SoCal is a big place! With traffic, it can easily take 40-60 minutes to get most places. If you’re staying for just the weekend, we recommend you stay in either Orange County to minimize your driving time, or Los Angeles to put you near cute food and activities.
Truthfully, whenever we visit, we stay with family or in AirBnb’s rather than hotels… but we encourage you to travel in the style that fits you best! The biggest guidance I’d recommend is: consider the activities you’d like to do, and try to find a place that minimizes commute to those activities.
Callil’s family is visiting from New York, and will be staying at AirBnB’s in Sunset Beach – a quieter part of the Orange County beach zone. The Dam Cuoi is taking place in Westminster, which is more in-land.
Beach zones: Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana.
Little Saigon: Westminster, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley.
AirBnb’s near where Callil’s family is staying (Sunset Beach)
Some are small, some are for bigger groups. All have easy access to the beach. Seal Beach area is next to Sunset Beach, a little closer to Long Beach.
When we visit Orange County, we opt for the Long Beach area – usually AirBnB’s. Check out The Infatuation’s Best Restaurants list as a ‘heat map’ of where to stay in LB.