Los Angeles is arguably one of the best cities for local beaches in the United States. Within the enormous bounds of Los Angeles County, there are several beaches, and the county also borders miles and miles of other coastal communities, both north and south of Los Angeles.
What’s best is the availability of a beach just next to the massive airport of Los Angeles. You could go to the beach just 10 minutes from the airport, making this particular beach a popular tourist destination. Beaches are a major source of tourism in Los Angeles, and it comprises of numerous beautiful ones.
Beaches in California are free to visit by law. However, many charge fees for parking. All of California’s beaches are open to the public. Beach access can be physically restricted, and some are virtually unavailable to anybody other than locals.
Families may choose more immense beaches such as Santa Monica or Redondo Beach, which provide various facilities, shopping areas, and services. In contrast, explorers may choose more secluded beaches such as those in Malibu or Palos Verdes.
Living near those beaches is a wonderful experience as each beach has its own significance and several entertainment facilities. It is up to your preference which one you like the most and spends a great deal of time there. This article will tell you about some of the best beaches around Los Angeles and how it feels like to live near them.
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Santa Monica
Santa Monica has the most outstanding overall beach experience in Los Angeles, with one of the widest beach areas, soft, sandy beaches, an amusement dock, a beachfront boardwalk, and some pretty fantastic restaurants. It’s also one of Southern California’s top beach regions.
The beaches have an old-school, East Coast character with bike lanes and an abundance of outdoor exercise facilities. It means there are fewer problems related to parking and more people can come to the beaches. You may also choose from various lodging alternatives, ranging from luxury beachfront resorts to inexpensive hotels that are still near enough to stroll to the beach.
The Santa Monica Pier, on the other hand, is a pleasant entertainment zone and amusement park on a dock that stretches out into the water. On both sides of the pier is a significant public beach. Miles of open beach, formally known as Will Rogers State Beach, can be found north of the pier. Will Rogers beach contains paid beachfront parking, restrooms, and snack shops every few hundred yards. More leisure spots and massive, open green spaces may be found south of the pier. Several seaside cafés and bike rental shops are also available.
If you’re looking for a premium beachfront hotel in Santa Monica, look out for Shutters. Shutters is a luxury hotel that replicates great Victorian beach hotels in a modern Californian design. The hotel is a few feet from the sand and situated on the beachside walkway and bike path.
When you need a break from the beach, Santa Monica is a great spot to go shopping. A few streets from the ocean lies Santa Monica Place, a high-end shopping complex. Drive a few minutes to Montana Avenue’s premium stores and trendy cafés for a nearly-guaranteed star sighting. Besides enjoyment, there are superb places for accommodation, dining, and shopping. Life has never been so easier living alongside a beach!
Malibu
Malibu is a city in California spanning roughly 20 miles along the coast, just north of Santa Monica. There are kilometers of magnificent beaches, both wide-open and secluded cove beaches, inside it. Cove-style beaches in Malibu are often quiet beaches surrounded by cliffs or rocks. Some have parking on the top of the cliff and are only accessible through a winding trail.
Topanga Beach, situated where Topanga Canyon meets the Pacific Coast Highway, is one of the best beaches in the area. This beach is among the first surfing beaches, and it has appeared in several films and television shows. That is why this beach has an immense popularity. The parking lot has fundamental amenities such as washrooms and outdoor showers.
Topanga Beach is a mile-long rocky, pebbly beach ideal for water sports, diving, and fishing but unsuitable for swimming. There is a picnic area, and beach wheelchairs are accessible in the parking lot for individuals with mobility concerns. Topanga is also easily accessible by public transit, with a bus station conveniently located nearby. Thus, you will not have to think about other means of transportation.
In Malibu, there is a beach area and a beachfront restaurant known as Paradise Cove. There are kayak rentals, beach chairs, and double beach beds with waiter service, making it a fantastic choice for couples or anyone looking for a luxurious or intimate beach experience. The beach is located near the Malibu Pier, and the sand above the waterline is reserved for Paradise Cove visitors only.
Zuma Beach is a large, flat beach that spans approximately three miles on the north side of Malibu. The beach dips abruptly downward toward the water’s edge. In between the beachside biking or walking route and the parking lot is a line of dunes. Along the beach, there are 14 lifeguard towers and amenities, and snack stores after every interval.
Zuma is well-known for its surfing as well as being a place to take a lot of pictures. There are rugged cliffs and a cave at the south end of the beach inaccessible during high tide. Because of its far north position, Zuma Beach has the finest water quality of any beach in Los Angeles County.
Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, also regarded as one of the region’s and world’s surf capitals, is home to some of the greatest waves and most picturesque beaches in Southern California. The beach is vast and flat, stretching for about ten kilometers on both sides of the city’s enormous pier.
After a day at the beach, walk across the street to a bustling downtown shopping center. The International Surfing Museum is located in the city and is well worth a visit. On vacation weekends and during the annual professional surfing event conducted each summer, the city and its beaches become bustling. It is generally held in August during the last weekend.
The Kimpton Shorebreak Huntington Beach Resort, a modern, surf-themed hotel across the street from the beach and a short walk from the pier is also a good option. The pet-friendly hotel is also the nearest resort to the city’s popular dog beach. Any pet of any size is allowed as long as it fits in the elevator. The Huntington Beach Dog Beach is one of the few off-leash dog parks on the beach in California.
Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach is a nice family beach resort with a tacky but fascinating tiny fisherman’s community and a massive port called King Harbor. There’s also a large, freshly reconstructed municipal boardwalk with restaurants, retail, and entertainment, as well as water sports rentals such as stand-up paddleboards and sea kayaks.
Beach volleyball and surfing are popular activities in this area. South Redondo Beach is known for its broad, pristine beaches that go all the way out to the pier. The Strand cycling route goes parallel to the beach’s edge. Redondo Beach is located at the end of the Metro’s Green Line railway system, making it conveniently accessible by public transit.
In terms of eating, the Redondo Beach Hotel, which has just had a complete restoration and is located directly on King Harbor, is a waterfront hotel. Some of the rooms and suites feature their own furnished balconies with direct sea views.
Venice beach
Come to Venice Beach for the area of silky sands where you can spread a blanket and gaze out over the Pacific, and stay for the lovable Venice Beach Pier, where street performers and vendors busk and sell their goods, muscular men lift massive amounts of weight, and subcultures coexist. It’s a busy area for folks looking for a little action on their beach day.
Unique and occasionally gaudy boutiques, artists selling their work, street entertainers, tattoo parlors, pizza joints, and ice cream vendors along the beachside pedestrian path. Runners, bicyclists, and rollerbladers utilize a lengthy bike lane a few yards from the boardwalk. It’s part of a network of connected bike paths that connects Santa Monica and Redondo Beach.
The stylish Hotel Erwin took over a location that had previously been occupied by an isolated hotel chain. It aims to provide guests with a one-of-a-kind experience, with local artists performing and displaying their work, pop-up fashion displays, and other unusual events.
Playa del Ray
Dockweiler State Beach, located near Marina del Rey, is one of the nicest in Southern California. It boasts about four miles of beachfront. There are wide stretches of raw, natural coastline are flanked by sands and a wetland preservation area on the shore. There are additional recreational spaces with volleyball nets and fire rings for evening campfires.
Dockweiler has around 100 full hookup camping areas. Also available are recreational vehicles. However, bookings are necessary in advance. Plane spotting is a unique feature of this beach—the approach and departure paths from adjacent LAX pass through Dockweiler. Playa del Rey Beach, with miles of vast, chalky-white beach and steep sand dunes, maybe the least populated metropolitan beach in Los Angeles.
The beach comprises mainly a residential neighborhood with enough on-street parking, but no amenities related to the beach entertainment are available. The Strand bike route follows the length of the beach, and there are volleyball courts.
The Inn at Playa del Rey is a new hotel located back from the beach and near a lovely Wetlands nature park. It provides elegant, Cape Cod-style lodgings and is used by many of the area’s Information Technology enterprises. The Four Sisters Inns portfolio includes 16 boutique luxury inns and hotels in some of California’s most popular tourist destinations.
Manhattan Beach
Because it is such a lovely area to live in, Manhattan Beach is brimming with costly houses. All the basic residential facilities are available, due to which the real estate prices in the locality are pretty high. The large, sandy beach is well-kept, and lifeguard stations may be seen every few hundred yards. It features a busy downtown and is close to other areas and sites in Los Angeles for convenient touring.
The food in this city is exceptionally wonderful, with a wide range of choices. The beach is based on a miniature aquarium on a municipal pier. The Strand cycling and pedestrian path run next to the shore, and it is lined with residences, hotels, and businesses. The city is densely forested, with several parks along the seashore.
The Best Western Plus Manhattan Beach Hotel is on the pacific coastal highway, situated a few miles from the beach if you choose to stay in the vicinity. All of the rooms and suites feature cooking facilities, and the hotel provides complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi. The hotel and the city are both conveniently located near the Los Angeles Airport.
The Sea View Inn at the beach, just a little distance away from the beach, is also a beautiful, mid-range property in town. The hotel provides complimentary rental beach cruisers, and some rooms and suites offer ocean views as well.
Palos Verdes
Rancho Palos Verdes is a lovely residential enclave with multi-million-dollar cliff-top residences, gorgeous bluff-top parks, and its own luxury resort. Los Angeles Airport is about a 30-minute drive away from the shore.
Besides, Pelican Cove Beach is a lovely, quiet stretch of rocky beach that can only be reached on foot through a steep, twisting road. Hikers are rewarded with spectacular vistas of the shoreline and Catalina Island, which lies a little more than 25 miles offshore. At the trail’s summit, there’s a paved parking lot and facilities.
Although the beach is rocky and unsuitable for sunbathing, it is ideal for trekking, tidal pool exploration, and scuba diving. The location is directly south of Point Vicente Park and the Point Vicente lighthouse, along Palos Verdes Drive. Both locations are quite popular among locals and tourists in the area.
On the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Abalone Cove Shoreline Park is another wild, natural beach. It’s known for its tide pools as well as its dunes-side hiking and walking routes.
The Terranea Resort, which sits on its own little peninsula extending out into the sea, is the finest hotel in the area. The five-star luxury resort has a nine-hole executive golf course in a magnificent cliff-top setting and a complete variety of luxury services. Guest rooms, suites, casitas, bungalows, and villas are available.
Marina del Ray
You would not think of Marina del Rey as a beach destination because it is home to the world’s biggest man-made small boat port, but there are a few little beaches in the vicinity to explore. There are numerous lovely harbor-facing hotels, as well as some excellent restaurants and shopping.
Mother’s beach is the ideal beach for families in Marina del Rey. Sea kayakers use the little beach, which includes a curtained area for swimming and wading. The 12-acre lagoon’s water is shallow and mild, with no waves at all. A picnic area is available, as well as basketball and volleyball courts. This little, gently curving beach is situated close to the Jamaica Bay Inn, a modest beach-facing hotel.
The Ritz-Carlton in Marina Del Rey is the ideal option for a sumptuous weekend break in Marina Del Rey. Mother’s beach is a five-minute walk away, while Venice Beach is a short walk or bike ride away. The harbor-front luxury hotel sits directly on a marina, and some of its rooms and suites enjoy breathtaking views of the ocean.
Long beach
Long Beach is roughly an hour from downtown Los Angeles and is known for its annual IndyCar Grand Prix event and the Queen Mary’s home. There are miles and miles of vast, soft sandy beaches, and even on a crowded holiday weekend, it’s one of the beach cities where you can always find some personal space.
The Alamitos Beach region is wonderful sand, featuring a long, wide part with a low beach and residences situated on a hill. Where the Ocean Boulevard and Shoreline Drive cross, there’s also a type of secret beach area just underneath the magnificent Villa Riviera apartment complex. Both feature limited amenities, as well as lifeguard stations every few hundred yards. At all Los Angeles beaches, lifeguards are normally on duty from 9 a.m. to sunset.
Long Shore’s Pine Avenue, only a few blocks from the beach, has a lively shop and restaurant scene. Long Beach also has museums, the Pacific Aquarium, and other attractions such as the Shoreline Village retail and eating district. Thus, this place is equally popular among individuals and families. Furthermore, the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel is located on Ocean Avenue, near Pine Avenue, and offers guestrooms. The Queen Mary and the ocean can be seen from some of the rooms and suites.
Hermosa beach
Hermosa Beach is located near Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach but has a more laid-back, informal atmosphere. In comparison to its neighbors, the city boasts a bit more nightlife culture. Hermosa Beach is also not far from the Los Angeles International Airport. In reality, it’s only a 10-minute drive away.
There’s a huge municipal pier in the heart of town and kilometers of oceanfront bike path and boardwalk. The beach is sandy and level, with a minor incline towards the water’s edge. It’s a smaller city with a shorter beach area but an equally wonderful and picturesque place.
Hermosa Drive and Pier Avenue are the city’s two central commercial and entertainment districts away from the beach. Pier Plaza is the pedestrian area where Pier Avenue meets The Strand and comes to a halt. The Strand is a seaside boardwalk with a paved bike path. The Comedy & Magic Club, where Jay Leno performs stand-up every Sunday night, is located in the city.
On the Pacific Coastal Highway, the Hotel Hermosa is freshly rebuilt and somewhat more significant than a boutique hotel. It is located on a hill approximately a 20-minute walk from the pier and offers stunning ocean views. Cooking facilities and free Wi-Fi are included in all rooms, while some suites have Jacuzzi tubs and furnished balconies.
El Matador state beach
This rocky section of Malibu’s cliff-backed coastline is so picturesque that it’s a frequent location for photoshoots. Massive cliffs, beach caves, boulders, and harsh waves combine to create a spectacular backdrop for photography or a day at the beach.
El Matador Beach, also known as the pocket beach, is a part of Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach. These are little coves or cliff-foot strands that can only be reached by hiking down a steep route. During the summer, they can be crowded, but during the winter, they are frequently deserted. It’s a great place to find a private beach.
El Pescador and La Piedra are the other pocket beaches. All three beaches have paid bluff-top parking areas. Because there are so many people and visitors on the beach during the summer, parking might be tough to come by. As a result, street parking is permitted along the Pacific Coast Highway.
The Malibu Beach Inn is an opulent beachside hotel created and built by Hollywood legend David Geffen. Previously, there were no genuinely five-star, full-service hotels in the region. The rooms and suites at this boutique luxury hotel have the latest in style and technology and friendly, personalized service.
Conclusion
These were some of the most popular and top-rated beached around the shore of Los Angeles. There are several residential areas also available near these beaches. People who love to live near the seashore can enjoy living in these homes. Every home provides a top-quality lifestyle and facilities to the owner making the real estate of the overall beach strip costly. Besides, entertainment facilities are a big plus on some beaches and can be a source of enjoyment for you and your family.
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