Crystal Cove Beach Cottages -A Perfect, Affordable Family Vacation in Orange County- How to Make Reservations

This past weekend, we took our family down to Crystal Cove to meet some friends who were staying in the Crystal Cove Beach Cottages for a few days. The minute we walked down the trail, we fell in love!

If anyone has been down to the Crystal Cove State Park and Beach, you know that this beach is awesome- no rocks, the waves are manageable and the crowds are not too bad. There is also a great restaurant RIGHT on the sand called the Beachcomber Cafe. You can sit on their patio for a beautiful sunset and cocktails (but come early, it is crowded).

What we discovered on this trip to Crystal Cove, were the Beach Cottages www.crystalcovebeachcottages.com. . All of the cottages are on the sand (or steps from) and have beautiful ocean views. Cottages come equipped with a kitchen, bedroons and bathrooms. There are individual cottages (preferable for families) and dorm style cottages (private bedrooms and some with private bathrooms), but you would share the common areas.

Staying at the Beach Cottages is kind of a "step up" from camping. You have a kitchen to cook in but housekeeping is limited and there are no laundry facilities. No televisions (but who needs television when the beach is in your front yard)

Here's the best part! The average nightly rate for the individual cottages is $180!!! Seriously, how can you beat that for oceanfront property. Obviously, given the popularity of these cottages, reserving them can be a little tricky. You can only reserve a cottage for 7 days in a 365 calendar year. And, getting a reservation is a competition in itself. Reservations can be made year-round, but the prime dates are the summer months. Reservations can me made up to 7 months in advance and the "on-sale" dates are the first of every month. So finding a reservation next summer would require you to book in January-March. Reservations can be made at www.reserveamerica.com

We going to try to get a cottage next summer for SURE!! Hopefully we will see some of you there!

Tags: beach, cottages, county, cove, crystal, orange

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Comment by michelle on August 17, 2010 at 11:41am: so fun down there and the restaurant is awesome! <3 it!

Comment by Mindi Hoffman on August 16, 2010 at 10:29pm: Yummy food too at Beachcomer!

Comment by Tenille on August 16, 2010 at 1:23pm: OMG... it is sooo hard to get one of those. After many months of trying to reserve one, I finally was successful this month. On August 1st, I got up super early, logged in before the time the reservations open (which is 8am) and it literally sold out in a minute flat. I am not even joking. I was able to get one night (IN FEBRUARY!!!!). But its cool... its a Sunday to Monday stay and I think I actually got really lucky. Someone must have changed their mind or timed out and that day went back into the open pool. My heart rate was going a mile a minute, the reservation process is intense. I think it will be fun though. Our place sleeps 8, so any mommies that want to join us... let me know! ;) Steph... if you want tips on how to reserve one, email me.

Comment by Maggie Pearlman on August 16, 2010 at 12:36pm: We have been trying to get a cottage here for months but they book up so fast! The minute they go on sale they are gone! It has now become an obsession of mine every 1st of the month :-)