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| Coastline shot of Laguna's Main Beach. Photo by Scott Sporleder, SporlederArt. |
While much of the country is raking leaves, donning flannel and gearing up for the winter, the beaches of Southern California are seeing some of their best days of the year. Nowhere is that more true than in the Mediterreanean-esque Laguna Beach, where my husband and I spent a recent weekend soaking up sun and sights!
Sitting at the mouth of Laguna Canyon, and surrounded by hills and bluffs, the tiny city and its narrow streets can be overrun with traffic during summer months, especially during the renowned Festival of the Arts. But come September, the crowds thin significantly, leaving just the scenic town and its fabulous weather. We stayed at the Surf and Sand Resort and quickly learned why it’s such a favorite with visitors and residents alike. First off, you can’t get any closer to the ocean if you tried. The beach-chic rooms offer awesome views from comfortably furnished balconies where you can sit and watch surfers, skimboarders, snorkelers and exquisite sunsets, or go right downstairs to the beach and join them (or ignore it all and lounge by the elegant pool).
One morning we took a leisurely beach walk to town, then spent the next few hours enjoying Laguna’s impressive array of retail offerings. First there was the mandatory stop for coffee and pastry, and for small town of 20,000 there are lots of options: it’s hard to choose between Scandia, Jean Paul’s Goodies, Zinc or Andre’s … they’re all first-rate. Then, because it was Saturday, we strolled to the bounteous farmer’s market next to City Hall and snacked on perfectly ripe organic peaches—the last of the season.
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| A room at the Surf and Sand Resort. |
We meandered through the terrific variety of stores on Forest Avenue, buying a lightweight, pastel-washed plaid corduroy shirt made by a local artist at Thee Foxes Trot, nabbing a beach bag and cool T-shirt for the housesitter at Fawn Memories and oogling the amazing array of whimsical pendulum clocks at Art for the Soul, a combo gift store/art gallery. And we’d barely scratched the surface. Great shopping continues south along Pacific Coast Highway where you’ll find every big name surfwear manufacturer represented, as well as whimsical apparel inspired by sun, sand and salt at The Shop, reputed to be one of the hippest beachwear stores in Orange County.
Along the way, we grabbed lunch at Adolfo’s Mexican restaurant—a fierce local favorite with tasty, authentic dishes and a can’t-miss salsa bar offering everything from mild to hot, red to green and in-between. Dinner-wise, for Michelin rating-minded folks, the sophisticated gourmet delight Sapphire is in the ‘hood, and for the craft beer crowd, Brussel’s Bistro offers an amazing array of Belgium beers and a menu of delicious dishes to complement them.
Lucky for us, the Surf and Sand’s stylish beachside restaurant, Splashes, also offers great lunch and dinner menus (and one of the best bars in town). With the waves lulling us to sleep at evening’s end, it was the perfect finish to the best kind of California fall weekend.