As Southern California’s Indian summer blazes on, now is an ideal time for Laguna Beach getaway. Perched midway between LA and San Diego, Laguna is one of SoCal’s most picturesque beach towns, a lush tangle of palms and runaway bougainvillea snaking across stucco walls and tiled roofs along Pacific Coast Highway.
Tourists and SoCal revelers overrun the city during summer (and on holiday weekends throughout the year) when traffic crawls, parking is impossible, and the sidewalks downtown disappear beneath the crush of more people than they were ever meant to hold. During fall, though, Laguna exhales. It’s the time of year the locals love best, when this Orange County beach town of 24,000 goes back to being a welcoming Shangri-la again. On weekdays, the beach sits tantalizingly empty.
For starters, check out the waves at Thalia Street, an easy-to-miss cul de sac where a curving set of steps leads to the sand below. It’s a sweet spot: Locals come to here to surf and skim-board. The downside: there’s no parking lot, so you’ll have to hunt for a spot on a nearby street.
If you’re feeling energetic, set out for walk along the beach. Or head to Laguna Canyon Road and hike through the inland wilds of Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. Or grab a triple latte and hit the sidewalks to sample Laguna’s art galleries and one-of-kind boutiques. There’s a slew of shops and restaurants clustered downtown, close to Main Beach and its famous basketball courts on the sand. But don’t stop there. Many of Laguna’s treasures are scattered farther south along Coast Highway, away from the touristy hub.
In the 1200 block of Coast Highway, for instance, you’ll find a wonderfully eclectic mix at the Old Pottery Place, including delicious world cuisine and an outdoor patio at Sapphire; gourmet picnic fixings at the adjacent Sapphire pantry; and the friendly Laguna Beach Books. Across the street, the Rooftop Lounge at the La Casa Del Camino serves up mojitos and prime views of the coastline.
If you’re up for a splurge, book a room — or just make lunch reservations — at the Surf and Sand Hotel, a landmark resort carved into the side of an oceanfront cliff. The waves are so close, so intense, that the sound of pounding surf seems to follows you everywhere at the Surf and Sand.
For dinner: Treat yourself to Eva’s, a delectable Carribbean kitchen in a South Laguna cottage. The restaurant is a riot of color — lime green walls, orange ceiling, small pink lights twinkling in the palms — and softly lit by the sea of candles that line the dining room. So warm. So fun.
Before you go: Request a Visitor’s Guide from the Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau. This slim (free) volume tucks easily into a pocket.
Don’t forget: Bring a pocketful of quarters. Laguna Beach has meters all over town and you’ll need change to park.
P.S. Here’s a map.
While working on a new book about California’s Central Coast, I recently visited Cachuma Lake in Santa Barbara’s Santa Ynez Valley and stayed in a lakefront yurt. It’s an idyllic spot tucked along Highway 154, one of the prettiest drives in California. 
LA Times staffer Christopher Reynolds, one of my favorite travel writers, set out on New Year’s Day to cruise the entire zig-zagging length of California’s coast, from the southern end of San Diego County to Crescent City at the Oregon border, in ten days. He decided to cling to the coast and sleep only in lodgings along the water. 
