Orange County
#1
Original Poster




Join Date: May 2011
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 238
Orange County
Hi everyone.....as a college student in his early 20's who aspires to one day own a house in Laguna Beach or another city in Orange County, CA on the beach (yes yes, a lot of money...who knows if it will ever happen but I hope so!), I was hoping to travel there at least once in the next year in person to check out the area and stay there over a weekend just to relax. Which airlines/hotels would be the best to achieve this? I ask so I can get the appropriate miles/hotel cards and use the bonuses to fund my trip lol. Any tips? I'll likely be flying in from Detroit. MI or Norfolk, VA.
#2
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: OH
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, Marriot Lifetime Gold
Posts: 10,019
Hi everyone.....as a college student in his early 20's who aspires to one day own a house in Laguna Beach or another city in Orange County, CA on the beach (yes yes, a lot of money...who knows if it will ever happen but I hope so!), I was hoping to travel there at least once in the next year in person to check out the area and stay there over a weekend just to relax. Which airlines/hotels would be the best to achieve this? I ask so I can get the appropriate miles/hotel cards and use the bonuses to fund my trip lol. Any tips? I'll likely be flying in from Detroit. MI or Norfolk, VA.
At your age, I would say Huntington Beach. There is more to do than in other cities, the beach is nice, lots of restaurants and bars, events on the beach, etc. There is a Hilton and Hyatt, both of which are just across the street from the water.
You will need a rental car to get around anywhere in So Cal. You can fly into either LAX or SNA
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
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Posts: 35,047
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)
If you Google "SNA airport wiki", you will get a link to the Wikipedia article which lists all airlines that serve John Wayne Airport in Orange County. Of course, both LAX and LGB are also within reasonable driving distance of Orange County.
For hotels, just go to Expedia or Travelocity and enter any Orange County destination to find a list of nearby hotels.
If you Google "SNA airport wiki", you will get a link to the Wikipedia article which lists all airlines that serve John Wayne Airport in Orange County. Of course, both LAX and LGB are also within reasonable driving distance of Orange County.
For hotels, just go to Expedia or Travelocity and enter any Orange County destination to find a list of nearby hotels.
#4
Original Poster




Join Date: May 2011
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 238
Good luck with that goal. It is an expensive one!
At your age, I would say Huntington Beach. There is more to do than in other cities, the beach is nice, lots of restaurants and bars, events on the beach, etc. There is a Hilton and Hyatt, both of which are just across the street from the water.
You will need a rental car to get around anywhere in So Cal. You can fly into either LAX or SNA
At your age, I would say Huntington Beach. There is more to do than in other cities, the beach is nice, lots of restaurants and bars, events on the beach, etc. There is a Hilton and Hyatt, both of which are just across the street from the water.
You will need a rental car to get around anywhere in So Cal. You can fly into either LAX or SNA
#5



Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: AA PLTPRO, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,655
You can also fly into Long Beach (LGB) - a short drive on the 405 and closer to the OC than LAX.
Were you hoping to just stay somewhere in the OC on the weekend or did you actually want a beachfront hotel? The OC is a big place - a bit of your preferences would be helpful in narrowing it down for you.
You might also consider moving this to the Southern California forum - you would likely get more locals responding.
Were you hoping to just stay somewhere in the OC on the weekend or did you actually want a beachfront hotel? The OC is a big place - a bit of your preferences would be helpful in narrowing it down for you.
You might also consider moving this to the Southern California forum - you would likely get more locals responding.
#6
Senior Moderator and Moderator: American AAdvantage & TravelBuzz


Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 10,676
Since this query is specific to one destination, we'll move this over to the California forum for further discussion. Thanks! /JY1024, TravelBuzz co-moderator
#7




Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Santa Cruz, CA USA
Programs: AA, UA, WN, HH, Marriott
Posts: 7,293
Just my personal opinion, but with the possible exception of Laguna Beach, I am not a big fan of Orange County. On my visits to S Calif, I have enjoyed San Diego County much more. Before you make a final decision, you might want to head south and check out that area as well.
#8
Original Poster




Join Date: May 2011
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 238
Just my personal opinion, but with the possible exception of Laguna Beach, I am not a big fan of Orange County. On my visits to S Calif, I have enjoyed San Diego County much more. Before you make a final decision, you might want to head south and check out that area as well.
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist



Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: SNA
Posts: 18,599
I think staying in a beach house that fronts the sand looks like fun for a week, but not to live there. The constant parade of strangers traipsing thru what is essently my "back yard" would drive me nuts. I love Newport Beach (14th street!!), but I'm happy to drive home at the end of the day.



