Expert: Steve Summers - 3/12/2004

Question
Hi steve, alan from Scotland Uk, can you help I have a 15 year old son and we will be in SoCal (LA-based) for two weeks in september............trying to figure out best places to stay..rough geographical area for said 15 year old to take surfing lessons....not sure ? Huntington  beach.? as far north as venice beach, your help is appreciated many thanks

Answer
Hi Alan,

If you are going to be in SoCal for a couple of weeks, I would stay in Anaheim near Disneyland. The hotels there are competitively priced, and it is centrally located. Yes, there are places that are closer to the beach, but they are much more expensive. By September, most of the summer crowds are gone. But be sure to wear your shorts (a kilt is just fine, too), because it usually stays warm until the first week of October, and there is usually a hot spell some time during September.

As for hotels, I can give you a few suggestions, but I also recommend using travelocity.com because they have hotel reviews. I can recommend a few hotels: Courtyard Buena Park ($99), Candlewood Suites in Garden Grove ($75), and the Carriage Inn Anaheim ($85 or $122). For accomodations at the beach, you should check out the Pacific Inn at Seal Beach ($112). If you don't mind spending $200 or more for a hotel room, I can HIGHLY recommend the Disneyland Hotel or (even better) Disney's Grand Californian. Both are excellent hotels right on the Disney property, have excellent restaurants (Our favorite is the Storyteller Cafe), and lovely poolside areas for relaxing. We go several times a year because we can book the Annual Passholder rate. It is a nice getaway even for folks that live 15 minutes away.

For surfing lessons, check out Kim Hamrock's site at www.dangerwoman.com or Corky Carrol's Surf School at www.surfschool.net. One thing about Kim's: Even though Kim's is a women's longboarding club, they teach the guys, too. Ask your son if he wouldn't mind having a pretty female surf instructor. I had a female instructor when I learned to ski years ago, and I can tell you that I surely paid attention!

Hope this helps,

Steve