Each has a pool for the family and something kept for adults. Terranea Resort, from about $725, if you want the resort to be the holiday, with a 140-foot waterslide and a kids' club for ages 3 to 12; The Garland, from about $275, if you would rather spend your days at Universal Studios Hollywood, with a free trolley there and a Family Suite with its own bunk nook.
A 102-acre clifftop resort on the Palos Verdes coast: four pools, a spa and a par-3 course above the Pacific.
$$$From about $725 a night
Choose Terranea Resort if
Stay-put resort weeks
Pools and spa days
Families and couples with a car
Coastal walks and whale season
The catch
A $75 resort fee and $75 for overnight valet add up to $150 a night on top of the room rate and the Rancho Palos Verdes hotel tax; the one- to four-bedroom bungalows, casitas and villas carry a $90 resort fee.
Seven tree-shaded acres in Studio City, with a pool, bunk-bed family suites and a free trolley to Universal Studios.
$$From about $275 a night
Choose The Garland if
Universal Studios trips with children
Families of four or five
Pool evenings and dive-in movies
First Los Angeles trips with a hire car
The catch
The 101 freeway runs along the north-east edge of the grounds, and some rooms hear it. The hotel had its balcony doors replaced in 2013 to cut the noise, so keep the door shut at night and ask for a room away from the freeway side.
Each has a pool for the family and something kept for adults. Terranea Resort, from about $725, if you want the resort to be the holiday, with a 140-foot waterslide and a kids' club for ages 3 to 12; The Garland, from about $275, if you would rather spend your days at Universal Studios Hollywood, with a free trolley there and a Family Suite with its own bunk nook.
Good questions about Terranea Resort vs The Garland
Terranea Resort or The Garland?
Each has a pool for the family and something kept for adults. Terranea Resort, from about $725, if you want the resort to be the holiday, with a 140-foot waterslide and a kids' club for ages 3 to 12; The Garland, from about $275, if you would rather spend your days at Universal Studios Hollywood, with a free trolley there and a Family Suite with its own bunk nook.
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.
Is The Garland worth it?
Book The Garland for a Universal trip with children: a free trolley to the park, a pool with weekend movies and a Family Suite with its own bunk nook. Budget for about $89 a night in fees and parking, and keep the balcony door shut at night. A 1972 motor lodge turned retro-mod family base on seven acres beside the 101, where the pool, the movies and the free trolley to Universal do the work. Expect a relaxed, kid-friendly stay that works best with a car and a plan for the park.
Does The Garland have a pool or a beach?
It has an outdoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
The resort