Santa Claus Beach

The beach is incredibly pristine and secluded, with far fewer people compared to the beaches in Santa Barbara. There are plenty of sandpipers, dolphins, pelicans, and breathtaking surroundings to admire. It's definitely one of our all-time favorite beaches.

The beach is not crowded, clean, has ample parking, and is quite pleasant.

After enjoying a delicious lunch at Padaro Beach Grill (check out other posts about that hidden gem), we leisurely walked down to Santa Claus Beach. With a name inspired by the cheerful Santa Claus himself, how could it disappoint? Access to the beach was fairly easy, although it did involve climbing over the rocks that separate it from the trail and Surfliner train tracks. I noticed a pregnant woman, about six months along, safely navigating the rocks, as well as a couple who seemed to be in their late 60s or early 70s. Seeing that they had no trouble, I felt confident that I could handle it as well. It took us about three minutes to go from the trail, which was directly off the road, to the beach. It was no big deal. Once we set foot on the beach, it was truly breathtaking. There were no bugs or sand flies, no litter, and no unpleasant odors. The sand was clean, fine, and soft to the touch. The water temperature was tolerable, and I would have loved to take a dip if I had planned ahead and brought a change of clothes. The best part was that there were no large crowds or rowdy groups. It was simply heavenly.

After enjoying lunch at Padaro Beach Grill (check out my other posts about that hidden gem), we took a leisurely stroll down to Santa Claus Beach. With a name inspired by the Jolly Ol' Elf himself, how could it possibly disappoint? Accessing the beach was relatively straightforward, though it did involve climbing over some rocks that line the shore and separate it from the trail and Surfliner train tracks. I saw a woman who looked about six months pregnant navigate the rocks safely, as well as a couple who seemed to be in their late 60s or early 70s. Since no one appeared to have any trouble, I figured I could handle it too. It took about three minutes to get from the trail, which runs directly off the road, to the beach. No big deal. Once we reached the beach, it was absolutely stunning. There were no bugs or sand flies, no trash, no unpleasant odors, and the sand was clean, fine, and soft. The water temperature was quite pleasant, and I would have gone for a swim if I had brought a change of clothes. Best of all, there were no crowds or noisy groups. It was heavenly.

I stayed overnight at this beach. The first day was amazing, as I had the opportunity to swim and relax while watching people wind surfing and even met a guy from Africa. The next day, which happened to be a Friday, I was grateful that I woke up before 7 am for another enjoyable swim. However, by 10 am, the beach was almost crowded with a lot of attention-seeking individuals. Fortunately, most of them quickly left when it started raining in the afternoon, so the atmosphere became calm again.