San Clemente Beach House April 2016

Dana Point/San Clemente 

March 31-April 3, 2016

A quick drive south on the 405 to a beautiful paradise we had never seen before. Just south of Dana Point in San Clemente is one of the only private road beach front homes in California. The houses were once small wood beach houses with plenty of bedrooms and a nice wood deck. Now they have become $9 million mega mansions.


Through a friend we were gifted 2 nights at one of the original homes tucked almost comically between 2 vast beach palaces. Small living room and kitchen but with 5 bedrooms and the pacific ocean as the backyard. Waves crashing and sun shining on the blue water with no one in sight on this very private beach. 

So we sunned and waked and sunned and toasted and walked some more. We listened to music and read and dozed and let the sun pass over and into sunset position where we stood and kissed and applauded the moment.

Dinner was wonderful at South of Nicks, I do like to put Yelp to use and with some careful criteria we are rarely disappointed and this was very good. Back to our "beach house" for a night of sleep and the Amtrak that zooms by across the street. A little incongruous with the sounds of crashing waves but it stopped around 2am and we chalked it up to the price of coastal paradise.



Friday we drove about 15 minutes north to Dana Point to hop on a whale watching tour. It didn't take 15 minutes to see our first of several whales that day along with a mom and baby heading migrating north. Back to San Clemente for lunch then picked up some Trader Joe's sunset essentials including but not limited to wine and cheese. We brought home some nice burgers and sourdough and put them on the grill later for dinner. T can always make dinner from virtually nothing, amazing. So in summary, wine cheese, sunset, bbq and farewell to another day in paradise.

Saturday was NCAA playoff day, March madness in full swing. So we greeted the early sun on the beach with a walk and then created breakfast on the grill. Mimosa's combined well with our breakfast. We laid in the sun for a few hours, to fully digest of course, then together on the sofa for NCAA and nap and NCAA all night.

Another Yelp find led us to a crowded but comfortable Salt Creek Grille. Delicious food in a warm welcoming setting it was a nice finish to a day filled with simply laying by the ocean. All day. Paradise.


Sunday morning back on the grill for sourdough and tomatoes and delicious things once again concocted by Chef T. We soaked in our last day and watched the fog roll back and forth just off the coast. Then it rolled in. And it was time to go. We cleaned the house top to bottom to leave it nice for our wonderful benefactor. (Emily's bf Dashel's Mom was renting the place)





Back in the car for a quick ride north from this amazing new beach paradise. The one with the pacific in the backyard and the train in the front yard. Now on our drive to San Diego (more on that soon since this entry is being produced 7.21.16) we point to the west and lay claim to "our beach house".