Dana Point Harbor Boatshow

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Ken13559

Ken13559

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Oct 29, 2005
2,366
Hunter Marine 326 303 Singapore
I've a business trip coming up in May at Rancho Cucamonga, CA and I hope someone in the know would be able to help provide some answers:
1. Is the Dana Point Harbor Boatshow worth a visit? I'm mainly interested in sailboats and sailing stuff, equipment, trinklets etc...:dance:
2. How do I get from Rancho Cucamonga to Dana Point Harbor at reasonable cost. Checked a Taxi website and estimate cost at >US$180 one-way. Ouch! :doh:
3. What attraction is there apart from Disney Theme Park at Anaheim?
4. Where can I find shoppings comlpex in and around Rancho Cucamonga where my post teenage girls could run wild shopping? :eek:
Thanks.
 
C

Calif. Ted

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Jun 8, 2004
3,011
Catalina 320 Dana Point
I'll start with the easy ones:
Try to fly into Ontario, CA airport (ONT) it's adjacent to Rancho Cucamonga
Ontario Mills Mall is a destination mall for visitors, on border between the two towns. http://www.simon.com/mall/ontario-mills
Just North of there is Victoria Gardens, kind of an outdoor mall.
http://www.victoriagardensie.com/
Rental car is really best way to get around S. Calif. maybe $35 a day ?
Knott's Berry Farm has lots of thrill rides popular with young people, Universal Studios is really big and you could get there via metrolink
http://metrolinktrains.com/
I keep my boat in Dana Point and it's I think it's worth seeing for itself, I actually have not been to the boat show (or any boat show) for a few years but there's LOTS of stuff to buy.
 
caguy

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
You could stay in Dana Point where there is a lot to do and commute to Rancho Cucamonga via car rental. You would be going against traffic in both directions on a normal day.
There are a number of attractions and things to do nearby.
At Dana Harbor they have whale watching trips that are almost always spectacular. They also have a great Maritime Museum in Dana Harbor, next to the show. Next to the harbor your kids will love Doheny Beach, a surfers paradise with great breaks and long rides. We take the kayaks out of the beach on the north end next to the harbor breakwater.
There is the town of Laguna Beach which is a really nice art town, with some great shopping, galleries and scenic beaches. We like having dinner or lunch at Las Brisas Restaurant, overlooking Laguna Beach. Another is a day at the Montage Hotel beach. We like to pick up Burritos from across the street and take them to the Motel Park. They have a beautiful botanical gardens and nice lagoons. This is where Oprah stays when in the neighbor hood for $20K/day.There is great snorkeling and diving along the coast there.
Salt Beach is another nice beach just north of Dana.
About a 1/2 hour up the coast you will find New Port Harbor, Costa Mesa and a number of great eateries with Fashion Island right there. Minnies Yacht Surplus is in the same town.
Disneyland is only about 1/2 hr from Dana Point.
My brother-in-law stayed at the Marriott in Dana and was really happy there. It has a beautiful panoramic view of the harbor. There is a Chinese restaurant, Peking Dragon, walking distance from the hotel very reasonable but excellent food.
 
Joe

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,323
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Rental car... rental car... rental car.
 
S

StinkBug

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Dec 26, 2012
359
MacGregor 25 San Diego
even without the boat show, you're gonna want a rental car. Southern California is not set up well for public transportation and taxi's are fairly hard to come by unless you're at an airport or at the bars on a friday night.
 
Skipper

Skipper

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Oct 9, 2008
1,742
Bristol 29.9 Dana Point
The boat show is small and ordinary. However, Dana Point Harbor is very much worth the visit. There are many things to see in addition to the boat show; there's the tall ship Spirit of Dana Point, a museum, stunning walking paths around the harbor, a fishermans' wharf, many restaurants and shops, etc.

You could take your rental car a bit north to Laguna Beach, where there are many art studios and insteresting shops. Or, further north to Newport Beach, where Fashion Island is (I'm Guessing) a female shopper's paradise.

All of these spots are reasonably close to each other, especially if you've got the time anyway.
 
LuzSD

LuzSD

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Feb 21, 2009
1,009
Catalina 30 San Diego/ Dana Point, Ca.
Agree with some of the other responses....... DP boat show (to me) is a disappointment and has steadily gone downhill (and I have worked it for many of the past 6 years)... but Dana Point is fun enough. Laguna is great shopping and in my opinion, forego the malls and head there instead.

The doubletree Hilton http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/ho...el-doheny-beach-dana-point-SNAPEDT/index.html is a sleeper, huge rooms, great restaurant and great prices, at least last time family stayed there. Walk across the street to Doheny and the harbor.

I would also suggest you take the 45-60 min trip south to San Diego because it is fantastic. Everything boating, plus all of downtown is right there and fun, fanstastic food every block. Lots to do and see, something for everyone.

Definitely rent a car...... your in Southern California, nothing is close!
 
Ken13559

Ken13559

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Oct 29, 2005
2,366
Hunter Marine 326 303 Singapore
Ok, rental car is the way to go. If roads there are like those in Houston and Kemah/Seabrooke then no problem. Thanks.
 
caguy

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
The roads are good, it's the traffic on them that can be problematic.
 
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