- The Ultimate Guide to Laguna Beach.
A unique artist colony located
in Orange County, California.
Just a one hour drive South of Downtown Los Angeles.
Laguna Beach has a population of 23,000,
but it retains a small town charm.
And it has some of the most beautiful coastline
in all of Southern California.
Now, part of that small town charm is also because
there's very limited access into Laguna Beach.
There's only three ways in or out,
Pacific Coast Highway from the North or South
and the 133 from Inland towards Irvine.
Those are the only ways you can get in Laguna Beach.
The rest of Laguna is ringed by a tall mountain range
and a 20,000 acre Greenbelt, which gives Laguna a feeling
of isolation from the rest of the sprawl
of urban Los Angeles and Orange County.
But of course, Laguna Beach is most famous for its beaches.
It has seven miles of coastline.
And in California, Laguna Beach has the most
beach front hotels of any other city in the States.
In this video, I'm gonna tell you
everything you need to know if you're considering
a visit to Laguna Beach.
Including what are the best beaches here?
What is here to eat?
What is here to do?
where should you park?
And overall how to have a good time in Laguna Beach.
But before we take a look at the beaches,
I wanna give you a little history of Laguna Beach.
Laguna Beach got it's start as an artist destination
in the early 1900s.
In 1918, the first art gallery was opened here
in the 1920s is when the Laguna Playhouse opened,
starting live theater.
Laguna was a pretty sleepy town up until the 1970s,
the kind of place where the restaurants
would close in the winter.
But what really put Laguna Beach on the map
was the Nixon years.
When president Nixon visited his home in San Clemente,
the press corps took up residence in Laguna Beach
at the Surf & Sand Resort.
You may have also heard of Laguna Beach from
MTV's reality series in the two thousands titled
the name of the city "Laguna Beach".
Okay, now let's take a look at the beaches.
The first beach I wanna show you is Main Beach.
This is Laguna's premier beach that almost everybody
goes to at some point.
Why?
Well, because it's right in the heart of Laguna Beach,
where Pacific Coast Highway meets the 133.
So whatever route you're driving into,
if you drive long enough, you will find this beach.
This is one of the biggest widest sandiest
stretches in Laguna.
There's a neat beach front wooden boardwalk.
There's a grassy park in front of it.
And this walkway that's along this beach extends
for about a mile up the hill to the North.
There's lots of public art along this walkway,
public bathrooms are here.
Lifeguard tower's here and no surfing in this area.
So if you're swimming, you don't have to contend
with any surfers.
Now, while I say this is Laguna's premier beach.
That doesn't mean that this is the beach
that you want to necessarily go to, to lay on the sand.
If you're looking to actually get away from the crowds
you'll enjoy some of the beaches I've got coming up.
But before I leave Main Beach, there's actually
a really interesting story about this lifeguard tower.
It was not originally built as a lifeguard tower.
Actually, it was built as part of a gas station
that's over there on the corner.
But they were gonna tear that down
and residents of Laguna Beach said,
"This building is too classic, let's move it to the beach
"and use it as a lifeguard tower."
Now, my favorite beach in Laguna Beach
is Thousand Steps Beach.
This is one of the most South beaches in Laguna Beach.
And why is it called Thousand Steps Beach?
Well, because there's a really long staircase
to get down here.
It does not have a thousand steps.
It has 220 steps.
And when you're walking up that staircase,
it feels like a thousand.
But what I like the best about this beach
is when you come down here, the city, the traffic,
it all just melts away.
You feel like you've got the whole beach to yourself
and a few other people, but it feels really natural.
So check out Thousand Steps Beach,
If you just one kind of a relaxing beach spot.
Another amazing part of Thousand Steps Beach
are the houses that are here.
Many of these houses have a part that's
on Pacific Coast Highway on the top.
And another part that's on the beach.
And because it's a long walk down, many of them actually
have like funiculars or cable cars
to bring the owners from the top part of their house
down to the bottom part of their house.
And if they're too poor to have their own cable car,
well, many of them have their own private staircases
down to the beach.
That's a lot of steps to maintain.
This beach can have a really strong shorebreak,
which makes it popular for skim boarding and body surfing.
If you're just casually waiting in the water,
be careful because big waves
can sneak up on you very quickly.
If you are planning to body surf, definitely bring
some fins and ask the lifeguards,
"Where's a good place to do it?"
Where there aren't rocks underneath you.
You'll often also find people, body boarding
and surfing here.
I should point out, this is not a beginner's beach.
Only come here in the water if you know what you're doing.
There are generally lifeguards here during busy times.
I will point out the stretcher next to the lifeguard tower.
If you get really hurt, that's what they're gonna
be using to carry you up the staircase.
'Cause the staircase is the only way to get down here.
The facilities down here are quite limited
at the bottom of the staircase, you'll find
a single shower and a single stall bathroom.
That's it.
Empty yourself before you come.
When the tide is low and the waves are small
on the Southern most end here is the
Thousand Step Sea Cave.
It's a neat cave in the cliffs you can go into.
But only on the right days.
Not today.
Abandoned urban explorers might enjoy
checking out the foundation of the old Chateau Relaxo
that used to be down here.
But over the years it crumbled due to the surf
and the city didn't let them rebuild it again.
The biggest con of Thousand Steps Beach
other than the long walk down to the beach
is there's no parking lot.
All of the parking is street parking.
You'll find limited street parking
along Pacific Coast Highway.
You'll find a little bit of parking up in the neighborhood,
just on the hill from Thousand Steps Beach.
Or if you're here on a weekend in the evening,
you can park in the hospital parking lot.
Just make sure to pay attention to the hours
that you can't park there.
Now, if you wanna a beach with the easiest parking,
you'll wanna head over to Aliso Beach Park.
This is North a Thousand Beach Steps
and this one has a nice beach front parking lot.
There's also a parking lot across Pacific Coast Highway
with a tunnel you can go underneath.
Those two parking lots are pay parking lots.
I generally like to park right on Pacific Coast Highway
up the hill from the beach.
And then you can walk down the little path to the beach.
Nice touch here, you'll find a really big set of bathrooms,
which is adjacent to the Lost Pier Cafe
with really great outdoor picnic dining
with some pretty good views.
What's to eat?
It's your standard beach fair sandwiches, fish and chips.
That sort of thing.
Now, if you've brought your own picnic, but not a chair,
you'll find a lot of benches lined in the parking lot.
And a lot of trash cans too.
Shooting this video I saw an awesome car in the parking lot.
There's a yellow Chevy Bel Air.
I don't know whose car this is,
but we could totally be friends,
especially because they've got
a pair of yellow dice on the mirror.
Now, if you're looking to stay overnight here.
Well, good news.
Laguna Beach actually has a lot of hotels
for such a small city and seven of the hotels
are directly on the beach.
The finest of the hotels is this one.
The Montage in Laguna Beach, if money is no object
you'll want to check out this hotel room rates.
The night I was filming this video in September
started at 995 dollars.
The Montage is also a classic though expensive spot
for weddings and engagement pictures.
The Montage is right on top of the cliff
in front of Treasure Island Beach.
It just connects to that Aliso Beach park
we were looking at earlier.
The beach access here is also pretty easy.
No staircases, just some slightly steep
but well-maintained sidewalks.
This is also one of the beaches in Laguna Beach
that is wheelchair accessible.
In addition to the main ramp, they've got
a wheelchair ramp that takes a longer route
and an easy grind.
One really nice part about coming to this beach
are the public restrooms.
They are built into the Montage Hotel,
right underneath the swimming pool.
Some of the nicest public beach restrooms
that you'll find anywhere.
There's a bluff top sidewalk, that's right in front
of the Montage.
This sidewalk is open to the public and this is actually
one of my favorite places to go just for
a sidewalk stroll in Laguna Beach.
Again, because it's away from the cars it's paved.
If you're looking for places to park,
there's a hidden parking garage underneath
Treasure Island Park.
There's also some public parking
right in front of the Montage.
Or you can head up in the Hills
in the neighborhoods up there.
Laguna Beach has tons of picnic spots on the cliffs
overlooking the beach all throughout
the seven miles of coastline.
But I think the best spot is Treasure Island Beach Park,
because where else are you gonna find picnic tables
with views like this?
From this park, you can look South towards San Clemente
or North towards Newport Beach.
Either way, it's really pretty.
Now just North of the Montage Hotel at Victoria Beach
you'll find what I think is one of the most interesting
ocean front structures right there.
It's the Pirate Tower built in 1926.
What is it?
Is it someplace they would keep prisoners?
No, it was actually built for a wealthy
Los Angeles Senator as his private staircase
down to the beach.
If you wanna check this out, you'll need
to come at low tide.
'Cause that's the only way you'll be able to get to it.
And speaking of staircases, the house right next door,
this is their staircase.
Not quite as impressive as the Pirate Tower.
The rocks in Laguna are really popular places
to take photos, but be really careful that you don't
get splashed by the waves.
Lots of people get hurt all the time in Laguna Beach
'cause they fell off the rocks from big waves.
Now, when you visit Laguna all the beach exploring
is sure to make you hungry and Laguna has a ton
of eating options.
But I'm just gonna talk about some of my favorites
that I've personally eaten at.
And since Laguna Beach has such beautiful views,
you might want to enjoy your meal at the beach,
looking at the beach.
Two of my favorites right here behind me,
The Deck and Driftwood Kitchen.
These are located in the Pacific Edge Hotel
and they've got seats right along the water.
The food is pretty good too.
Now my favorite restaurant for breakfast with a view
is Las Brisas.
This is just North of main beach.
It's normally a Mexican restaurant,
but they have really good breakfast options,
particularly brunch on the weekends do check it out.
There's also amazing views from up here
and during the pandemic, they've added some extra
outdoor seating in their parking lot.
Some of the nicest parking lot seating,
I think I've seen anywhere.
Now if you want something a little cheaper and more casual,
just a block away on Pacific Coast Highway
is Urth Caffe.
This is the new it cafe in Laguna Beach.
They've also got pretty solid breakfast and brunch options
coffee, but my favorite things are their pastries
in their display case.
Be prepared for long lines at Urth Caffe.
Now just North of Urth Caffe on Pacific Coast Highway
you'll find Laguna's Gallery Row.
This is where the majority of Laguna Beaches galleries are.
Laguna Beach is home to over 70 galleries,
400 independent artists.
If you're looking for some new art to hang in your home,
it's a good place to find it.
It's not gonna be cheap though.
Outside of Gallery Row, you'll also find a lot of galleries
in the village and downtown districts.
This is the area just inland from Main Beach
and it's roughly centered on Forest Avenue.
Forest Avenue right now is actually closed off during
the pandemic as a pedestrian street.
I really hope it stays like this 'cause I like
this kind of artsy pedestrian part.
I was shooting this video on October.
And so the street is nicely themed for Halloween.
The village is definitely the most charming
part of the city away from the noise
of Pacific Coast Highway away from the crowds of the beach.
The streets are tree lined which makes it nice
on a hot summer day.
Everything has this woodsy rustic feel.
But one of the things I only realized when I was making
this video and I've been to Laguna a lot
is that all of the signs for the businesses
are actually made out of wood down here.
Even the United States Post Office,
the churches and even the gas station signs
are made out of wood.
Continuing the dessert trend, my favorite spot
in the village for dessert is at Moulin.
This is a French bakery, pastry shop, coffee shop.
They serve crepes, they serve sandwiches
but most importantly they serve really delicious
French pastries.
Beware, they have odd hours.
Generally open in the mornings
closed early in the afternoon.
So if you wanna check this place out,
stop here early in the day.
One of my favorite spots in the village for Mexican food
is Rasta taco.
It's a tiny little building that you order out of a window.
I really like the tacos from here, particularly
the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Tacos.
Speaking of odd hours, this place is closed on Mondays.
That's why it's empty today, but they've also got
a nice little outdoor seating patio.
So with all these eating options, where do I eat most?
Well, I talked about this in my San Clemente video though.
I didn't eat it on camera.
So I'm eating it on camera, here is Slapfish in Laguna Beach
is just right across the beach at the main intersection
Pacific Coast Highway and Broadway the 133.
I like the Clobster Grilled Cheese.
This is a grilled cheese sandwich that has crab
and it has lobster it's really good.
And they also have this thing called an awesome sauce,
which is like a sweet and tangy sauce
that you put on there.
It's a little bit spicy.
16 dollars for the Clobster Grilled Cheese.
(exclaims) it's good.
If you want some modern seafood...
It's a little bit messy.
Check out Slapfish.
And they've also got a really big open
and airy outdoor patio for seating.
Now, if another restaurants or cafes strike your fancy,
you can always stop in the Whole Foods.
In a pinch, they've got hot and ready pizza slices,
two for 7 dollars and custom made sandwiches.
If you want a little bit more custom gourmet pizza,
stop by Slice Pizza & Beer.
Custom made pizza's cooked in a pizza oven,
brought from Italy and they've got some really neat public
art on their sidewall.
These angel wings, which make a great selfie
with you and your baby.
The little angel.
For some of the best Italian ice cream in town,
head out of the village, up the hill to the South,
just about two blocks.
Make a hard left into Pepper Tree Lane.
It's this dark little alleyway, work your way towards
the back, you'll be glad that you did
because you'll be at Gelato Paradiso.
Authentic Italian gelato, super good, super tasty.
If you come here on the weekends, there'll often
be a long line to prove it.
My favorite artsy shop in the village is Art for the Soul.
This is a great shop to pick up some inexpensive art
for your home.
Even some souvenirs.
How can you go wrong with a metal flamingo
that you can also use as a bottle cooler?
If you've got kiddos that like candy,
they're sure to love the Candy Baron.
It's one of those old time candy shops,
candies in barrels sold by weight.
Forgot your sand castle building supplies?
No fear just stopped by Main Beach Toys.
Another great spot for beach necessities is Coast Hardware.
Yes, you can pick up a hammer and tape measure here,
but they've got a whole aisle of beach goods as well.
Heading out East from the village.
You'll find the Arts District.
This is where Laguna's big festivals are held.
The most famous is the "Pageant of the Masters"
where live performers go on stage and recreate
two dimensional paintings of "The Masters".
There's a number of other venues around here
that have festivals throughout the year.
My favorite is the Sawdust Art Festival,
particularly at Christmas time
where I think of it like Santa's workshop
except instead of elves there's artists.
So, great place to come for classic gifts.
And when they are not hosting art festival,
you can rent them for special events.
This one right here is where OC crew and I had
our wedding reception.
To get off the beaten tourist path in Laguna Beach
get off the beach, get off Pacific Coast Highway
get out of the village and head up the hill
on the top of the ridge to Laguna Beach
into the neighborhoods.
There's only a couple of roads that head up here,
but when you are on top of the Ridge of Laguna Beach,
you can see the Pacific Ocean down in one direction.
And then on the other side, great views to Aliso Viejo
and Irvine Inland.
Now, when you do get up here into the hills,
you'll notice that all the houses have a really great view
and they love their view so much in Laguna Beach
that there's actually some city building codes
that restrict new construction or remodels
from blocking anybody else's view.
Whenever they build a new house, they have to put up
some pink flags to show people where it is.
They have city hearings and so actually
building new buildings and houses in Laguna Beach
is actually quite difficult and quite expensive.
But my favorite view is at Alta Laguna Park.
Now the park itself has really nice views
of the Greenbelt Inland of Laguna Beach,
but the amazing views are just up the hill
in the adjacent Wilderness Park.
You'll get a peak of the view just where the road ends
into the wilderness part.
But don't give up here where you wanna go
is right up there elevation 1036 feet,
the top of the world summit.
Where you can see amazing 360 degree views
in every direction because this is the tallest spot
for miles and miles and miles, the beach in one direction,
Inland the other direction.
This is just a pretty amazing place.
Okay, "What's the view really look like?
"Chris, stop spinning, you're making me dizzy."
This is what you see looking down to Main Beach
this is what you see looking at the 73 toll roads.
This is what you see looking out to Aliso Viejo.
And this is what you see looking back
to that Alta Laguna park.
From up here, you'll be able to see a whole ton
of other hiking trails.
Our favorite is the West Ridge Trail.
It's the biggest widest one.
That's right next to the top of the world summit.
You can take this all along the Ridge.
You get great ocean views and ocean breezes from this trail.
Now what if you wanna get some exercise,
but you don't wanna hike and you don't wanna
get your feet sandy?
Well, in that case, check out Heisler park.
This is just up on the cliff above Main Beach.
And there's this really neat cliff top walkway
that runs for about a mile it's part
of the California Coastal trail.
Easy, no hiking, no sand, you can wear whatever shoes
you want to and from up here, there are amazing views
of the beach down below.
This is my favorite casual stroll in all of Laguna Beach,
you might be tempted to walk along Pacific Coast Highway.
Don't do it, it's noisy.
There's a lot of cars, it's smelly, it's loud.
Instead, come here and walk along Heisler Park.
You'll also find a lot of great picnic spots in Heisler park
and public art too, just like this one.
It's an Orca also known as a killer whale
and some other stuff that I think I'm not quite
sophisticated enough to understand.
Even the benches along this path have been made to be artsy.
This one is a bench in a rock.
But the classic viewpoint is the gazebo in front of
Las Brisas, you'll often find artists here
doing paintings of the coastline.
Now you don't just have to listen
to what I think about Laguna Beach.
While shooting this video, I ran into some local girls
from Orange County.
Let's hear what they think about Laguna Beach.
- Hi, my name is Olivia and one thing I love about
Laguna is that they have amazing restaurants.
- My name is Peyton and one thing that I love about Laguna
is the really nice weather.
- My name is Sophia and I just like there's a lot of beaches
and activities you can do around locally.
- And I've a YouTube channel, so if you wanna subscribe,
it's Peyton Leonard.
Thanks.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Okay, so after all this, you might be thinking
"Chris, Laguna Beach is great.
"What's wrong with it?"
Well, the two biggest cons of Laguna Beach
one, the traffic along Pacific Coast Highway in the summer,
particularly on weekends can be best described
as soul crushing and the parking, there's definitely
not enough of it.
Most of the parking is paid parking
and it gets more expensive the closer you get to the beach.
If you want cheap parking or free parking,
you've gotta get in the neighborhoods
up on the hills.
To help make parking traffic better in the summer,
they operate the Laguna Beach trolley.
It's like a free open air bus that runs up and down
Pacific Coast Highway, though during the pandemic
that's currently not running.
(ocean waves lapping)
If you enjoyed this video,
you might enjoy watching some of my other
"Orange County Beach Series".
Just to the South is Dana point.
And just South of that is San Clemente.
You can click here or here to watch those travel videos
or you'll find links with description below.
As usual, I won't say goodbye because I'll see you
in one of those videos.
And I need to go before I get wet.