Orange County, I remember when the only place to go to was the Ritz Carlton. Everything else was just dirt. I mean the place is called orange county for a reason. Truly a shame that the whole area has become a series of track homes. Stay close to the beach, otherwise you might just get lost in endless neighborhoods. Also, don't take the 405 or the 5 freeway. If you need to get to Orange County, walk, its probably faster.
BE ADVISED ... Route 1 in Southern California is called the Pacific Coast Highway, not the Big Sur Coast Highway. Big Sur is on the Central Coast, several hours north of Huntington Beach and the other distinations on this itenerary.
BE ADVISED, AGAIN ... They suggest a visit to South Coast Plaza with your shopoholics, but they suggest it from Huntington Beach. South Coast Plaza is nearer to the hotel in Newport Beach than Huntington Beach.
SUGGESTION Hit any of the pier resteraunts at sunset for dinner. There is no experience anywhere that is better than sitting on the pier at sunset having any faire from burgers & and beer to surf & turf with fine wine. Your state of undress will limit some of the options -- the places serving burgers and beer will likely not object to bikinis and board shorts.
ONE MORE TIP ... If you are in Laguna Beach when the Pageant of the Masters is showing, it is a MUST SEE. They take live models and adorn them as the subjects in famous paintings, from Washington Crossing the Deleware to Venus, the goddess statue. They re-create the artwork in full life size, it is fabulous! This is an evening show that takes place during the summer months. It is held on the grounds of the Laguna Beach Art Festival, which is in walking distance (a few blocks up Laguna Canyon Road from where it intersects Pacific Coast Highway) from any of the hotels in the main section of Laguna.
esite4835's description is full of inaccuracies...some of which are noted above by other folks. i'm going to elaborate on just the airport falsehoods. orange county is serviced locally by the john wayne airport only. other airports in the southern california area such as lax and ontario involve many, many miles of driving in the world famous southern california traffic. you'll want to avoid that at all costs unless you're a masochist. the only real option to the john wayne airport, is the airport in long beach. the long beach airport is small, generally quiet and not far from orange county. you'll still catch some traffic during peak hours but it is far less than the drive from either lax or ontario. and in most cases, long beach is cheaper to fly into than the john wayne airport which is in the heart of orange county. be sure to preview your itinerary options using both john wayne and long beach airports to see which offers the best cost/time solution for your trip.
I think this itinerary sounds good but it really isn't. What about all the traffic? And going from one place to another is nothing like the East Coast....... everything is far, EVERYTHING! If you are planning to come Orange County stick to the main tourist attractions. Everything else is just like anywhere else!
Route 1 in Southern California is called the Pacific Coast Highway, not the Big Sur Coast Highway. Big Sur is on the Central Coast, several hours north of Huntington Beach and the other distinations on this itenerary.
They suggest a visit to South Coast Plaza with your shopoholics, but they suggest it from Huntington Beach. South Coast Plaza is nearer to the hotel in Newport Beach than Huntington Beach.
SUGGESTION
Hit any of the pier resteraunts at sunset for dinner. There is no experience anywhere that is better than sitting on the pier at sunset having any faire from burgers & and beer to surf & turf with fine wine. Your state of undress will limit some of the options -- the places serving burgers and beer will likely not object to bikinis and board shorts.
If you are in Laguna Beach when the Pageant of the Masters is showing, it is a MUST SEE. They take live models and adorn them as the subjects in famous paintings, from Washington Crossing the Deleware to Venus, the goddess statue. They re-create the artwork in full life size, it is fabulous! This is an evening show that takes place during the summer months. It is held on the grounds of the Laguna Beach Art Festival, which is in walking distance (a few blocks up Laguna Canyon Road from where it intersects Pacific Coast Highway) from any of the hotels in the main section of Laguna.