@Sky Six The Swallows Motel 1940 “On U.S. 101 (8 miles So. of Laguna Beach – halfway between L. A. and San Diego) 30 New attractively furnished units, all with tile bath, radios and private garage. Each unit overlooking the Broad Pacific. Fishing pier directly in front. Greyhound bus stop and restaurants nearby. Guests have access to beach and plunge. Phone: Dana Point 796." "Restored in 1978 as the Capistrano Country Bay Inn, it continued to advertise in the Los Angeles Times in 1988 “ . . . as a bed-and-breakfast establishment originally built in the 1930s on the Doheny estate.” The Swallows Motel (now the Seaside Inn) is the last of the local motor inns built in Dana Point” The Country Bay Inn was later sold and the new owners changed the name to Capistrano Seaside Inn in 1988. Hello, Our history of the south Orange County coastal area goes back to 1960, when we started our surf adventures all along the coastline from Long Beach to San Diego and even across the border to various Baja, Mexico surf spots. During the winter months, there were numerous road trips north up t0 the Los Angeles coastline to the Santa Barbara coast for all those spots could offer during the winter swells. But for the majority of the time of year, it was a southerly road trip, even coming across the Dana Point harbor area, the killer dana cove area and south. The southerly road trip from Dana Point had empty waves on the beach breaks. When one came to one of the only stop signs on the coastal highway, the surf was on both sides of an old short wooden pier. The Capistrano beach pier was as most piers go, worn and weathered. But, the bottom was good for surfing on both sides of the pier, depending on the swell direction and tides. Across the highway was an old motel that had plenty of visitors in the parking area and it was one of the only ones on that side of the tall cliff base. The property was narrow and long. So, the motel was also narrow and long. It was a popular spot for coastal travelers and a good rest spot for vacationers. Why? The view across the highway is almost unobstructed blue water views. The coastal beachfront homes start just south and so the views from the office and consecutive rooms for rent give the occupants views of the ocean as one sits on the chairs usually placed out in front of each room. Jnaki As all things go, we used to see folks unloading their stuff and relaxing in front of their rooms as we drove by or stopped to surf the beach breaks and the pier waves. But, as things go, less folks stayed there and less folks stopped below the tall cliffs for other motels and hotels along the vast coastline. As they were newer and had better amenities, the favor fell to those and not to the historic coastal motel below the cliffs. The motel had seen better days and later on in our surf journeys, it looked as if it were closed and very few folks were now sitting out in front of their rooms, if any… Over the years, it fell into disarray and looked as if it was closed. Just before the pandemic, it closed permanently and fell into a ghost motel for all to see as we all drove by on the coastal highway moving past it and onto southerly or northern direction. Boarded up and fenced in for a remodel “The 80-year-old motel sits in a prime location on the bluff above Capistrano Beach and was once a popular retreat for Hollywood celebrities, but fell into disrepair and was actually red-tagged in 2017 due to safety concerns. There were plans to raze the property, but the city of Dana Point saved the inn and the new owners bought it after a foreclosure four years later.” “The city wanted to make sure the historic character of the Capistrano Seaside Inn would be preserved and people visiting the beach would have affordable rooms in which to stay, and that reality may be just a few months away.” Note: Current photos... weeks away from a grand opening, since staying empty for years… Rain or shine, the newly remodeled version looks pretty good and the competition has sprung up all along this coast highway location. So, it has a tough road ahead. (Pun intended) the latest photos showed a vast improvement over the old version, even when it was popular. Privacy fences, individual rest spots per room and the never ending blue water ocean views without any across the street RVs or vans or actually folks blocking the views. In recent times, the beach across the street still has huge waves when the storms come rolling in from the ocean. It is still a deep water surf spot called the “Capo Reef surf break.” My wife and I once sailed over the underwater reef on a high tide sailing day. The depth sounder went berserk as it registered only 6 feet below the deep keel point as we sailed over the blue waters to make our final turn to head back to the harbor from a long sail down the southern coast…YRMV The latest...
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