Six Months in Laguna Niguel, Orange County
Summary
I lived in Laguna Niguel for six months, near Salt Creek Trail, close enough to walk to the beach most days. The picture above is taken on Niguel Shores Beach. Between runs on the trail, swims at Niguel Shores Beach, and quiet mornings with coffee overlooking Strands Beach, it turned into one of my favorite stretches of time in Orange County. I also got a membership at the Laguna Niguel Racquet Club nearby, which became a regular part of my routine.
Table of Contents
Laguna Beach Main Beach and Forest Avenue
Laguna Main Beach (I know it’s not in Laguna Niguel but super close anyway) is usually packed, so early on we decided to check out Forest Avenue instead, which is lined with retail shops and has a lively feel to it. That’s where we found Kush Fine Art Gallery, and I loved it immediately, a mix of realistic and surreal pieces that felt genuinely dreamy to walk through. If you’ve got time around there, get dinner at The Deck. It overlooks the ocean and the food is excellent, you won’t regret it. Afterward, grab ice cream at Gelato Paradiso and just stroll the area. There’s almost always something going on around that spot.
By the way, whenever I drove through this intersection by Laguna Beach, there always seemed to be someone protesting something. Different signs, different causes, but almost never nobody there. After enough drives through, I started to think of it as one of Laguna Beach’s go-to protest spots, the place people show up when they want to be seen. Fair warning too: this exact intersection always seems to get backed up with traffic, so budget extra time if you’re driving through it.
Salt Creek Trail, Young's Beach Shack, and Salt Creek Beach Park
I lived near Salt Creek Trail in Laguna Niguel, so I got a lot of use out of it, either running or walking down to Young’s Beach Shack. On a good day, I’d stop there for poke, then walk back home along the Salt Creek Beach Park route. Salt Creek Beach and Monarch Bay Beach are beautiful and calm, nowhere near as crowded as Laguna Beach’s Main Beach, and Monarch Bay Beach is a great spot to learn to surf if you’re a beginner. On the way back on Salt Creek Trail, if I wanted to slow down, I’d stop at Monarch Cafe and grab something to drink while watching the golfers.
Strand Vista Park, Niguel Shores Beach, and Strands Beach
When I wanted a real swim, I’d drive to Strand Vista Park, park for free, and take the Salt Creek Beach Stairway down to Niguel Shores Beach, where I spent a lot of time reading and swimming. If I was there just to walk, I’d take the Strand Beach route instead, which leads to Strands Beach and a rock cave at the very end of the trail.
My favorite version of this outing was parking at Strand Vista Park and walking the Salt Creek Beach County Park trail with a coffee, just for the view of Strands Beach. It’s genuinely one of the best views in the area.
Laguna Niguel Racquet Club
The place I lived was about five minutes from the Laguna Niguel Racquet Club, where I had a membership. It’s an amazing club, and I spent a lot of time there.
180BLU and Raya, Bonjour Cafe & Bistro, Luciana's Ristorante, The Farmers Market and Gelson's Poke
The Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel has an outdoor restaurant called 180blu, and it’s worth getting the sunset plate there to watch the sunset along with the surfers at Salt Creek, which draws a mostly intermediate-and-up crowd at that specific point. Dinner at Raya, also at the Ritz, is excellent too. The whole property feels quiet and relaxed, and it’s worth checking out if you’re ever in the area.
Living in Laguna, I eventually found the farmers market near Sprouts and made a habit of going for fruit and croissants. And then there’s Gelson’s, which I complain about constantly for being overpriced, but their poke bowls are genuinely amazing. I go back for them anyway.
Also, treat yourself to a nice French breakfast or brunch at Bonjour Cafe & Bistro and an Italian dinner at Luciana’s Ristorante; you won’t regret it.
