In short;

// San Clemente

- we stayed at this resort, as mentioned above. It was a self-contained apartment on a mini complex just one street back from the beach. SUCH a perfect location and although we didn't pay or book a sea view, we still had one. It had a mini kitchen and daily maid service {better than airbnb for this respect} along with beach chairs, umbrellas and towels to borrow. Not the most stylish of accommodation but we had no complaints.

- We mainly cooked in during this week, going to Trader Joe's to pick up things for dinner but there are lots of restaurants around the town.
- If you're into coffee, Bear State Coffee opposite the pier was always recommended and super popular.  

- An evening, or two, by a firepit on the beach to watch the sunset is a MUST. In summer or weekends, reserve them early {we saw others leaving beach chairs/marquees by them to stake theirs around 8am on a Saturday so did the same until I then sat on the beach by it for the afternoon. It's really safe. But the other evening that we did it, they were all unoccupied on a weekday in January at 4pm}.
- For a firepit you'll need a pack, or two, of wood from any pharmacy, firelighters, matches and then s'mores ingredients! {Graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate and skewers for your marshmallows}.  

- San Clemente has a beach walking trail running for about 5 miles. From the pier you can go left or right. We loved both, and saw dolphins twice during our walks {as you're looking at the sea} to the right along the boardwalk. We LOVED these beautiful mornings.

- There's a mini hub near the pier but the main street/town is around Avenida Del Mar with some gorgeous shops and restaurants. For ice cream don't miss South Swell and for frozen yogurt, Active culture was my favourite.
- We stumbled across the super cute farmer's market on a Sunday morning. Such a fab town.
- From here we drove out to various shopping areas, like Mission Viejo.
- There's a cool train line running along the beach, with the Surfliner Amtrak running between LA and San Diego. We thought the trainline would be annoying right behind the beach but it was fun to spot the trains, it seems like a big part of this town and there are plenty of crossing points along the coast path so that it doesn't impact on the walks or beaches. 

// Laguna
- Just along the coast, up Highway 1, is Laguna which is a definite must see. Almost tropical, this beach town full of palm lined coves is beautiful. The town itself has an art vibe, with lots of high end galleries and gorgeous little cafes and shops. You won't find many big brands here.
- Nick's is practically an institution in Laguna that people travel to just for the food here. We didn't eat here but it will be on my list for next time.
- The Deck was recommended for dining on the beach. Expect it to be busy at weekends.
- Zinc Cafe & Deli is a cute hedged patio area serving gourmet food and coffee, this was packed on the Monday morning we visited.
- Urth Cafe from LA has recently opened in Laguna, a good spot for brunch/lunch.
- Thousand Steps beach is a gorgeous cove, with a workout getting up and down there.
- Treasure Island Beach Park is worth a look too on a clear, sunny day.
- And our favourite was the walk up the steps from Laguna's main beach towards the right {as you look at the sea} along the headland towards Heisler park with the Gazebo area and beyond. There are so many gorgeous views from here. We actually went on a fairly windy/choppy day and it was incredible but I imagine, and have seen photos of, a still day where the sea looks so clear and turquoise.

// Crystal Cove
between Laguna and Newport, is a favourite spot of ours from back in 2012 during our first OC visit. It's such a special place, and a national park. Kind of annoyingly, parking is $15 here in the official parking across the road, that you then walk under the underpass to the beach. Or on this visit, we parked in the shopping area just along the coast and walked the coast path there as we were less than an hour.
- Ruby's Shake Shack at the top, is a must visit for lunch or a shake. We'd eaten lunch in Laguna so just shared a shake but it was one of the best shakes we've had. Expect long queues here but it's worth the wait, especially for the view.
- For food down at Crystal Cove, The Beachcomber is a really popular and highly recommended spot.
- You can also pay and book a beach bonfire here, I think through the Beachcomber, which would be magical at sunset. We were about 45 minutes from here so decided to stick to our beach to do it.
- There are cute little cottages down at the cove. Imagine staying in one and waking up to that beach every morning!
- The rockpools are worth a look here. We didn't sit on the beach in January but have done during the hot summer days before. {side note, my Dad actually lost his wedding ring in the sea here playing ball with my brother a few years back!}. 

// Further afield;

- Huntington Beach is an area we've stayed in twice before. It's known as surf city, and is a great base around this area with a fab pier, huge wide beach, those typical Cali lifeguard huts {with a manned beach}, and so many restaurants and shops. We didn't make it there on this visit as felt like we'd done it a lot before but it's great for families. 

- Newport Beach is another great area to base yourself for this area, with lots going on, beaches, Balboa Island, Fashion island for all the shopping you could imagine and not too far from LA/Disney/outlets etc if you're looking to do things like that. 

- Catalina Island, reached from Newport or Dana Point by ferry, looks like a gorgeous day out. We'd have loved to have gone but ran out of time, and it seemed fairly pricey for the day. But next time, this is going on my list.