Mission Bay, Pacific Beach or LaJolla?

[Magdalenka]

Hi, can anyone tell me which of these locations has the best beach?
Mission Bay, Pacific Beach or LaJolla?
Going to San Diego in August (finally!) but need to find a place that is close
to the beach.
Thanks, any info would be great!

[SDCali]

It depends on what you want from a beach. La Jolla Shores is good for beginners to (I don't know what level) and has some good shopping nearby. as for Mission Bay and Pacific Beach, I don't know too much about them, but they are on this site's beach guide, so check it out.

[billie_morini]

Yeah, and you need to go to San O, too

[bustinchops71]

Hey man, I live south of those beaches in OB. Depends on what kind of beach you are looking for?

La Jolla is an upscale community, super nice beach (plenty of fire pits), good waves for beginners south of the bathrooms, better waves to the north and close to Scripps Pier. Nice restaurants nearby. This is prob the more expensive of the 3 to crash at. La Jolla Cove is just across the way which is pretty amazing to see! Good open water swim spot. "Despo" at the south end of the cove is a pretty chill surf spot. You'll see plenty of seals around you.

Pacific Beach is the party beach... tons of women! Lots of bars but with that comes the usual hassles. Tourmo is a cool spot to the far North of PB, forgiving waves... big longboard spot. Decent waves closer to Crystal Pier, sometimes really nice. South of the Pier and on down into Mission Beach you'll find some good sets rolling thru randomly. Lot of hotels and restaurant/bars throughout. PB is a LONG beach w/ a cool boardwalk.

Mission Beach is pretty laid back. On the outskirts of the bars but still within walking distance. It encompasses Mission Bay so you can fish, kayak, boat, etc. Beach is busy just like PB and they have a ton of volleyball courts at the end. Wave House is located there which is a cool place to grab a drink and ride a man made wave if it isn't firing in the ocean. The Mission Jetty has a really good left if it is rolling through right but I heard it is pretty local at that spot? Depending on your skill level, there are some alright waves in front of the roller coaster on the beach and south to the jetty.

Hope that helps... it's a start for ya! Peace.

[aaron d]

i surfed mission beach for a week last august, i really liked it, certainly no problem for a beginner

[isaluteyou]

All those spots you mentioned are all pretty good places to stay. The thing with san diego is that if you have transport you can normally always find waves. I live in ocean beach but if theres a hint of a big swell i will always travel to where its best.

San Diego has like 120 viable surf spots all within fairly close proximity of eachother something for everyone

[phish]

La Jolla shores is a Zoo...
There are places a little further north that are heavier, but not so many people...

[Magdalenka]

All those spots you mentioned are all pretty good places to stay. The thing with san diego is that if you have transport you can normally always find waves. I live in ocean beach but if theres a hint of a big swell i will always travel to where its best.

San Diego has like 120 viable surf spots all within fairly close proximity of eachother something for everyone

Hey! Thank you all for your response! I was going to stay at La Jolla but I called the place and the guy told me that it's a rocky beach. And a bit pricey! Kinda looking for a sandy beach, (sounds weird...I know!) But where's the best place to stay? There's a chance I'll be traveling alone so kinda want to be in a safe area. NEVER been to San Diego...So, can you recommend a good location for me please?
Thanks again! Any info would be great!

[aaron d]

mission is sandy....

[SDCali]

Hey! Thank you all for your response! I was going to stay at La Jolla but I called the place and the guy told me that it's a rocky beach. And a bit pricey! Kinda looking for a sandy beach, (sounds weird...I know!) But where's the best place to stay? There's a chance I'll be traveling alone so kinda want to be in a safe area. NEVER been to San Diego...So, can you recommend a good location for me please?
Thanks again! Any info would be great!

If I remember correctly, it's La Jolla Cove that's rocky, I know for a fact that La Jolla Shores is a nice sandy beach with separate areas for surfers and non-surfers. The Cove is probably a lot cheaper place to stay than the Shores, but it's not to far of a drive to get to the Shores from the Cove.

[ambolina]

BustinChops gave you a great run down. Since you haven't really said what type of experience you're looking for, it's hard to tell you which to pick. Pacific an Mission beach are very close to each other. If you stay in one, you'll be able to walk, bike to the others and they are both more of a party scene/college crowd. Of the two, I'd choose to stay in Pacific Beach. More places to go eat/hang out and it puts you right between Mission Beach and La Jolla and sometimes Mission Beach has a reputation for getting rowdy late at night. There aren't really many hotels down that way anyway.

Also, the beach in La Jolla isn't rocky so don't let that bit of misinformation be what you make your choice on (I surf there regularly). However the La Jolla Shores beach does have a lot of stingrays. All the beaches will have them in Aug because the water is so warm, but La Jolla has more than most places.

[bustinchops71]

Yeah, I agree. PB will give you a bit more choices surf wise if you are just planting yourself for awhile without a ride. Plus, you'll have plenty of places available to you for dining and drinking. La Jolla Shores is definitely not rocky... They were probably referencing La Jolla Cove. Like metioned above, if you could score a rental car it would be golden for you. Tons of spots nearby and you could hit classics like Black's and Trestles. Not real sure on hotel names but just do a search for Pacific Beach hotels to see how far they are from the beach. Good luck bro!

[Magdalenka]

Hi!
Just wanted to say thank you so much for all the info that you guys posted!
Booked a flight and going on Aug 29th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally!!!! Can't wait!

Thanks again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jdec83]

The Problem with all of them is that for summer south jetty at Mission and LJ Shores gets NO southwest action. PB can be allright, and scripps pier just north of shore gets good to.