Review

A waterfront beach house in California’s Orange County may sound like a getaway for the privileged few, but the Crystal Cove Cottages offer a collection of oceanfront beach bungalows featured in movies like Beaches that is one of the most affordable waterfront properties you can find on the Southern California Coast. Located in the land of Real Housewives and pedigree golf resorts likes Pelican Hill, Orange Country’s Crystal Cove stretches over three miles of white sand beach popular in the 1930s and 40s when a series of 46 cottages were constructed and now protected under the National Register of Historical Places. A neighborhood of cottages called Fisherman’s Perch and Long Board lodge offer iconic shingle siding and period interiors with head-on views of the crashing Pacific. Properties are available dorm-style in shared houses or as fully private homes with grand terraces and minimally outfitted kitchens. Nearby Beachcomber Restaurant offers full-time eatery popular with guests and locals as well as a small grocer and rental shop that facilitate umbrella and beach chair rentals.