Huntington Harbour is a hidden surprise tucked away within Huntington Beach. You do not see much of it when you cruise along Pacific Coast Highway or spend a day at the beach. Most visitors traveling PCH recognize the area as Sunset Beach. While the boundaries do not exactly follow the outline of PCH, generally the south side are the communities of Surfside and Sunset Beach. The north side is the start of Huntington Harbour which extends northward along Warner Avenue and Algonquin to Edinger Avenue.

It has a resemblance to Venice, Italy with its many canals, although with a modern flair. Most people do not realize the five major islands and the canals were man made. The development was created so that builders could build homes on the channels. Admiraldty, Gilbert, Davenport and Gilbert Islands were the origional islands, I have an aerial picture taken in 1974 showing Humboldt Island being completed and Trinidad Island, the last of the five, still being constructed.

The best way to experience Huntington Harbour is by boat, although all the islands are accessable by bridges. The canals are lined with expensive contemporary multimillion-dollar homes, private docks, and luxury yachts.

Although primarily a residential neighborhood and a boater's paradise, there are shops and restaurants in the Huntington Harbour Mall on Algonquin and along PCH. Although the waterfront homes sell for several million dollars there are still inland homes, townhomes, and condominiums that can be purchased below a million dollars.

Christmas is a big time in Huntington Harbour. Almost everyone decorates their homes with lights and figurines to the maximum. The annual Cruise of the Lights offers narrated tours in the evening aboard boats so you can enjoy the festive decorations and elaborate lights.

Now, homes are not the only thing they decorate. Every year there is the holiday parade of boats, where boatowners decorate their boats with holiday lights and various themes. From various places on the mainland you can see this parade. It is an outdoor party night in December.

Huntington Harbour is a secuded pleasure craft port only minutes to the Pacific Ocean and is beteen the harbors in Long Beach and Newport Beach. It is the closest mainland port to Catalina Island, only 24 nautical miles away.

Peter's Landing Marina and Sunset Aquatic Marina offer guest slips and services for visiting boaters as well as slips for other boat owners that do not have their own private dock. You will see people navigating anything from canoes snd kayaks, peddle boats, Jet-Skis, electric boats to large luxury yachts and custom ocean fishing craft.

You can rent canoes and kayaks at Malibu Kayaks and Sunset Rentals. Contact Sunset Gondola for a authentic Venetian gondola cruise. Yes, Huntington Harbour does have a similiar flair to Venice.

Mike Stankewich, Realtor, Huntington Beach, Orange County, California

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