South Laguna refers to the portion of Laguna Beach south of the Village center, roughly from Cleo Street to the Dana Point border. It has a different character than the downtown core: quieter, more residential, with hidden pocket beaches accessible only by long staircases.
Character
Where The Village is walkable, commercial, and tourist-oriented, South Laguna is car-dependent, residential, and local. Pacific Coast Highway runs through it as a fast-moving two-lane road rather than a pedestrian street. The restaurants and shops are scattered, not clustered.
The hillside neighborhoods above PCH (Monarch Bay, Three Arch Bay, Monarch Bay Terrace) are gated or semi-gated communities with ocean views. Below PCH, the terrain drops steeply to the ocean, creating the famous staircase beaches.
Staircase Beaches
South Laguna's defining feature is its vertical beach access. The bluffs are 50-100 feet high, and beaches are reached by long concrete staircases. This keeps crowds low compared to flat-access beaches in the Village.
Key beaches:
- Thousand Steps Beach — The most famous, around 220 steps
- Victoria Beach — Home of the Pirate Tower
- West Street Beach — Popular surf spot
- Aliso Beach — One of the few flat-access beaches in South Laguna (parking lot, restrooms)
- Table Rock Beach — Named for a flat rocky shelf
Montage Laguna Beach
The luxury Montage resort sits on the bluffs above the ocean in South Laguna. The property includes public coastal access trails (maintained per California Coastal Act requirements) and a grassy park with ocean views open to the public.
Getting Around
No trolley service extends to South Laguna. PCH has narrow or no sidewalks in many stretches. Most residents drive. Parking at beaches is limited to small lots at Aliso Beach and street spots along PCH (often full by mid-morning in summer).