With some great road trip options in the surrounding area, renting a car makes good sense. Without one, it wouldn’t be half as easy to explore everything that San Clemente City Beach, 50 miles away, has to offer. San Clemente Pier, San Clemente State Beach and Casa Romantica alone make the drive out here worthwhile. Locals are also likely to point you toward Mission and Pacific Beaches, 30 miles away. If you only see one thing here, let it be SeaWorld. (But we’re also big fans of La Jolla Cove and Mission Beach.)