California - A quiet town north of San Diego

We are coming for a week and are more interested in nature and solitude rather than big city stuff...is there a town you would recommend we stay in? North or south of San Diego on the beach. Thanks in advance!

How far north? A couple places around Laguna Beach/Dana point are nice. For example Crystal Cove State Park and the beach cottages (http://www.crystalcovebeachcottages.com/html/index.php) (between Laguna and Newport). Or just to the south and a little closer to San Diego you have San Onofre State Beach and San Clemente.

If that is too far, the northern San Diego beach towns like Del Mar and Solana Beach are also very nice. But they are also suburbs -- so not sure if they qualify as "solitude." There are some very nice spots as you drive through those areas.

If that is too far, the northern San Diego beach towns like Del Mar and Solana Beach are also very nice. But they are also suburbs -- so not sure if they qualify as "solitude." There are some very nice spots as you drive through those areas.

A while ago I stayed in Del Mar and it was delightful except for the train which passed through twice a day blowing its horn at full volume and waking me up.

Check out Carlsbad.

Actually, the Crystal Cove area is in Newport Beach.

Hiking, biking and an underwater marine park and dining on the beach.
www.crystalcovestatepark.com
www.thebeachcombercafe.com

I'm not endorsing the Beachcomber (although I personally like it) but their video on their website plus their 'history' box will give you some good background.

Here's what I like about Newport Beach:

-The Harbor.
-The Fun Zone
-The Balboa Island Ferry
-The Catalina Ferry
-Two piers (Balboa on the south, Newport on the north)
-Great shopping (Fashion Island is possibly the most beautiful outdoor mall in the US). Add in the shopping on Balboa Island and in Corona del Mar and you have a lot of choices.
-Boat rentals, jet ski rentals, parasailing, the harbor tour, the dinner cruises, deep sea fishing and whale watching tours.
-World class hotels, resorts and restaurants.
-10 miles of beaches made up of both wide white sand beaches as well as secluded coves with cliffs and tide pools that make you feel like you're on a private beach and you have it all to yourself.
-A major act Jazz festival that runs from mid-May to mid-October.
-Professional golf and professional tennis tournaments.
-Possibly the best tennis clubs (as a group) in Southern California (which is something that is important to me, on a personal level). (shrug)
-The Back Bay. This is the largest estuary (where the fresh water and the salt water come together) in Southern California and provides space to jog, bike, hike and kayak. In the winter it's on the 'North American Flyway' and is home to up to 30,000 migrating birds.
-One of the largest 'food festivals' in the US that also provides world name musical acts.
-Crystal Cove which is the largest undevelped beach between Santa Barbara and Mexico but it's also a California Historic District and you can have breakfast, lunch or dinner at a very nice restaurant that sits right on the sand and is only yards away from the high tide line. It's also an underwater diving zone as well as has hiking and biking trails of various degrees of dificullty. In the spring it's also a dolphin birthing ground but it's not unusual to see the dolphins playing offshore all year round.
-Traffic within Newport flows really well and it's easy to get around.
-Within the past few days the LA Times Travel Show, one of the best travel shows in the US, named Newport Beach as the top rated domestic destination in the area. www.dailypilot.com/news/…7572128.story
-Orange County Airport (SNA) is a 10 minute cab ride for me. Very easy, nice airport to get into and out of. Clean, modern and has actually been the setting/backdrop for a number of movies.
-good art museums/galleries and gardens
www.newportbay.org

What dates are you planning on visiting?

Coronado. Although technically in San Diego, the bridge really isolates one from the main part of the city. The Coronado Hotel is right on the beach and Loews and the Marriott are on the Bay. Check out the reviews at Trip Advisor for these places.

Check out Carlsbad.

It has a broad sandy beach and a charming downtown area by the beach. Years ago, I put customers here (http://www.beachterraceinn.com/) as it is immediately on the ocean. I've no idea of the condition of the property now.

encinitas, carlsbad, and del mar are good bets...and there are some really nice resorts in both areas that will also provide hiking, horseback riding, etc

a nice beach around that area is torrey pines state beach, but there are a good # of beaches up the coast

Maybe you could say why you are going to San Diego if your main interest is nature. Weather? Will you already be in SD? You'll have a car, I assume. San Clemente, Encinitas, etc. would be more peaceful than SD itself (or even Coronado Island, attached to SD, IMHO), but if I wanted to see nature, I'd probably look at Oxnard or northward. From Oxnard or Ventura you can take day tours to various islands in Channel Islands National Park (see the park's Web site or the site for the concessionaire, Island Packers). Monterey, Big Sur, etc., super scenic, of course.

Are there other places in California you might consider, such as Santa Barbara or north? I can't think of any peaceful places south of SD. You got some nice suggestions for north of SD. But I agree you need to say how far north or south (e.g., do you want to be able to get to SD easily), and also at what time of year.