"...a nice beach for kids that also has access to biking and ocean swimming..."

You pretty much described Pacific Beach/Mission Beach. PB is a laid-back beach community that's populated with college kids. It's got a nice big beach with fine sand, and decent surf. There are two long concrete boardwalks that are packed with bikes, rollerbladers, and pedestrians. (One's along the beach, and the other's along the bay.) Lots of restaurants and interesting people. It's very close to Sea World, and pretty close to the zoo. It's also very convenient to a main freeway.

Farther north is La Jolla, but that area's as pricey as it gets, and its beaches are mostly at the bottom of cliffs. There's not as much biking and "fun stuff" as PB.

Then there's Del Mar and Solana Beach, which are also expensive, especially during the summer (because the DM Racetrack is in full swing and the high rollers rent out a lot of the local houses during the summer.) Del Mar has both beach houses and cliffs, and very nice beaches. Solana Beach is all cliffs.

Pretty much everything north of that is above cliffs, so there aren't many "beach houses" per se up there.

Greg

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"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." -- Bertrand Russell

I live in Carlsbad (north county). There is a great 12 mile loop on the pacific coast highway to train on between Tamarack and La costa Avenue (same course as the Carlsbad Tri). There are 5+ beaches for families along that same stretch... If you go south of there into encinitas and leucadia the coast highway becomes much more congested with traffic and people...

Another nice area is Del Mar/Torrey Pines. There are communities in Del Mar that are closer to the beach... Alot of the beaches in north county have large cliffs or bluffs that you walk down to access the beach...

Mike,

I'd have to agree with GJB. But I'd add stick to the bayside. The beach side is more party/college atmosphere. Bayside more serene/familial. Besides, it's only a short walk betwixt the two since Mission is basically a peninsula about 4 blocks wide.

John

Bayside in Pacific Beach/Mission Beach is very nice. The ocean is 2-3 blocks to the west, and the bay is 0-1 blocks to the east. The bay is dead calm water year-round.

If the kids are small, the breakers can get a little big all along the SD coast. The beach with the smallest waves is La Jolla Shores; it's about a foot deep a hundred yards out, so even toddlers can play safely there.

Older kids that want to boogie board or surf will be happy anywhere from Carlsbad on down south to Mission Beach.

You want to stay in Carlsbad. It's great for families. Pacific Beach and Mission Bay are great if you're between the ages of 16-30, but it's not for families. LaJolla and Del Mar are the nicest but also the most expensive. Solana Beach and Encinitas are also very nice. I would stay away from Oceanside. I live in Carlsbad and it's my favorite. Not many places better to train than Carlsbad plus you've got LegoLand for the kids. August is definitely the best time to come (no marine layer).

I was trying to remember the name of this place, and suddenly there it was in a local paper...

http://www.signonsandiego.com/...01-9999_7m1malo.html

I have no idea how much weekly summer rentals cost, but I know they're available. I've been there, and it's pretty nice.

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"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." -- Bertrand Russell

First let me say that I have lived in Carlsbad for 17 years, changed careers to stay in Carlsbad, have no intentions of moving away from Carlsbad. I've surfed, dove, fished, swam, camped( not at the campground) hobie catted from the shore(back in the day when you could), thrown "keggers", had sex, or grunion hunted on just about every part of shoreline in Carlsbad, but for a family vacation, Oceanside is the spot.

Carlsbad generally has cobble stones for beaches( let's see how much sand remains after the winter), there is little or no parking or beach space once all the inlanders show up, especially if it is hot, which it should be in August( they're a family, I don't think MOM would be diggin' walk down the cliffs with the kids to find that piece of empty beach). Carlsbad is a great coastal community. It is not a "beach" town.

Oceanside has a couple big condo complex where you could easily find a vaction rental, but North Coast Village is probably the best value. Some of the condos are right on the beach, they have a pool and it is nicely landscaped with rivers running through it and HUGE koi fish throughout. I would be more than happy to go and get some numbers for you off their rental board for you. From NCV you have HUGE, SANDY, BURY YOUR DAD IN THE SAND beaches, that have fire rings for that night time bonfire. The harbor, great for walks, is 1/2 mile to the north walking on the beach. It has a believe four restaurants, a market, a candy shop, a coffee shop and you can rent kayaks for a self guide paddle around the harbor. They have a pier which is a 1/2 mile walking either on the strand or on the sand to the south with a family diner, Ruby's, at the end and a McDonalds, kids, at the base. Also about a 4 block walk inland is a 12 screen Regal theatre if you wanted to see a movie. Lego land is only about a 15 minute drive south, which really could be the only time you would have to get back in your car and essentially outside your door starts the river path that is about 14 miles out and back with no traffic for cycling or running. You could easily extend it out with a ride down Pacific Street, it runs paralel to the beach. The coast highway sucks through Oceanside.

To all my compadres/ homies/ dawgs/neighbors here in Carlsbad, no one cares about Carlsbad more. Shoot, I adopted South Carlsbad State Beach for beach cleanup through I Love a Clean San Diego, that's how much I care about our community. But for a FAMILY beach style vacation, Oceansdie fits the definition much better than Carlsbad.

If you want some information about rentals, call me.

Brian Long

Prudential California Realty

760/ 415-3329

Thanks to all you San Diego folks who replied to this with some great advise. We are going to book a condo on the beach in Oceanside. Have always wanted to ride on the PCH down there. It would be pretty trecherous here on the North Coast (Sonoma County) with all the cliffs and free range cows and sheep.

I disagree with Oceanside. It's true they have cleaned it up a bit, but it doesn't hold a candle to Carlsbad. It's true that beachside rentals are limited in Carlsbad, but they're available. As far as the beaches, they're full of rocks in April but by August the rocks are all gone. The Beaches are beautiful in Carlsbad. Oceanside has way more crime and I hate to be brutally honest (but I will), a lot of the people walking the streets in Oceanside will scare the hell out of your family. If your from Northern California then trust me you would rather stay in Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Cardiff, Del Mar, LaJolla, or even Pacific Beach.

My wife and I spent two weeks up in San Clemente and really enjoyed our stay. The pace of life there seemed to be closer to what we were desired. The year before we stayed in Oceanside and had a good time, but we both preferred San Clemente.