Terranea Resort

Here’s a staycation destination – Terranea Resort, a 5 Star, Mediterranean style resort. It is situated on the Palos Verdes peninsula, close to Long Beach and Los Angeles, but it feels like a world away.

For those of us who remember Marineland from 1950 to 1987, Terranea was built and developed at that site beginning in 1998 as a 10 year project.  It is fully developed now.

There is a restaurant and bar on the cliff that is called Nelson’s in honor of the character played by Lloyd Bridges in the TV series called Sea Hunt, with various memorabilia of that show.  The series was filmed at this location.

It is so much fun to make the drive to Terranea.  When you reach the Palos Verdes peninsula, you will find yourself on a very curvy, up and down road, that is still geologically active.  A sign warns you of “constant land movement” (see my photos).  As you go up some of the small hills, you are looking up into the sky, not knowing what’s going to be on the other side. It is very thrilling!

Our management team at World Travel Bureau has visited Terranea on two separate occasions, first in October 2011 for a Manager retreat, in February of 2016 when we attended the Virtuoso Forum meeting for Owners and Managers and most recently, my husband and I stayed 2 days at the resort to celebrate our June anniversary.  I’ve included several photos of the property and of our management teams who shared this experience.

Terranea is great as a meeting venue, but it is also good for families and vacationers as a getaway. There are swimming pools for families, and for adults. As you can see from my photos, each pool has a great ocean view.  My favorite is the family pool which is very warm, ranging from 3 to 5 feet deep and has a terrific slide for kids and kids at heart!  There’s even a little section by the pool with ping pong, foos ball, and some kind of bean bag toss. The Vista pool invites teenagers 13 and older to enjoy the view and the music.  The Cielo pool is closest to the ocean and caters to adults 18 and over with a cool vibe.  The Spa pool provides the most exclusive atmosphere and a different ocean and Catalina view. One guest told me she saw dolphins jumping in the ocean while she was getting her massage.

There is a variety of activities at Terranea including guided coastal and nature preserve hiking trails with gorgeous views of the entire area. I enjoyed a complimentary nature hike around the property and our guide was very knowledgeable about the property and the plants.  Another complimentary activity was a talk by the local Falconist who had an owl on his arm and allowed each of us to pet his feathers.  Terranea offers “Aqua Adventures” including surfing lessons at Redondo Beach, Tide pooling, Painting by the Sea art class, whale watching tours, helicopter tours, Falconry on property, Segway in Long Beach along the strand, guided biking tours, horseback riding in the nature preserve, as well as Tennis and Golf.   One more thing that would have been fun was that for the days we were there, Terranea was allowing guests to test drive some Lexus vehicles that were parked nearby.  We were a little too lazy to take advantage of this opportunity, but it could have been fun to explore the Palos Verdes hills and views.

The food is excellent with several options, the atmosphere is really nice and the views are amazing. The meal service was unique as each employee who passed by our table made eye contact and asked if we needed anything.  We did not have to wait to find our waitress in order to get another napkin.  In fact, all throughout the property, all levels of staff made eye contact and greeted us no matter where we were.

When we first arrived, settled in our room and then went downstairs to find out where the restaurant, Nelsons, was located, we went to the Valet Desk for instructions, and immediately we were invited to ride there in the Terranea Mercedes SUV.   What a treat!

If you book with World Travel we are currently offering a “Celebrate with Us” promotion which includes a 3^rd night free, breakfast daily for 2 and $100 resort or hotel credit, and room upgrade if available.

If you like to book it yourself and enjoy these special amenities, you can go to our website www.wtbinc.com, scroll down to our new hotel booking tool, enter Terranea for your hotel and make your reservations. Here is the Direct Link to the Hotel Booking Tool.

Or please allow us to book it for you by calling one of our offices today!

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