[Yvette]

Hi Jo,

First I want to say there is a lot to see and do between San Diego and Los Angeles. Orange County is beautiful and I highly recommend a convertible car. It is not any more dangerous than any other type of car. The scenery along the pacific coast highway combined with warm breeze with the smell of jasmine definitely requires a convertible. As far as hotels go, there are many that are close to attractions and many on the beach. It is hard to recommend one because it really depends on your budget, but Destination360 has done some homework to help you find a variety of hotels and room rates in Southern California. If you go to the Destination360 home page you can select a region and destination then scroll down to Califronia Hotels. Very simple and you will get information on a variety of hotels located up and down the Califronia coast. One hotel that you might want to check into(no pun inteded) is the Holiday Inn Express or something similar. They are usually located close to attractions as well as the beach.

I can tell you that hotel prices get pricier as you get closer to vacation months because demand is higher.

July is a very warm month with long days making camping on the beach a lot of fun, very romantic and inexpensive, but you will need to bring your own sleeping bags, small tent, etc. Fire pits are provided for a bar-b-que, warmth and light at night. There is usually a lot of other campers as well so you are not alone. Hope all of this helps.
-Yvette