SeeCalifornia.com

Thanks to contributor Ron Singer for the photos above (except for the ladies drinking cocktails provided by our SeeCalifornia.com photographer)

Crystal Cove State Park on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach is a highly coveted beach vacation with unique turn-of-the-century cabins that guests rent. It can be a challenge booking a vacation because of the popularity of these accommodations. An equally fun attraction on premises is The Beachcomber (thebeachcombercafe.com) restaurant on the sand. It is open to the public daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, except major holidays. You don’t just drive up and park your car, however. If you make a reservation, give yourself extra time to get there because there’s no parking available at the restaurant.

So how does everyone get to there? You have two options:

1. You can park at beach parking on the east side of PCH at Los Trancos, then take a 10 minute walk under the highway via a tunnel. It can be a little wet, depending on the tide, so you may want to avoid wearing your best shoes if you opt for this journey.
2. The other option is a beach shuttle bus that picks up passengers from the same parking lot and drives them for $1 each way to the beach cafe, and back. Be sure to get your ticket validated when you eat in the restaurant. The Beachcomber will validate for 3 hours of parking with a purchase of $15 or more. Each additional hour after the 3 hours costs $5 per hour up to a maximum of $15 per day.