Nigel,

It's about 45-55 miles south.

There's a freeway that runs right by LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) with the designation of "405". The 405 runs right through the northern part of Costa Mesa. It's an easy drive other than a gazillion cars as long as you stay in the right 2nd or 3rd lane. Oh, and that we drive on the wrong side of the road. <g> There's every chance you should be able to get a shuttle. If you do I'm not sure what it will cost, but the last time I looked a few years back it was around US$25.00 which is fairly inexpensive.

As far as busses and/or trains go... ..Er... No trains and the busses are, I'm sure, not only substandard but will not take you where you want to go easily. If you take the position that *after* a Southern Californian dies, then you can have their car, you will be quite close to the mark. <g> As one, even though I now live in Utah, I value my driving freedom a lot. The culture is not at all geared towards public transportation as you might be expecting it to be based on what little I know about the fabulous cabbies and train system in the UK.

You certainly could rent a car. I was in Orange County this last weekend and a nice mid-sized car was around $40.00 per day with unlimited mileage.

Hope this helps, and if you have any other questions please ask.

Best,