Mike Fenderson points down to the beachfront cottage where he first saw her nearly 50 years ago.
Carol was sweeping the floor; the young lifeguard was too shy to talk to her.
Eventually, the two teenagers would start dating - spending three carefree summers splashing in the crystal clear water, eating freshly caught abalone at sunset, and Mike would pray the days wouldn’t end.
But every year, the families scattered on the sand would pack up their makeshift tents – more like homes with elaborate wooden floors and running water – and leave Crystal Cove to return to reality.
“I would just choke up thinking about it,” Fenderson said.
I’ll come back to Mike’s story in a bit.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I took some time to think about my pick for the most romantic place on the coast.

It wasn’t easy. Along the 42-miles of coastline, there are the rocky coves, the sunset sails, the gondola rides, the piers, the cliffs, and of course, the abandoned lifeguard stands that transform into the impromptu make out spots. Um, so I hear.

But there’s one place that just sticks out: Crystal Cove. The quaint little funky cottages embody romance in their very existence.  It’s in the history of how they came to be, the glitz of Hollywood’s fingerprints, the vibrant architecture still remnant of decades ago, the artwork painters are creating on the sand, and the endless stories of love that have sprouted from the sand here.

I’ve been to Crystal Cove several times since they opened up to the public a few years back. I’ve had the best mini Ahi tacos you could imagine at the restaurant that sits on the sand, Beachcomber Café. I’ve even had the chance to stay overnight in one of the cottages on a random Monday night – and I have to say, there’s nothing better than being able to smell the ocean at night.
One thing I hadn’t done was take a guided tour of the historic district, held at 10 a.m. every second Saturday of the month.
The tour last weekend began on the Visitor’s Deck, where Crystal Cove Alliance president Laura Davick gave a historical overview of the cottages, showing black and white photos of how Hollywood would build movie sets here, then going into the tenting era that began after WWII
“All through Southern California, people were loading up their cars and driving down to the coast,” said Fenderson, who now works as a tour guide assisting Davick. “It was like building a city.” 
Eventually, the cottages became permanent.
Davick’s parents met and fell in love here, and she spent 40 years living in one of the cottages.
The tour continues on through the cottages, where the guides give more history of the homes, some still not renovated because funding hasn’t come through. Only 14 of the cottages are open for public stay, part of the reason it’s so tough to nab a spot.
Terry and Sherri Patterson of San Clemente strolled along with the tour group, hands cusped together.
The two decided to come to Crystal Cove for an early Valentine’s Day celebration.
“We’d love to stay here sometime. It’s a great place for an anniversary, which we have coming up,” said Sherri, flashing a hinting smile at her husband of 26 years.
The tour stops in at Davick’s old house, now named the “Shell Shack” for the countless mornings  of shell hunting the family would do at low tide. A collage of shells made by her grandmother hangs on the wall.  Each cottage has a different name representing a different theme – one of them called the Romantic Retreat.
I came across Rhonda Redman and Tony Busone, who came down from L.A. for the tour with their friend Karen Fitts, to celebrate her her birthday. It wasn’t the couple’s first time here. When they started dating a year ago, Tony asked her to think of a place she wanted to go. Anywhere, he told her, San Francisco, Santa Barbara …
“Crystal Cove,” she said instantly. 
The couple spent the day here, walking around and having a picnic on the beach.
Oh, and back to Mike and Carol from earlier in the story. She broke up with him at the end of the third summer. Both went on to marry other people.
But wait … a Crystal Cove reunion in 1980 brought the two – both newly divorced - back together. They were married two years later, and have now spent more than 20 years together. He told her there was no way he was going to loose her again.
“I never really got her out of my mind.”
 

IDEAS FOR ROMANCE:
Stay on the sand:
At 8 a.m. on the first day of every month, a group of reservations are made available for seven months out. Most are gone in the first five minutes. Cost of the cottages are insanely reasonable, with base rates for rooms and cottages ranging from $31 to $179, with added costs for more guests.
Tip: Complete a reservation form and pick your cottage before 8 a.m. at reserveamerica.com. Hit the “reserve” button one second before 8 a.m. Have friends or family do the same for different cottages. Also, check regularly for cancellations. Check crystalcovebeachcottages.org.
Memorable meal:
Beachcomber Café sits on the sand in one of the renovated cottage, and has delicious offerings. It’s a perfect spot for a romantic sunset dinner overlooking the ocean – but get there early because the wait for a table can be long. The restaurant gives out pagers, so patrons can walk around the cottages, cuddle on the sand, or go to a bar area for cocktails while they wait.
Make your event special: 
There are four areas in the historic district that can be rented out for special occasions, including a deck overlooking the ocean and the cottages, or a promenade area on the sand. People have rented the venues for everything from a two-person candlelight dinner on the sand with a violin player, to 150-person wedding parties. There’s some rules about when they can be reserved, but overall, the costs aren’t too steep. Log onto crystalcovestatepark.com for more details.
Relax on the sand: 
There’s nothing more romantic then laying next to your loved one on the warm sand – and lucky for us that’s a year-round luxury. Grab a blanket, sunscreen, pack some sandwiches, and spend the day listening to the waves crash, and if you’re lucky, you might see some dolphins cruising by. Read a book, or if you like painting, bring a canvass to capture the beauty. Park at the Los Trancos lot.  

For an interactive map of Crystal Cove, CLICK HERE. For more on the history of the cottages, CLICK HERE.

Do you have a romantic story from the coast to share? Submit a comment below.

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