Windansea Beach

One of San Diego’s most beautiful beaches. I would not suggest bringing kids as the waves are huge and unpredictable crashing on rocks. There are porta potties but, they’re gross. Still ~ five stars.

Beautiful beach, weather and scenic views. Close to ice cream, gift shops and restaurants

The best beach in San Diego is here! There is so much to see and explore at this hidden beach. If you're a photographer and love SD sunsets I would visit in the late fall and winter months for low tide shots and amazing sunsets! My only complain is that the beach can get very touristy and busy on the weekends and summer months and traffic leaving here is crazy busy. Still as a San Diego local, it's still very magical and sunsets leave you in awe!

This is such a beautiful San Diego beach! One of my favorite things about this location is it has both sandy shore and some cliffs. It's perfect for a mix of beautiful landscape and makes for a stunning sunset spot. Parking is easy to find on the neighborhood streets. It's a large enough beach that even when it's crowded it doesn't feel packed. Such an amazing beach for photos or to just relax ☀️

Beautiful coastline with huge rock formations to explore. Cool spot to just hang with a cup of coffee and watch surfers. The neighborhoods around here are also gorgeous.

Beautiful so cal beach to go watch the sunset, picnic or play and hang all day! A bit different scenery with its amazing rocks and tide pool areas. Great spot for fantastic photos. Iconic palapa for the surfers and life guards. Definitely will be back with the kids, they will love doing parkour on the rocks!

Its really not a beach but a nice place to sit and relax. There are no lifeguards here so swim at your own risk, but the view is amazing. Wind and sea beach offers an amazing amount of tidepools to explore from small tiny crabs to lobsters. There are also mussels al over the beach and you can enjoy hours of fun with your children. Its also a nice place to take pictures because it is usually calm and not very crouded.

Truly a slice of heaven. Peaceful, tranquil, never overly packed. Watch the surfers as the sun sets. A classic tourist mistake is to leave too early after sunset. Wait at least 20 minutes to let the clouds burst into color! Don’t pass up Windansea if you’re stopping by San Diego.

This is the best beach in SoCal. There is a walkway above the shore, beach and rocks. Beautiful homes, art vendors and the iconic "surf shack" line the coast. - The rock formations are perfect for views of the ocean, watching the surfers, doing art projects or hanging out with your pet (on leash). At each end of the beach are rock formations where you can find crabs. At low tide, you can explore tide pools. - Above the sandy beach are benches and parking is free in a couple of locations along the walkway as well as in the side streets of the neighborhood. Up a block from the beach are taco huts, sandwich shops, convenience stores, grocery stores (locally owned), liquor stores and a couple bars and restaurants.

I definitely recommend this hidden beach if you are looking for a quiet and secluded spot. There were a few people playing the guitar that was very soothing. The views here are spectacular and I definitely will go again.

Beautiful view, clean beach, loved climbing on the rocks. Stunning spot to catch a sunset. Parking was very limited, but I found a free spot a block away on a residential street. No place to change. No amenities. Just a nice, clean, free beach.

Secluded, picturesque cove with crystal-clear waters and stunning sunsets. Perfect for snorkeling, swimming, or simply soaking up the serene atmosphere.

Most amazing views street parking get there early. You can sit on benches or walk down to the rocks and get a amazing sunset worth it enjoy life

Relaxing vibe in a wealthy neighborhood except for homeless camping out all hours in parking lot.Great bite to eat up the street on Bon Air. Good street lighting.Lots of local residents around that live in Condos.

Awesome spot with fairly easy parking. We visited during king tide season, so the waves were huge and crashed into the rocks right in front of us. Awesome spot!!

Windansea Beach is by far one of San Diego's best beaches. It's hidden away in La Jolla, so there aren't a ton of tourist or foot traffic. If you're looking for a quiet and casual spot to view the waves, read a book or to catch up with friends and/or family, Windansea Beach will do just that for you and more. We recently went on a Sunday afternoon and immediately found parking within minutes. We also had little to no issues looking for a place to sit down either. It's definitely smaller than its neighboring beaches, and maybe that's why it remains so special to so many locals, students and San Diego enthusiasts. There's just something so majestic seeing so many groups of pelicans fly overhead every few minutes. Just breathtaking. If you're ever in the area or live nearby, definitely add Windansea Beach to your list! It is a San Diego hidden gem and favorite for sure.

Spent a week at our VRBO home rental at Windansea Beach. Had a wonderful time searching for shells, making sand castles, people watching, ship watching and enjoying the surfers. Our ages ranged from 3-62 and we all were impressed by the accessibility, cleanliness and pure beauty. I would've liked to see some public restrooms, but I'm sure the valuable real estate made it prohibitive to cover all the beaches. I recommend Windansea Beach for families.

Another great spot along the San Diego coastline with scenic views. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. There is a small parking lot nearby and some street parking. I have been here twice but in the off-season no issues parking then, summertime probably tougher. The Shack is an iconic landmark at this spot and is good for some shade or a picture or two. A few times a year the King Tides roll in and there are chances for great photo opportunities. There are some neat rock formations, and different landscape and scenery from the large rock, to the shack, to flat sand. There are also great opps for birds resting and flying. Both times I have been there a few surfers were out and some swimmers dove in off the rocks.

Best beach in the entire world in my opinion. This hidden gem in La Jolla is Heaven. It's so clean and gorgeous. There are tons of surfers ... the waves hit perfectly right there. And beautiful rocks where a lot of people have wedding/family photos taken. It's also safe. I love that.

Privacy with lots of rocks and small beach for small kids and family to have more space and shade to tan, interact and play on the sand and in the water. I love La Jolla beaches! It's safe here to walk around with my 2 nieces

This is the most beautiful beach in the San Diego area. Great place to spend a relaxing day.

This is an amazing beach. I love the palm frond beach hut! There are cool rock formations and crystal blue waves. The parking lot is so close and you don't have to go far with all your beach stuff. There's a nice surf break so you can watch surfers while soaking up the sun on the soft sand. We needed this that day.

The greatest Beach to grow up on with third-best surfing waves in the world and if you want to get your body whomped this is the place. A way to short few hours spending time with my son we sat in the sand eating acai bowls and chips. He did bring a surfboard but, the waves were too small after coming back from Nicaragua. All he did was complain most of the time. LOL :-() I told him you should go out show those guys up LOL My swimming instructor when I was a child was the swim in for Esther Williams. Not sure if anyone here knows who she was but, she did have a swim in and was in many Tarzan movies. Twice over the years I was saved by the handsome lifeguards and later in my teens did tandem surfing with them. Ah, the good old days! I didn't go swimming as the water was not quite 70 today in that area. It was overcast most of the time which was good as it was very humid and when the sun came out it was scorching. Love the ocean it's my favorite place to be... especially Windansea.

Too many tourists and beginners there now since the airport and Surfline started marketing it as a destination so it feels weird to hang out at the shack where the tourists now think they are locals.

Nice, lesser populated beach area with actual parking nearby. Well known by the surfer crowd, you can sit on the benches along the promenade and watch them catching a wave. Above the beach is a decent walkway for those landlubbers looking for a pleasant stroll, a doggie walk, a good run, or just take in a perfect sunset. The flat rocks and crashing waves make for a perfect photo session.

This is definitely one of my favorite beaches I've ever visited. It isn't as crowded as other beaches nearby. It's a perfect spot to sunbathe, read a book, or write. It's definitely peaceful and the sunset views are amazing. Oh! There's also benches to sit on and enjoy the view.

Definitely a beautiful beach to hangout, and appreciate the ocean and waves. There are a lot of people here, but not too crowded. I love the clean pretty white sands with the clean water.

Every time I'm in San Diego I always come here to catch the sunset. It is absolutely gorgeous! Parking is a little hard to find so be there early to catch the sunset.

One of the beautiful beaches in San Diego near La Jolla. Also one of the best surf spots. This is a small beach park in the city of La Jolla. I have generally only been there during the weekdays in the summertime and parking has been pretty easy most the time. A lot of people walk hike run in the area and their staircases leading from the road down to the beach. There is a lifeguard tower and lifeguard on duty during the summer. The beach is really nice and clean and there's an awesome surf break right out in front of the beach. It's a reef bottom, still of the wave really holds its shape. And it does get slightly bigger during the summer South swells. No showers, no bathrooms. So plan accordingly.

Eh. Beach is too close to noisy (car alarms blaring) parking lots and streets. Homeless straight up just collecting change and butts off the sidewalk. 3

This is such a charming beach I have had the privilege of living next to for the past year. The rocks and boulders on the sand make it unique. It is a Shorebreak ocean so the waves come crashing down pretty hard and the current is strong. I'm not gonna lie I am kind of terrified of swimming in it unless it's a really calm day but I do love sitting near the ocean and enjoying watching the waves come crashing in. It's a locals beach and there's not a ton of parking. Also the culture here is thong bikinis just so you know. This beach has a European field to it.

The beach is so pretty. We went around 4pm with our dog. You do have to have your dog leashes, however when we went there were a few people who had their dog unleashed. So, if you go with your dog and they're anxious around others, just be on the look out.

I love coming during the high tides at sunsets. I have never explored scrambling the rocks that makes the sand area wider to explore. The busiest times are in the summer months while the tourists are here. This beach calms down during the off tourists months. I have found parking in the residential areas that have me loving this even more. Before reaching the beach there are smaller roads in this residential area that is a little dangerous because locals tend to drive faster. I have seen a cave where motor boats come in. I have no idea where to enter this area except during lower tides because there are rock formations start where there are jagged edges. This area should be avoided during higher tides. The benches have better views. I would rather be here than in the ocean. ~~~~~~~~~~

Very pleasant afternoon at Windansea beach. Family and friends environment, safe & nice. There was people but it was not packed, there is space for everybody. I loved it because its shape is more closed. I found free parking very easily in front of the beach.

One of my favorite beaches for photoshoots! The only downside is high tide. Photo by By The Free, LLC in San Diego. www.instagram.com/bythefree and www.bythefre.com

Beautiful beach. There are elevated spots where you can post and bbq and the beach is so spaced out so each party has enough room to be private. It is gorgeous!!

Awesome spot for photo taking. The special rock formation of windansea beach makes it definitely super unique.

Gorgeous place to catch a sunset and watch surfers. Great place to take your morning or afternoon walk along the coast of La Jolla.

This is a wonderful beach tucked away in La Jolla with high waves and surfers skimming the water, families frolicking on the waters edge, families taking pics at the water front, and others plopping down for a gander at the beautiful Pacific Ocean. It also happens to be the location of my wedding pictures last year...and was it gorgeous! I'd highly recommend visiting this beach for a sunset, sunrise or just to play near the large boulders and hang with loved ones. It's stunning! I'll be back. Probably every November for my anniversary!!

Beach filled with lots of surfers! Best to try and find parking on a side street and walk since there's only a couple of parking spots up front. There are a set of stairs people can use to get onto the beach, or you can brave the sandy and rocky hills to get closer to the water.

Wonderful beach to watch the sunset. Parking was difficult to find at this popular time but we still were able to explore part of the rocky beach. It wasn't too crowded for a weekend and we were able to capture plenty of scenic pictures. I would recommend getting here a good 30 min before sunset to have enough time for parking and exploring before it gets too dark.

I love this place more than any other beaches in the area, it's truly amazing! The sand strand is easily accessible. The sand is fine and lightly colored, which I appreciate as a photographer and as a visitor as well. The rock formations look terrific! They look great in photos, and depending on the season they may have a totally different look. There's also a pretty looking gazebo (check it out on photos attached). The parking may be a huge problem, the lot is busy almost any time, so you will have to park off-street.

One of my favorite, if not thee favorite beaches in CA. It's very clean and family friendly beach. It's a bit packed given the current climate that we are in but it's worth to check it out if you are in town. There are also cute little downtown stores near by if you are in the mood for shopping!

I've been here once or twice when my boyfriend and I were in the area to visit his brother who happened to live within walking distance of Windansea Beach. Funny coincidence that no matter what time of year we head down to San Diego, we are met with cloudy and overcast skies. Not exactly screaming beach day. Nevertheless, it was nice being able to relax and attempt to tan at this nice-ish, not-too-crowded beach area. Certain areas are stinky even though there are no bathrooms around. I didn't go into the water because the weather was chilly. Don't be surprised to see a photoshoot going on before high tide comes in.

My friends and I spent Saturday afternoon at Windansea Beach during a weekend trip to La Jolla. We were staying at a house nearby, and drove over with all the beach day supplies needed for a crew of comfort-seeking thirty-something Angelenos who never go to the beach--a cooler, an umbrella, folding chairs, half a dozen towels and blankets, and a straight-up tent. Street parking was easy, and we made our way down the stairs from street level and claimed a spot on the first stretch of beach we landed on. It was pretty crowded, but there was room for us up around where the sand gave way to rock. We set up camp and spend a few hours just relaxing, hanging out and watching the water. The sun wasn't really out, but it was plenty warm and pleasant, a serene afternoon. I'd recommend Windansea Beach if you're looking for a calm little beach in La Jolla. If you're less lazy than we are, it looks like it's popular with swimmers and surfers, but I liked just hanging out here, getting some sun while staying nice and dry.

Perfect place for swimming and watching the sunset! Parking was a bit of a struggle but totally worth it!

This is a nice beach option in La Jolla. There really isn't much sand but with the smaller crowds there was plenty of room to distance. It was a little windy and I guess that's how it got its name!

*Be careful on the stairs, there's a loose step and some of the steps are crumbling. Don't fall!* Beautiful spot. I come here to tan and write during the week. + There are rocks and sand, depending on your preference. + Lots of benches along the sidewalk. + There's a portable bathroom by the stairs. + Super great for photographs - just gorgeous here. + Wonderful area overall. - The stairs going down to the sand were pretty shoddy. Parts were crumbled away and there was a step that was loose so be careful! - Pretty small. Not sure how crowded it gets on weekends. - Tiny parking lot, just a few spaces. I didn't have trouble finding parking on the nearby streets but I came on weekday afternoons so I'm sure that changes.

This beach is my exercise beach. It's perfect for me! I love to stroll down the sandy beach and climb the rocks. Yes, rock scrambling. The rocks create a perfect aerobic exercise, because lots of the rocks are pretty challenging for me. Love it, because I'm having fun while I'm exercising. THIS BEACH -this one, is one of my favorites. I frequent many of the beaches San Diego has to offer, but I like this one for exercising, because I can challenge myself by climbing and scrambling all over the rocks, while darting in and out of the cool, clean water lapping at my feet. I'm having funnnnn! And "I'm walking on sunshine"! Better get to it, cause I've just started my yearly exercise program today. I cannot think of a better place to exercise. It's challenging and fun! Afterwards, I've always got my beach towel in my trunk to lie down and cool down, plus catch some Vitamin D, and maybe -if the sun is out by then- get a good base tan! Let us all lie down and soak up every beautiful thing we see. And I think to myself -What a wonderful world ;)

I love this beach! It's smaller than most around San Diego, but it has a lot of charm and character. First, I love the way they have benches strategically placed along the sidewalk above the beach were one has a great view of the passerby's, the rock formation, the sandy beach, and the surf. But mostly, they all have a great view of the sunsets. Access to the beach is very simple with a few stairs heading down, and their plenty of places to sit on along the gentle rock formations along the beach (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/windansea-beach-san-diego?select=TcqeogwiGB_R-Fs0nl0Ccw#HcvVlkneD9_WJjU-C2yerQ). The sand is soft and gentle, and the beach is well maintained with the absents of trash lying around (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/windansea-beach-san-diego?select=TcqeogwiGB_R-Fs0nl0Ccw#bWky5-n5gLlX-J1R4xZXPg). Parking is minimal, but I like that about this beach. The crowds don't get that bad, and what you hear, is the sound of the surf crashing upon the shore. Please note, their are no public bathrooms nor a visible Life Guard Station. It's is a great place to visit, from either being a tourist or a local. Bring your camera!

Out of all the beaches in SD I've been to this is one of my favorites. It's remote and parking is fairly easy to find. Dogs are also allowed during some hours which is great for me since I take my dog everywhere. It's a great place to go if you're looking to relax and not worry about a bunch of people running around.

An absolute gem! Unlike most beaches, this one has very few sandy spots (depends on the tide) and is mostly rocks and cliffs; very unique. Great scenery for a photo shoot... a great beach for relaxing the day away with a few girlfriends... or a romantic beach date during the day or evening ...this beach is perfect!

My local beach that I don't frequent enough. It's a small beach filled with mostly locals, especially surfers. I like coming here just to lay out for an hour or so, watch the sunset, or watch the surf. We also walk our dog past the beach often on the sidewalk bluffside. Things to note: -No public restroom There are a handful of parking spots right in front of the North end of the beach, otherwise there is ample street parking in the residential areas and not that long of a walk. -Tide gets very high here (and early) -There are times when there's tons of kelp -Dogs allowed after 6PM during the spring/summer, after 4PM during fall/winter -No catch and take allowed from Nautilus south to Crystal Pier.

When I use to go to SD often, my friends would take me here and I fell in love. This beach is so clean and so breathe taking. We would come here multiple time when the sun was almost done setting to catch the cotton candy clouds and enjoy the sound of the waves. It's not really a tourist attraction which means not a lot of people come here, so its not as crowded as La Jolla or Mission beach. Perfect if you want to have a picnic and just relax.

Beautiful beach, but this review is some fishing spots just a bit west of the beach. Just be mindful of which spots are legal to fish. Some good fishing off the beach. Find the rocky spots and you will find some good fishing. Mainly rockfish species like vermillions, bocacio, and some whitefish. All great for fish tacos.

I took my girlfriend here on a picnic date the day before she left for college in Norcal. I wanted to take her to somewhere nice in San Diego where we could take advantage of the nice weather so I looked up places in la jolla where we can possibly have a picnic and this place was perfect. She loves the beach and of all the beaches we've been to all summer, this one was way less crowded and was simply beautiful. Possibly by far, the best 'hidden' beach there is to visit in La Jolla. The clear blue waves were marvelous. We watched a surfer catch some pretty nice waves as we sat under the hut and had our picnic. The hut was perfect. It made us feel like we were on a tropical vacation on some island and it was, as my girlfriend says, "a little piece of Hawaii in San Diego." Definitely a place worth visiting to enjoy nature, the ocean or just a nice beach day in soft sand. If you like romantic, naturally beautiful, or simply less strepitous beaches, this is the place to visit!

Gorgeous, beautiful sand and warm clear water. Spectacular beach. Great for surfing, boogie, and especially skim boarding