California beaches: San Clemente

Patrick Gudauskas, of San Clemente performs an aerial trick called a “roll” or “rodeo” at Lower Trestles, San Onofre State Beach.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Surfers Jennifer Holcomb, front, of Long Beach, and Leah Beebe, of Hermosa Beach, make their way through a classic California beach setting as they head out to surf at San Onofre State Beach.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Dangling on the southernmost tip of Orange County is San Clemente, the affable beach town nicknamed “the Spanish Village by the Sea.” It was conjured into existence by Ole Hanson, an entrepreneur and former mayor of Seattle, who bought the coastal tract in 1925 and required all houses built on it to be constructed with whitewashed stucco walls and handmade red-tile roofs. The same creative restriction applied to civic buildings in the town’s hilly center.


For most of its history, San Clemente kept a pretty low profile, best known as the location of Richard Nixon’s Western White House. But those days are long gone: With five miles of sugary, palm-tree-studded beaches and some of the best breaks in the country found year-round in the renowned collection of surf spots known as Trestles, the once sleepy village has become an internationally recognized surfing destination.

--Pauline O’Connor

A 1951 Ford woodie owned by Mike Chase sits on display on the historic San Clemente pier.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Josephine Rielly, 8, of Los Angeles plays with a colorful umbrella at the Dog Patch section of San Onofre State Beach.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A blue and gold macaw named Jimmy B., after musician Jimmy Buffett, sits above the sand and sea on a beach umbrella with owner Franco Fonte of Laguna Niguel, at Doheny State Beach. With proper atmosphere, Jimmy B. can sing and dance Jimmy Buffett songs. His favorite? “Margaritaville,” of course.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Sea shells are used for checker pieces on a picnic table under a grass-lined umbrella at the Spanish-style Beachcomber Hotel overlooking the ocean and the San Clemente pier.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A vintage record player with surfer music stickers is on display at the San Clemente pier.

The Surfing Heritage Foundation (110 Calle Iglesia, [949] 388-0313) has more than 350 surfboards spanning three centuries, as well as photos and art.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A shark is among the eclectic decor at the Spanish-style Beachcomber Hotel, which overlooks the ocean and the historic San Clemente pier.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)