Laguna is one of my favorite places in CA and I try to make it down every couple of years if possible. The town is a lot like Carmel with its strong art community, only more beach and surf culture focus. The coastline and beach is magnificent with its paved footpaths lining the cliffs and the beach is well…the quintessential example of a California beach replete with the non-Californian palm trees! This is a great weekend get away destination from the Bay Area for it’s a one hour flight from San Jose into John Wayne/OC Airport.Where To Stay
Laguna Beach has several nice places to stay…but it’s expensive. Check out TravelZoo for deals or go directly to the hotel websites to find online deals. Type in “Laguna Beach hotels” on Google!
I’d recommend staying in nearby Newport Beach…which is 20 minutes north of Laguna and 5 minutes from the John Wayne/Orange County airport. I searched TravelZoo and found a $129/night room at the Fairmount….not bad!
What To Do
The Pageant of the Masters
I have heard from several friends that the Festival of the Arts Pageant of the Masters, the live arts show where actors re-enact paintings, is well worth the time and effort to get to Laguna Beach. They were right….it’s a weird concept, but it’s really cool! The Pageant runs for a limited time from July 6 to August 30 and it sells out every year…so there is a LARGE fan base apparently! My wife and I flew down to see the gala benefit event on August 23…which turned out to be a great event and a good deal.
We received “private access” (us and 1,000+ others) to the art show on the theater grounds, o’rse dioveres and tickets to the Pageant all for the price of a normal show ticket. Not bad. The other benefit was the live music, silent auction and prime So Cal people watching opportunity that included brushing elbows with Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser) and with my wife getting excited when she saw a soap opera star (I had no idea my wife followed a soap…even in college).
The big Sunny D Tip is to be sure to buy your tickets to the Pageant and/or to this event as soon as they go on sale in May. The key is to have access to the lower reserve tickets and avoid having to sit in the back section…where we sat. The outdoor theater is really nice and there is not really bad seat in the house, but for this “live painting reenactment” show it’s worth sitting closer I think. The second tip is be sure to bring your (please read with an English accent) “theater glasses” so you can see the “paintings” up close. Wow, the show designers do an amazing job with perspective and color to “hide” the three dimensional actors in the 2 dimensional painting. I had a hard time finding the humans sometimes. I was unsure if I’d like the concept, but I really enjoyed the show and would go again!
I recommend making an afternoon of your visit to the Pageant in Laguna Beach. Get into Laguna by no later that 3:00pm and park at the lot across from the event theater. Walk into the town and walk around the shops and galleries. One of my favorite galleries for fine art is Laguna Fine Art. Stop off at a restaurant and have dinner and drinks at 5:00pm to see the Pageant at 8:00pm.
The Beach!!
If you are focused on getting beach time, go early…like no later than 11:00am to find a good spot. If you are more focused on the just the shops and gallery, get there in by noon to find decent parking and take your time winding through the village and see the galleries, surf shops and boutique stores.
Where to Eat
There are several places to eat at…so take your pick. My personal favorite in Laguna is the Hotel Laguna on the beach. Go into the hotel lobby, walk straight back and through the restaurant to the bar/café patio. Tables line a deck that looks out over the beach and water. This is a great place to have fairly standard café food and bar drinks…and enjoy great views without having to get sand in your shorts.
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