Thirty-five minutes from LAX with the roads clear, and Hollywood further still. Malibu Beach Inn, from about $755, if you want 47 rooms on Carbon Beach, a fireplace in most and 34 steps down to the sand; Terranea Resort, from about $725 plus $150 a night in resort fee and valet, if you would rather have four pools, a spa and a clifftop trail to Point Vicente Lighthouse.
Forty-seven rooms on Carbon Beach, each with a balcony, all but a handful facing straight out to the Pacific, most with a fireplace.
$$$$From about $755 a night
Choose Malibu Beach Inn if
Anniversaries and proposals
Two quiet nights with nothing planned
Sunrise coffee on a sea-facing balcony
Couples who have a car
The catch
Pacific Coast Highway runs directly behind the building, and some guests mention hearing traffic over the surf; the King Pier View Rooms have the highway in view. Ask for a sea-facing room on the third floor, away from the street entrance.
A 102-acre clifftop resort on the Palos Verdes coast: four pools, a spa and a par-3 course above the Pacific.
$$$From about $725 a night
Choose Terranea Resort if
Stay-put resort weeks
Pools and spa days
Families and couples with a car
Coastal walks and whale season
The catch
A $75 resort fee and $75 for overnight valet add up to $150 a night on top of the room rate and the Rancho Palos Verdes hotel tax; the one- to four-bedroom bungalows, casitas and villas carry a $90 resort fee.
Thirty-five minutes from LAX with the roads clear, and Hollywood further still. Malibu Beach Inn, from about $755, if you want 47 rooms on Carbon Beach, a fireplace in most and 34 steps down to the sand; Terranea Resort, from about $725 plus $150 a night in resort fee and valet, if you would rather have four pools, a spa and a clifftop trail to Point Vicente Lighthouse.
Good questions about Malibu Beach Inn vs Terranea Resort
Malibu Beach Inn or Terranea Resort?
Thirty-five minutes from LAX with the roads clear, and Hollywood further still. Malibu Beach Inn, from about $755, if you want 47 rooms on Carbon Beach, a fireplace in most and 34 steps down to the sand; Terranea Resort, from about $725 plus $150 a night in resort fee and valet, if you would rather have four pools, a spa and a clifftop trail to Point Vicente Lighthouse.
Is Malibu Beach Inn worth it?
Book Malibu Beach Inn for the balcony over the Pacific, the fireplace and the 34 steps down to the sand, and accept that the highway is behind you. Pay the step up to a King Premier Ocean Front Room, ask for the third floor and treat the rest of Los Angeles as a day out by car. A small, polished beach hotel where the room, the balcony and the sand are the offer, and the rest of Los Angeles is a long drive away. A couple's hotel with a highway at its back.
Does Malibu Beach Inn have a pool or a beach?
There is no pool. A public beach is within walking distance.
Is Terranea Resort worth it?
Book it for a week of pools, spa and clifftop walks, and ask for the Bungalow King Guestroom. Budget for a car and $150 a night in resort fee and valet, and choose a hotel closer in if your days are Hollywood and Santa Monica. A clifftop resort for a stay-put week: four pools, a large spa, a par-3 course and coastal trails on 102 acres, 35 minutes from LAX and about an hour from the rest of Los Angeles. It charges fees on top of the rate and you will want a car.
Does Terranea Resort have a pool or a beach?
It has an outdoor pool. A public beach is within walking distance.
The romantic one