For decades my fantasy vacation found me in a funky little house right on the beach. I could picture it so clearly in my mind’s eye that I almost felt as if I’d been there before.
Once I arrived at this fantasy beach house, I knew I’d unpack and never go anywhere else. Why would I? I’d fall asleep each night to the lullaby of the crashing waves. I’d cook simple meals in the funky little kitchen inside that funky little house. I’d take walks on the beach every day. I’d read. I’d relax.
I found such a place last month almost accidentally when Bruce and I joined our good friends, Darcie and Jim Gore (you know them as this Web site’s co-founders), at a cottage they rented at Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County. The historic cottages are located off Pacific Coast Highway between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach.
Right on the beach. It wasn’t like my fantasy – it was my fantasy.
I understood the source of my deja vu when I read a Crystal Cove State Park brochure that listed more than a dozen movies made at Crystal Cove, beginning with “Treasure Island” in 1918 (a bit before my time) and ended with “Beaches” in 1988.
That was it! “Beaches” – that tear-jerker movie with Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey. I would bet almost anything that watching “Beaches” 20 years ago planted the seed in my brain of the ideal vacation spot. (By the way, this photo below of the little house with aqua trim was the “Beaches” cottage, which is not available for rent.)
All the historic Crystal Cove cottages and dorms were built between 1924 to 1950, but the lion’s share were constructed in the ’20s and ’30s. Of the 46 little structures, only 13 are fully restored and ready to rent. The rest are still in dire need of renovation, including the above-mentioned “Beaches” house, and this little fixer-upper below.
I would have been happy to stay in any of the restored cottages, such as this beauty, below.
Even so, I believe we stayed in one of the best (19B, I believe). It had wonderful, close-up views of the ocean, and multiple decks (like four). The word “cottage” is somewhat of a misnomer, since it’s on a second floor, atop another cottage. But it was adorable, with fairly primitive interiors and lots of wood and authentic touches, like barkcloth-covered lampshades. It had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a hide-a-bed and a Murphy bed. (We only needed two bedrooms, but this cottage had plenty of room for more people.)
I confess to a moment of panic when I saw the kitchen lacked an oven or a cooktop (I think fire is a concern). But Darcie showed me how to make microwave omelettes, which was a whole new cooking experience for me.
When I asked, “But how will we boil water for pasta?” Darcie pointed to the microwave. We cooked just fine with the microwave, a crock pot, a Mr. Coffee and a George Foreman grill. (Learn from my mistake: Homemade pasta slow-boiled in a crock pot will turn out really soggy and awful.)
But here’s the thing about securing reservations at Crystal Cove: It’s not easy, not that Bruce or I would know first-hand, because we were Darcie and Jim’s guests, and they made all the arrangements.
But do the math. Just 13 available beach cottages in one of the most populated parts of California. Reservations must be made on the 1st of every month, via computer or phone (forget the phone, you’ll never get a reservation that way), and the reservations are made seven months out. I think I’d have better odds of winning the Lottery.
With this in mind, I think Bruce was onto something when he said he quite expected to see all the people who stayed at Crystal Cove’s historic 13 cottages wearing glasses, white calf socks with sandals, and Hawaiian shirts with pocket protectors stuffed with pens and mechanical pencils. Or, we shouldn’t be surprised to see some computer addict balancing laptops on deck railings to get the best reception, as Jim did one day.
Even so, Jim insists that anyone with computer access could make reservations. He said it’s just a matter of following the directions and being poised and informed of your dates and desired cottage choices before 8 a.m. on that 1st day of the month.
He said the entire month fills up within minutes. (On a positive note, cancellations do happen, so that’s an option sometimes, too.)
One more thing. Although the cottages look rustic and funky, the prices are sophisticated at about $165 per night. For a budget option, the dorm accommodations cost about $30 a night, but the dorm-dwellers share bathroom facilities and have limited ocean views.
As I flipped through our cottage’s guest book, it was obvious that northern California visitors like the Gores and Greenbergs were fairly rare, while Southern California guests were common.
Granted, it is a very long drive (or a short flight). But what the heck, for a fantasy vacation, it was worth every mile.
