Crystal Cove Beach Cottages

Just comin’ off an amazing stay at cottage #45. Cottage #45 is the soda shack, it’s not right on the beach, but it has it’s own private patio overlooking the creek, and you are allowed to pull your car right out front to unload. Its’ decorated with coco cola memorabilia, has 1 bedroom and a pull out couch, a funky vintage old school fridge and a small ant problem :)
So despite the fact that it rained (in June!!!) the entire time I was there AND we had one of the smaller less exciting cottages, this was still one of the best family vacations ever! On Dec. 1^st at exactly 8am, my husband and I plotted a coordinated attack on the online reservation system, we selected our dates and cottage and at exactly 8am on the dot we hit submit and while my attempt stalled out on our home connection, my husband’s fast office connection secured our spot. You pay for the entire reservation up front, then a few extra taxes once you check out.
Each cottage is unique and restored to their true vintage glory. It would have been easier to tear down these hodgepodge structures and build modern buildings, but instead developers strive to maintain the original style as much as possible. So be aware, your cottage will be RUSTIC! Most don’t have stoves or coffee makers. You’ll need to pack like your camping, just basic linens and some paper plates are provided.
The beach is beautiful here, some sandy swimming areas as well as lively tide pools. There’s a sit-​down restaurant on the beach, with a full bar (but no drinks to-​go!), and a casual burger and shakes place up on the bluff. I’d recommend bringing a little gas grill so you can cook and save money at your cottage. The beach is popular and full of people all day, so get up early to snag a good spot. There’s a gift shop with souvenirs, but no groceries are available in the park. They also offer beach rentals, so you can get chairs, umbrellas, and even these awesome gas beach bonfire things. Lots of people show up late for bon fires!
Parking for cottage guests is tricky, there’s a 15 min check in lot, and a staff person in a golf cart will shuttle you and your things down to the cottage when you arrive. After that, you have to move your car to a lot located on the opposite side of the highway and it’s an 8 min. trek back and fourth, up hill away from the park. There’s a shuttle, but it’s slow and not worth waiting for.
Overall, this is an excellent place for a beach vacation. Too bad it’s unbelievably hard to get reservation! I wish everyone could enjoy this unique place, so get up early and snag a reservation, it’ll be worth it!

The experience is 5 star. Cottage 37 is 2 star. We stayed at cottage 37 just steps off the sand. The fisherman cottages is 2 story. Walk down the the stairs and your a few hundred feet from beach.
Don’t expect a beautifully remodeled or restored cottage. This is preservation of what is left of a cottage built in 1937 or
1938. The view is spectacular and you hear the roar of breaking waves even at night. Can’t get better anywhere.
Wood chairs in living room broken and shifted when you attempted to sit on them. Lamp shade broken and wood floor so dirty your socks were ruined. Barhroom wall paper woren thru and appeared there was mold. Tired notRustic is how these cabins present themselves.
But you can’t beat the beach and the Beachcomber restaurant was great. I’d go back for the food.

Back again for more fun. This place does not disappoint. Such a unique experience that makes you feel like you’ve gone back in time 50 years. We love it!

Stayed at 27 The Dive Shack with my sister and brothers. Awesome little cottage! Very rustic. Tiny kitchen with a microwave, toaster, and fridge. Make sure to bring ice. Free carafes of coffee available every morning. The staff at check in were nice and helpful. The lady that drove us down to drop off and later to pick up our stuff was super! Totally friendly and gave good info.

For my husband’s B-​Day, I reserved a small cottage… when we checked in we were very disappointed in the condition of the cottage… the bed spread was very old & outdated, the mattress was lumpy & honestly «bed bugs came to our minds!!!» We walked in & walked out and did not dare to sit down on the bed. The photos that are posted on the website are not a true representation of the conditions of the cottage we reserved. The cottage was just barely a step above tent camping but at least with tent camping I know the bedding (sleeping bag) is clean & safe.
Very Disappointed!

We love coming here and have stayed several times here. There is nothing better than the cute cottages and ocean. The staff on the other hand can be extremely rude and demeaning. I started to speak to a maid out by her cart and 2 young white male workers drove by in there cart and stopped and said you have no right to talk to our employees! You need to stop that right now! Wow I couldn’t believe how rude he was. I have also encountered this before with the parking attendants by the restaurant with my handicap placard about why I was parking there and what I was doing. Good thing the ocean and cabins are so nice or I wouldn’t come back again. The employees here need better manners!

My friends and I have been able to stay at the Shell Shack 6 years in a row. It’s the best all girl outing! We have so much fun and love the beach. Of course we eat at the beachcomber restaurant. We have lunch the first day than breakfast the next day when we wake up. Dinner is very busy and pricey. The first Sunday of the month at 8 am is only time for a booking. So far been lucky to get 2 nights a year. Going again the April of 2016. Take cheese and crackers also lots of wine and you will have the greatest time ever.

Good luck getting a cottage or even a room. And if you do be prepared for no available parking, long walks from the parking and hidden fees.
Yes, it is beautiful and i feel like I have stepped back in time but does that make up for the headaches of staying here? I’m not sure.

I’ve only ever stayed here when my friends found a cottage available by checking the site obsessively until someone cancelled. It is gorgeous… but not worth the booking hell.
The online booking process is uniquely stupid, impossibly difficult, and unpleasantly strenuous… login at 8am they said, be the first to book right on the dot they said, you’re more likely to get a dorm cottage they said — in your dreams Eileen!
HOW IN THE EVER LOVIN HECK DOES ONE BOOK THESE DARN COTTAGES SUCCESSFULLY? I’ve tried for months to book (on the specific dates I want), but it seems rigged. I have fast internet! I’m quick with online bookings! I have tiny little baby hands that type fast! What am I doing wrong???

This was our first stay here, and I think we will be back for a mini local get away from time to time. It is a cross between a funky old motel with few amenities and the best beach hotel you have ever stayed at, simply because of the location.
We were in the Dive Shack, a couple of doors from the Beachcomber and up the stairs from the beach. So we were elevated above the crowds, yet the access was directly down to the sand. There was no A/​C, but airing the place out cooled it down quite a bit. There was a tiny kitchen with a fridge, microwave and toaster, with supplied plastic utensils and paper plates, so cooking was pretty much out. But there was also a great patio up front, another large one out back, and a porch. If I wanted to have a big party, this would be a place to do it, then kick everyone out for the night and sleep to the sound of the crashing waves.

The manager at the Cottages is so rude. He told my 75 year old father in law, «you booked this 6 months ago and didn’t figure out to look at your reservation and see you weren’t in a handicapped room?» And then had the audacity to tell him since we didn’t book a handicapped room he couldn’t use a handicapped parking spot. Is that even legal? When we complained we couldn’t stay in the dorm style room he booked by accident because we had two small children who can’t sleep in bunk beds and need access to the kitchen after 10pm he said we would still have to pay for one night. When I said I didn’t think we should have to be said, «I’m doing you a favor and if you complain or make a scene I’ll make you pay for the full stay «. Who talks that way to guests? Specifically a senior citizen handicapped grandfather and a women holding a baby? He should be fired.

PURE BLISS! Rustic but ample comfort. I actually prefer it that way because it really makes it «feel» like you are staying at the beach. Very clean and safe. Modest crowds. You can’t beat the tranquility!

I had my wedding at the Crystal Cove Cottages on 5÷2÷15. It was the perfect location — offering a rustic beach wedding with the beautiful ocean and mountains as natural beauties in the backdrop.
Everyone raved about the food served at the wedding. A beautiful and memorable experience for sure!
I would highly recommend getting married here. We chose the Cultural Cottage #34 because we didn’t want to have to worry about a lot of people wandering up on our party.
We selected the steak and salmon along with several side dishes to accommodate the vegetarians in our group. We had roasted vegetables, garlic mashed potato bar, coconut rice & grilled tofu. We also had tomato bisque soup and field green salad.
We also served appetizers during the cocktail hour consisting of stuffed mushrooms and beef sliders. Everything was great!

I visited the Crystal Cove Cottages with a friend earlier this year. There are definitely ups and downs to this place. It’s located pretty much on the beach and the affordable rooms range from about $ 40 to $ 250 (for an entire cottage.) The reservation process is a huge pain in the neck and I’ve been lucky to piggy back off of a friend who makes the reservations so I haven’t had to deal with it but I have used the website.
The historical cottages are cute and cozy. You don’t spend a lot of time in your room except during the evening. I like the ocean but I’m not a huge fan of trekking down to the beach to sit in sand or swim in the ocean so I love the big comfortable patios that offer amazing views. If you’re staying in a dorm, you are sharing this space with others. Some dorms have private bathrooms, others have shared bathrooms and there is a shared kitchen and living room. The rooms are clean but the beds are pretty uncomfortable and very noisy. They provide bath towels and a bar of soap and there are disposable plates and utensils in the kitchen, but otherwise you are on your own.
The biggest let down I encountered here was the lack of customer service. They wouldn’t allow me to park in the handicap zone because I didn’t rent an ADA cottage (again, a friend was generous enough to share her reservation with me.) I was shocked. I didn’t even realize that was LEGAL. I had to park across the street and take the shuttle back. The woman at the front desk said she could help me take my things back to the shuttle when I checked out but wouldn’t be able to pick me up from the shuttle when I checked in. I didn’t understand the logic of that but that’s the government for ya! As I was lugging my things to my room, the same woman passed me in a golf cart and just zipped by. I wanted to shout «THANKS FOR THE HELP!»
I haven’t tried the restaurants. There is a Trader Joe’s nearby and I’ve always brought a few things to hold me over. Better than having to deal with the crowds and the prices at the nearby restaurant.

Vintage beach living at its finest.
We were lucky enough to snag one night in Cottage #32.
Great place for quality family time!
Cottage #32 sits up from the «road» that leads to it. There are a couple of flights of stairs you have to climb in order to get to the front door of #32. (I would say about 20 – 25 stairs). Just beware if you’re taking tons of luggage and/​or a stroller along. There is no elevator here. Nor escalator. Keep in mind this is all vintage beach living.
I say «road» because there are no motor vehicles allowed on the path that leads to the cottages. Only official vehicles. You can drive up to the «check-​in» cottage, but thats it. They’ll help you transport your belongs from your vehicle to your assigned cottage via golf cart, but then you’ll have to move your vehicle to a parking lot across Pacific Coast Highway, and either take the shuttle back down to your cottage or walk.
The walk from the parking lot to the cottages is only about 15 mins. You walk in a tunnel underneath PCH, so that keeps you from having to dodge speeding vehicles.
Pretty spacious once inside #32– one of the largest individual cottages they have. A full-​sized bed in one room, and a pair of bunk beds in another. Off the living room is an enclosed sunroom with a daybed and a spectacular view of the beach/​ocean. (You did have to climb a couple of flights of stairs, remember?! So you have pretty much an unobstructed, amazing view!) Watching the sunset here is just breathtaking.
There’s a small patio in the back of the house. But no real views there. Just a brick wall. Theres a wooden table and a few wooden chairs. Spent no time here.
There’s only one bathroom, despite there being enough room to hold 9 people. Only a walk-​in shower, and no bathtub (for those who may need a tub to bathe their baby/​toddler). And the walk-​in shower is all tile, with no kind of grip tape to keep you from slipping — this was a problem for me since i had a toddler i needed to bathe. I just ended up putting down some towels to help keep her from slipping.
There is no working stove. Only a microwave. They supply paper plates and utensils. There’s a refrigerator w/​a freezer and some ice cube trays. No tv, no radio.
The front door is about 50 yards from the public restroom. Actually right across the pathway. I thought it would be a problem. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t noisy at all.
I would definitely stay here again. Very affordable too considering it’s beachfront & OC location.

We stayed at the Crystal Cove for first time in November! We stayed in Long Board Lodge that has the dorm style cottage. We stayed in 29B that has four twin beds. The view was amazing. I have stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Deigo and the Aulani in Hawaii. These properties are very nice and pricey. But, If you get are lucky enough to book a reservations to stay it is so affordable and totally worth it! It was such a nice and relaxing getaway.
The weather is pretty nice year round in the OC so you can enjoy the beach all the time. It was not crowded while we stayed because it was not tourist season. We are looking forward to staying in our own cottage for our next visit.

Some thoughts about our stay at Crystal Cove —
During check in it was suggested that we park near the garages to unload and load our belongings to /​from Cottage 45, Soda Shack, which is near the turnaround; instead of using the cart service.
The Beachcomber bus shuttles between the rear of Los Trancos parking lot and the turnaround; $ 1 with good period music. The Cottage rental parking arrangement is separate from the State Park system. You need $ 15 to use the other Crystal Cove State Park lots for hiking, picnicking, sightseeing, and Visitor Center during one day; or a State pass of some type.
Cottage 45 was the second of three soda /​store structures located at the end of the main road, all where Cottage 46 is now situated. Cottage 45 was built about 1935 and lasted until about 1950 when it had a run in with the ocean. The damaged shack was dragged up the hill to its present location and converted into a family Cottage 45. Later the Crystal Cove Alliance and State Parks restored the building to what we see today.
The Cottage is done in a Coca Cola theme; even to the birdhouse in the tree outside the bedroom window. The provided coffee table book, Crystal Cove Cottages, tells how people came to the Cove, why they left, and their relationship with the Irvine family and Company. A Soda Shack Cottage Journal started at the first of the year awaits you.
Somewhere along the line an outside wall of the bedroom was opened and a closet with sliding doors added. The head end of our bed is now pushed into the empty closet.
The measuring stick mounted to the inside wall near the front door is interesting. We were told that it was used to check the depth of the Creek, but the markings indicate something else; like for checking how close the septic tank was to needing to be pumped out.
Watching the Creek from the kitchen window revealed that the Creek depth did change; higher and creek like (for Southern California) at mid-​morning and lower and sluggish in the afternoon. When the Cottage was being restored, it first needed a real foundation. Engineers digging down toward bedrock found the water table; they noticed that the water table would rise and fall once during each day. Their best guess: golf course watering across Highway 1.
«To Have and Have Not», a movie made in 1944 is listed as having been filmed at Crystal Cove. My search engine terms could not verify this claim; no stories or images. The film does have ocean scenes and a night shot of what looks like a shore with tropical growth.
The History, Natural Beauty, and facilities of Crystal Cove State Park make a delightful place to spend some time in a Cottage or Campground site. Thank you to Crystal Cove Alliance, Crystal Cove Beach Cottages, and State Park system personnel for a class act.

The most beautiful beach front vacation experience in Orange County by far.
Quaint. Quiet. What relaxing beach vacations are made of!
Crystal Cove Beach Cottages are hard to book but they are hard to beat as well!
They are a refreshing throwback to more simple times where the sounds/​smells/​sights of the ocean and the company you keep were enough… and I could not appreciate these ideals more!
They range in price from $ 180 — $ 350 a night but often sleep 2−8+ so they are far more bang for your buck than their Marriott or Pelican Hill neighbors.
The cottages are serviced every other day and never skimp on the ocean view.
Every cottage is clean and filled to the brim with vintage charm.
Coffee, tea, hot water and cider are all available at the offices and there is a delicious (sort of pricy) restaurant that services the public and guests — the Beachcomber.
By far my favorite place to staycation in OC.
PS. If you have a hard time booking the standard 6 months in advanced, try to keep your eye out for cancellations (72hrs in advance) on the weekend you’re looking for… Also, when the forecast says rain, you’re more than likely to find 1 – 2 cancellations — Remember in CA, the rain never lasts more than a few hours!

I have been actively trying to reserve one of these things for 4 – 5 years now. Like since when they first became available.
The reservation system is reedunkulous and sooo frustrating.
Now I am not going to try to anymore.
A friend of mine finally got one, for one night in December. It was expensive (Like maybe 120.00, I think) and when she got there she found they had to SHARE A BATHROOM AND KITCHEN with another family. Whaaatt???
Another review says they have to park far away, its hard to get your stuff there, and the «helpers» are anything but helpful.
Then think about: The State of California basically threw out the owners of these cabins. Really? Did they really need to do that? Had one of those been my family vacation cabin, I would be livid for the rest of my life about it! Imagine, renting them out to make $$ off your loss. That really is awful.
Now I am glad I didn’t get one.
(before you write that comment to me, Yes, I AM bitter I never was successfully able to rent one, Ok?)

We’ve been wanting to stay here for years but never been able to find any availability until now. It is just amazing the demand for these cottages. They’ve got to have the highest occupancy rate of any hotels in the world as it’s gotta be near 100%. And it’s not like its a great bargain either. At $ 200/​night, it’s cheap for the location. But it’s also very rustic. The cottages are decorated and furnished to their original state and you do feel like you’ve step back in time.
We stayed at a cottage on the bluff, next to the check-​in. While not on the beach, it’s extremely peaceful as it’s removed from the beach and restaurant crowd. Being near the reception also has the advantage of having access to the free coffee and hot water offered throughout the day. Our cottage came with 1 bedroom, 1 bath, with a pullout bed and a day bed surrounded on one side with windows with a sweeping view of the ocean and beach. This is where the wife enjoyed settling in with a book. The little patio was furnished with 2 teak Adirondacks where you can relax and also enjoy a great view.
With only the benefit of a microwave and a refrigerator, you pretty much need to venture out for meals. In the grounds, you have the Beachcomber and Ruby’s Date Shack. Both are open for all 3 meals. During our stay, we ate at a few excellent eateries — Bear Flag, Javier’s and Sidedoor as well as enjoying a shake at the Date Shack and brunch at the Beachcomber on our check out day.
The whole family enjoyed the stay. Unfortunately it was still too cool for the boys to really enjoy the beach but we took fun strolls up and down the beautiful beach and exploring the tide pools. At checkout, we inquired about any tricks to being able to have more luck making a reservation in the future and received a really good tip which I won’t share but needless to say we’re looking forward to our next stay!