tourism. We believe that it is more important to know the risks, then make a decision about exposing yourself to harmful pollutants after considering the fact. While surfers routinely get hepatitus shots to protect themselves from some risks, the general public that includes millions of beach goers do not.
Send this letter below via email to this email address:
notice-reply-inun3d74p7w73ixe@actionnetwork.org
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I urge you to co-sponsor the Beach Protection Act (S. 2844). Beach water pollution is threatening the health of beach-goers and the vitality of coastal economies across this nation. Reliance on slow and outdated monitoring methods is forcing beach managers to make important public health decisions with day-old water quality information. This puts public health at risk and often forces pre-emptive beach closures, which may or may not end up being necessary.
The Beach Protection Act mandates the adoption of rapid testing methods that provide water quality information within hours of sampling. It forces states to issue beach advisories within 24 hours and sets new standards for public notification. The Beach Protection Act also proposes funding for identifying and
cleaning up the sources of beach pollution.
Please co-sponsor this important piece of legislation and help
our coastal communities manage clean, healthy beaches and
protect public health.
—-END OF LETTER TO BE SENT—-
Sincerely,
Name
Now that the summer is upon us and you’re probably staying close to home, California Vacation Travel Tips at beaches and cities throughout California may help you curb the fear and panic of being broke as your earnings continue to dwindle. Higher gas prices, rising food prices and cost of living raises that don’t meet the financial needs all are attributed with the slowing of summer travel expenditures that are clearly under-reported. The good news is that you deserve a break, and that you can find many tips to help with California vacation travel, especially. From cheap food at 99ยข Store to replacement electric razor heads at Walmart, life can’t get much better or cheaper while on the road.
Do you remember when we told you about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s suggestion to close state beaches? It looks like it was hot air. It’s pretty easy to report on these press release dribbles and somehow get caught up in the process of spin, just by posting, but beaches are our passion, so we had to take action and report on this item. This week Arnold Schwarzenegger, our California governer, reversed plans to shutter 48 state parks and reduce staffing at 16 state beaches. Oh, surprise! In a budget plan to cut $13.3 million from the California State parks, the uproar was loud and predictable, considering beaches are one of America’s and California’s top attractions. Here’s the rub: Director Ruth Coleman said the plan is to raise some day-use fees at select parks. Parks that people pay for and could easily manage themselves, are now subject to increasing expense in a down cycle for vacationers who need breaks in the cost of entries and admissions to California attractions. With $11.8 million set aside from the general fund for parks, and mere $1.5-million shortfall “made up” by increasing park fees and increasing concession revenues, it’s easy to see why citizens become skeptical of the budgetary process on government levels.
With tough times for the middle and lower class traveler, vacations become important, and state parks fulfill the mission of providing affordable recreation. What was espcially comical about the declaration that the beaches would close was the recommendation to lock the gates at several top attended beaches such as Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach shown in the picture. Where we like to stay near a state beach: While Orange County beaches offer some fine resort options such as Surf & Sand in Laguna Beach or the Hilton in Huntington, many hotels along the coast offer location, vacation, and releaxtion.
Don’t Let Gas Prices Cancel Your Summer Vacation at the Beach. Why? According to AAA, gas prices have increased an average of $0.56 a gallon in the past year, but if you drive the California coast from Southern California to San Francisco (or vice versa), the trip will cost your around $30 more in fuel this year. That alone is no reason to cancel a beach vacation. You deserve the time away and you can cut out one or two movie & meal dates, 7 venti lattees at Starbucks of other daily amenities that total up to $30. So get out and take that vacation at the beach that you deserve. You are worth it!
Dogs can be great travel companions, but on the other side of travel, they can also be an annoyance or danger to those who don’t own them. First, I confess that I was bit by a dog running loose in a neighborhood, and was forced to sue the owners. After getting tetanus shots, and now having teeth marks in my leg 10 years later, I can attest that dogs aren’t always man’s best friend. In my case, the dog bit a child previously, and the 18-year-old owner of the lab didn’t watch or take charge of his dog. His father’s homeowner’s insurance had to cover the cost of my medica bills. Travelers can find plenty of California dog beaches and will be glad to know that the scarce few nude beaches often allow pets, as well. If you want a pet hotel, in San Diego alone, travelers will find over 70 pet hotels with some of them such as Hotel La Jolla at the Shores and Loews Coronado Bay Resort among them. Travel with pets has never been quite so easy, as places such as Belmont Shore and Carmel leave out water dishes for dogs in front of many shops. Read on in the blog notes for more about the dangers…
We are posting stuff constantly so in lieu of feeds or fees, we offer these promos to help our writers get the needed “exposure”. Not all get credit. Some request only to be published so they get their clips for their membership groups. That’s groovy. We can accommodate:
Todays postings for May 3 include a story about Suzen Brasile, executive director of the Pismo Beach Conference & Visitors Bureau. Suzen tells us why Pismo Beach is a classic California beach town. It’s mostly common sense stuff, but it rings true and sounds like the perfect spot for a vacation when you want to relax. Another story posted today was about Anaheim’s renaissance. The city has made amazing changes and transitions that are helping to improve the Disneyland experience as well as options for local residents. Other stories that got posted were about Coronado’s Lamb’s Players Theatre, part of a San Diego getaway that Jim and Mary from L.A. took, staying at the Hotel del Coronado. That story Mary submitted spiraled into additional adventures in San Diego such as the Casa del Prado building in Balboa Park, and San Diego boat museums, excursions and rides. This isn’t all that’s in the pike. Chris MacDonald from Huntington Beach went to a Classic Car Show and plans to hit the AVP Crocs beach volleyball game. Way to go, Chris! And thanks to our other writers…Mary, Connie, Barbara, Christi, Craig and many more who take the time to put it down for distribution on the WWW. Happy surfing from our beaches to your home!
With baby boomers who grew up with Gidget now heading to surfing concerts featuring old school surf bands, Eliminators, Dick Dale and the like, surf schools have amped up their marketing techniques to capture this elite, “time on your hands” audience. But by the numbers the babes still win out over the baby boomers in who signs up for surf lessons and camps. Local California residents who make up over 85 percent of the state’s travel, pretty much know how to access a surfboard and take a lesson. You just show up in beaches in San Diego–Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Del Mar and Encinitas; Orange County beaches San Clemente, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Sunset Beach and Seal Beach; Los Angeles Beaches such as Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan and Santa Monica; Ventura’s Oxnard & Ventura Beaches; Santa Barbara beaches; San Luis Obispo County’s Pismo or Avila Beach; Monterey County; Santa Cruz County’s Capitola, Aptos and Santa Cruz; San Mateo County’s Half Moon Bay…and on. You get the picture. There are hundreds upon hundreds of surfing lessons shops and companies offering simply the lesson, or a package with wetsuit and board thrown in the fee. San Diego 4 hour Surf Culture Safari is one example of an experience aimed at older folks…> More