Laguna Beach Lodge’s Guidebook
Food scene
La Sirena has a great beer selection and delicious Mexican food! A local favorite and just a 5 minute walk from our hotel.
40 habitants recommandent
La Sirena Grill
347 Mermaid StLa Sirena has a great beer selection and delicious Mexican food! A local favorite and just a 5 minute walk from our hotel.
Ristorante Rumari
1826 S Coast HwyDelicious Italian Restaurant just 1 mile from our hotel.
Starfish's concept highlights cuisines across the mystical regions of Asia with ingredients and dishes from Thailand, Vietnam, China, Korea and India. Delight the palate with fresh seafood, sushi rolls, curries, noodles, rice, wok-fired meat and vegetable dishes -- all brought together in a casually sexy setting. The marble horseshoe-shaped bar takes center stage, welcoming guests to experience handcrafted libations, an innovative wine list, sake, and craft beers.
14 habitants recommandent
Starfish-Laguna Beach
30832 S Coast HwyStarfish's concept highlights cuisines across the mystical regions of Asia with ingredients and dishes from Thailand, Vietnam, China, Korea and India. Delight the palate with fresh seafood, sushi rolls, curries, noodles, rice, wok-fired meat and vegetable dishes -- all brought together in a casually sexy setting. The marble horseshoe-shaped bar takes center stage, welcoming guests to experience handcrafted libations, an innovative wine list, sake, and craft beers.
Necessities
Forgot your toothbrush? Not to worry, CVS Pharmacy is a 2 minute walk from our hotel.
7 habitants recommandent
CVS
32900 CA-1Forgot your toothbrush? Not to worry, CVS Pharmacy is a 2 minute walk from our hotel.
Gelson's Market
30922 Coast HwyGelson's Market is a 5 minute walk from our hotel.
Beaches
True to its name, Diver’s Cove offers the best SCUBA diving beach in Laguna Beach. It’s also ideal for snorkeling, as it’s well protected from most swells. Just offshore, you can see garibaldi, sea stars, purple urchins, lobster, and kelp bass. Occasionally, stingrays and leopard sharks can be spotted gliding across the sea floor.
Though Diver’s Cove is 300 feet long – from the rocky outcropping that marks its northern end to the row of rocks that separate it from Picnic Beach to the south – it feels a little smaller, and a little cozier than many other downtown beaches. No wonder it’s such a hit with parents of young children.
The street access to Diver’s Cove, on Cliff Drive, has eight parking spots. There are also parking spots along Heisler Park and in the nearby North Laguna neighborhoods. For those needing wheelchair access, there’s a ramp to the south, at Picnic Beach.
8 habitants recommandent
Diver's Cove, Laguna Beach, California, USA.
True to its name, Diver’s Cove offers the best SCUBA diving beach in Laguna Beach. It’s also ideal for snorkeling, as it’s well protected from most swells. Just offshore, you can see garibaldi, sea stars, purple urchins, lobster, and kelp bass. Occasionally, stingrays and leopard sharks can be spotted gliding across the sea floor.
Though Diver’s Cove is 300 feet long – from the rocky outcropping that marks its northern end to the row of rocks that separate it from Picnic Beach to the south – it feels a little smaller, and a little cozier than many other downtown beaches. No wonder it’s such a hit with parents of young children.
The street access to Diver’s Cove, on Cliff Drive, has eight parking spots. There are also parking spots along Heisler Park and in the nearby North Laguna neighborhoods. For those needing wheelchair access, there’s a ramp to the south, at Picnic Beach.
Though nearby Diver’s Cove has the strongest name association with SCUBA diving and snorkeling, Shaw’s Cove is where anyone in the know goes for underwater exploration. The swim-throughs and crevasses below the surface are second-to-none and the kelp beds are absolutely aglow with fish. Bright orange garibaldi and nocturnal spiny lobster are particularly abundant here, and easily viewable.
The beach at Shaw’s Cove is nothing to scoff at. It’s a flat, long bit of sand, with great natural boundaries to the north and south. Those hungry to explore will have no shortage of adventures wandering along the rock shelf at the north end of the beach. The angle of the beach is well protected, too, considering how big it is. Translation: If the waves are big here, you can bet they are big just about everywhere else in town, too.
Park along Cliff Drive and follow the stream of wetsuit-wearing divers down the Shaw’s Cove steps; even if you aren’t SCUBA-certified, you’ll be able to see plenty of sea life simply by throwing on a mask and snorkel. If ocean exploration isn’t for you, pack a picnic. With all of the focus here about going underwater, you can sometimes score the beach all to yourself, even in summer.
17 habitants recommandent
Shaws Cove, Laguna Beach
Though nearby Diver’s Cove has the strongest name association with SCUBA diving and snorkeling, Shaw’s Cove is where anyone in the know goes for underwater exploration. The swim-throughs and crevasses below the surface are second-to-none and the kelp beds are absolutely aglow with fish. Bright orange garibaldi and nocturnal spiny lobster are particularly abundant here, and easily viewable.
The beach at Shaw’s Cove is nothing to scoff at. It’s a flat, long bit of sand, with great natural boundaries to the north and south. Those hungry to explore will have no shortage of adventures wandering along the rock shelf at the north end of the beach. The angle of the beach is well protected, too, considering how big it is. Translation: If the waves are big here, you can bet they are big just about everywhere else in town, too.
Park along Cliff Drive and follow the stream of wetsuit-wearing divers down the Shaw’s Cove steps; even if you aren’t SCUBA-certified, you’ll be able to see plenty of sea life simply by throwing on a mask and snorkel. If ocean exploration isn’t for you, pack a picnic. With all of the focus here about going underwater, you can sometimes score the beach all to yourself, even in summer.
It’s not really a thousand steps (more like 218), but you'll feel every one of those when you're lugging your stuff back up to Pacific Coast Highway. This stunning beach – bordered to the north and south by sandstone cliffs that jut into the water – isn't for the faint of heart. But for those intrepid few who do brave the steep steps (found just north of 9th Street with metered street parking nearby), the reward is immense.
This beach is one of Laguna's classic shore break spots, where the summer waves smash right on the sand. This makes it beloved by body surfers and skim boarders alike. If the swell is up, use caution and ask lifeguards about where there might be submerged rocks.
If you head south along the shoreline, you'll come to Laguna's most famous sea cave. It actually has a full walkthrough -- sure to make even the most serious adults feel like pirates searching for treasure. Be sure to keep an eye on the tides if you're planning to explore the cave or walk north to Totuava, as both are inaccessible at high tide and not recommended to visit.
19 habitants recommandent
Thousand Steps Sea Cave
North La Senda DriveIt’s not really a thousand steps (more like 218), but you'll feel every one of those when you're lugging your stuff back up to Pacific Coast Highway. This stunning beach – bordered to the north and south by sandstone cliffs that jut into the water – isn't for the faint of heart. But for those intrepid few who do brave the steep steps (found just north of 9th Street with metered street parking nearby), the reward is immense.
This beach is one of Laguna's classic shore break spots, where the summer waves smash right on the sand. This makes it beloved by body surfers and skim boarders alike. If the swell is up, use caution and ask lifeguards about where there might be submerged rocks.
If you head south along the shoreline, you'll come to Laguna's most famous sea cave. It actually has a full walkthrough -- sure to make even the most serious adults feel like pirates searching for treasure. Be sure to keep an eye on the tides if you're planning to explore the cave or walk north to Totuava, as both are inaccessible at high tide and not recommended to visit.
Sightseeing
It’s easy to imagine an 18th century scalawag guzzling tankards of rum on the sand after burying a chest brimming with gold. Spend a day on the hidden beach at TREASURE ISLAND, accessible only by climbing over rocks or swimming around a craggy headland, and you might find yourself glancing over your shoulder, longing for a one-legged buccaneer with a parrot to wade up on shore.
Nowhere is the town’s pirate mystique so potent as on VICTORIA BEACH. There, battered by the unending cycle of tides, stands a lonely stone turret—affectionately called the “Pirate Tower” by locals. The tower is sixty feet tall and seems to have been birthed directly from the sandstone cliffs that surround it. For residents and visitors alike, the sight of the structure and its small, unevenly shaped windows launches visions of retired freebooters keeping their weather eyes peeled for the sight of the Jolly Roger on the horizon.
These surreal imaginings may not be based in fact, but research proves they aren’t pure fiction either. The tower’s origins aren’t particularly mysterious. It was built in 1926 as an enclosed staircase to the beach for William E. Brown, a senator from Los Angeles. After coming to California in 1882, Brown developed into an avid and acclaimed painter—making Laguna Beach a natural fit for his dream home. The tower was surely influenced by its owner’s aesthetic tastes and love of Laguna’s diverse geography.
In the early 1940s, Brown sold his home to a retired naval captain, Harold Kendrick. Kendrick was a lifelong pirate aficionado and found himself attracted to the home because of the odd, slightly askew tower. Records call Kendrick as “eclectic and fascinating as the buildings themselves” and go on to describe how he would dress in pirate regalia and invite local kids over for games and stories of the sea. Winners of Kenrick’s puzzles and scavenger hunts received “cold cash”—the chance to grab a handful of money from a change bowl kept inside the refrigerator. The tower itself often made an appearance in Kendrick’s tales and children longing to buy candy knew to search its many cracks and crevices for slyly hidden coins. According to the Laguna Beach historic register, “finders were keepers.”
These days, the property has switched hands a number of times and the tower is kept under lock and key—a skeleton key, one hopes, pockmarked with flecks of rust. The stories of coins tucked between the stones are all but forgotten now. Still, as long as the tower is standing, it will inspire the imaginations of bold spirits young and old longing for the days of wild-eyed rogues sailing under the black flag.
If you visit, don’t be embarrassed to poke around the tower’s base…perhaps there’s still some treasure left after all. Note: The Pirate Tower can only be accessed at low tide.
10 habitants recommandent
Pirate Tower
2713 Victoria DrIt’s easy to imagine an 18th century scalawag guzzling tankards of rum on the sand after burying a chest brimming with gold. Spend a day on the hidden beach at TREASURE ISLAND, accessible only by climbing over rocks or swimming around a craggy headland, and you might find yourself glancing over your shoulder, longing for a one-legged buccaneer with a parrot to wade up on shore.
Nowhere is the town’s pirate mystique so potent as on VICTORIA BEACH. There, battered by the unending cycle of tides, stands a lonely stone turret—affectionately called the “Pirate Tower” by locals. The tower is sixty feet tall and seems to have been birthed directly from the sandstone cliffs that surround it. For residents and visitors alike, the sight of the structure and its small, unevenly shaped windows launches visions of retired freebooters keeping their weather eyes peeled for the sight of the Jolly Roger on the horizon.
These surreal imaginings may not be based in fact, but research proves they aren’t pure fiction either. The tower’s origins aren’t particularly mysterious. It was built in 1926 as an enclosed staircase to the beach for William E. Brown, a senator from Los Angeles. After coming to California in 1882, Brown developed into an avid and acclaimed painter—making Laguna Beach a natural fit for his dream home. The tower was surely influenced by its owner’s aesthetic tastes and love of Laguna’s diverse geography.
In the early 1940s, Brown sold his home to a retired naval captain, Harold Kendrick. Kendrick was a lifelong pirate aficionado and found himself attracted to the home because of the odd, slightly askew tower. Records call Kendrick as “eclectic and fascinating as the buildings themselves” and go on to describe how he would dress in pirate regalia and invite local kids over for games and stories of the sea. Winners of Kenrick’s puzzles and scavenger hunts received “cold cash”—the chance to grab a handful of money from a change bowl kept inside the refrigerator. The tower itself often made an appearance in Kendrick’s tales and children longing to buy candy knew to search its many cracks and crevices for slyly hidden coins. According to the Laguna Beach historic register, “finders were keepers.”
These days, the property has switched hands a number of times and the tower is kept under lock and key—a skeleton key, one hopes, pockmarked with flecks of rust. The stories of coins tucked between the stones are all but forgotten now. Still, as long as the tower is standing, it will inspire the imaginations of bold spirits young and old longing for the days of wild-eyed rogues sailing under the black flag.
If you visit, don’t be embarrassed to poke around the tower’s base…perhaps there’s still some treasure left after all. Note: The Pirate Tower can only be accessed at low tide.
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is a 7,000-acre wilderness area in the San Joaquin Hills surrounding Laguna Beach, California. This park features coastal canyons, Ridgeline views and the only natural lakes in Orange County, California.
Big Bend Laguna Ridge Loop is a 3.9 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Laguna Beach, California that features. The trail is primarily used for hiking, running, and mountain biking and is accessible year-round.
21 habitants recommandent
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park: Big Bend
18751 Laguna Canyon RdLaguna Coast Wilderness Park is a 7,000-acre wilderness area in the San Joaquin Hills surrounding Laguna Beach, California. This park features coastal canyons, Ridgeline views and the only natural lakes in Orange County, California.
Big Bend Laguna Ridge Loop is a 3.9 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Laguna Beach, California that features. The trail is primarily used for hiking, running, and mountain biking and is accessible year-round.
Nightlife
This Laguna Beach favorite, a neighborhood watering hole for over 80 years, is the place where locals gather. The drinks are stiff and reasonably priced with over 200 whiskeys. Shoot some pool or enjoy live music nightly.
23 habitants recommandent
Marine Room Tavern
214 Ocean AveThis Laguna Beach favorite, a neighborhood watering hole for over 80 years, is the place where locals gather. The drinks are stiff and reasonably priced with over 200 whiskeys. Shoot some pool or enjoy live music nightly.