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Month: October 2021

Hotel Review: Terranea Luxury Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes California

Hotel Review

Terranea Luxury Resort, Ranchos Palos Verdes California

A luxury oceanfront resort that embodies the California lifestyle and is surrounded by the natural beauty of the Southern California coast
MARIA DIEGO

Immerse yourself in the natural beauty and laidback Californian lifestyle at this coastal resort, less than one hour from Downtown L.A. This Mediterranean inspired luxury hotel offers guests award-winning amenities, luxurious accommodation and a captivating range of activities and adventures for the whole family to enjoy across this 102-acre hidden gem in Southern California. 

Perfect For: Families | Couples | Business Meetings | Team Builder Days | Outdoor and Nature Lovers | Sustainability-Focused Travelers | LA Residents wanting to escape the city

  • 33.7384,-118.3978

    Terranea Resort

  • 33.9417,-118.41

    LAX

Location: Terranea is located in Rancho Palos Verdes on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, also known for the Rolling Hills Estates.

Getting ThereTerranea can be reached in under one hour from L.A. and LAX, being situated 17 miles south of LAX  or 24 miles from Long Beach Airport.

Terranea Palos Verdes Vibe

Vibe: Terranea truly is one of the best-kept secrets on the Southern California coast. The resort effortlessly combines sophisticated relaxation with adventure experiences so you truly feel like you’ve escaped day-to-day life to experience something extraordinary. The resort embodies what they call ‘Terranealife’, an immersive Californian experience of adventure, relaxation, great food and incredible attention to detail across its amenities and accommodation. This really is a Mediterranean escape in the heart of the West Coast.

Accomodations: Across the 102-acre resort, Terranea offers four accommodation options to suit a range of budgets, plus an exclusive villa option for an unparalleled luxury vacation experience.

Terranea Bathrooms

Guestrooms: These spacious rooms come with a private balcony offering views of the Pacific Ocean, Pool views or Garden views. Designed with relaxation in mind, all guestrooms come with one king-size bed or two double beds, walk-in showers, flatscreen TV and luxury bathroom amenities provided. With the two double beds option, these rooms can sleep up to 4.

Suites: Every suite comes with a separate living room, a fully stocked pantry and a bar, all with sweeping ocean views. Ground floor suites open onto the beautifully manicured lawns. Covering 900-2,200sq ft, suites are the ideal option if you want your own private space to relax and unwind.

Terranea Suites

Bungalows: Designed to give you that home-away-from-home feeling, yet completely immersed in luxury, the bungalows can all be found along the ocean’s edge and boast upgraded amenities, four-poster beds, fireplaces, an outdoor firepit and they’re adults-only, providing the ultimate escape for couples to unwind and feel rejuvenated on the doorstep of the Pacific Ocean. Bungalows can sleep up to 6 adults.

Casitas: Curating the subtle Mediterranean vibes of Terranea, these residential-style accommodations are perfect for family getaways, multi-generational family trips or groups. Casitas come with king beds, large kitchen and dining rooms, a private balcony or patio and sleep up to 8.

Terranea Casitas

Villas: For a totally secluded, exclusive experience, the villas at Terranea resort are the ultimate in individualized vacation experiences, with world-class amenities, and a completely private and secluded location on the resort. Villas come with up to three bedrooms, ensuite bathrooms, a private outdoor hot tub, spacious kitchen, dining and living areas, plus a large terrace and one or two-car garages.

Food and Beverage: With an incredible nine dining options to choose from, there is something to suit everyone, every meal, every occasion or dietary requirement. Solviva embodies the resort’s focus on sustainability, with a range of dishes using locally sourced and sustainably grown produce.

Mar’sel offers panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and is perfect for a romantic evening dinner, while the Catalina Kitchen and Bashi offer more modern, lively and authentic dishes. For something more casual, Nelson’s is a favorite with guests for the beautiful location on the cliffs above the ocean and the simple, surfside vibe. Sea Beans Cafe and the grill by the pool are great for light bites throughout the day.

The Lobby Bar & Lounge is the perfect sophisticated and intimate way to end your night, with cozy fireside seating or al fresco spots with ocean views. Here you can enjoy craft cocktails and a range of wine and beers.

Wellness: The Spa at Terranea embraces and captivates the energy of the resort’s location by the ocean and within nature. With a range of spa treatments offered by this multi-award-winning spa, you can’t go wrong with choosing a treatment here. 

As part of the wellness offering, the resort fitness centre offers a fully equipped indoor gym and spa pool, plus activities for guests to enjoy including spin sessions, seaside yoga, seaside cycling and stretching. 

Spa at Terranea

Paddle boarding at Terranea

Activities: Terranea is a real standout resort when it comes to the activities on offer and it would be impossible to recap them all here! Terranea activities are notable because there is so much to do to suit everyone, whether you’re looking for outdoor adventures, complete relaxation, family activities or kids experiences.

The Links Golf Course is one of Terranea’s crowning jewels, being one of the country’s top-rated championship 9-hole golf courses, you can easily spend the afternoon on the course by the ocean.

For those looking for a more active and adventurous getaway, let the resort help you book hiking excursions, horseback adventures, stand up paddleboarding, ocean kayaking or surfing lessons. There’s also a range of tour options available including guided ocean kayaking, whale watching tours or full- or half-day fishing excursions.

Of course, Terranea is all about luxury and relaxation, so don’t miss the chance to book a private cabana and spend the day relaxing by one of the resort’s four pools. Or perhaps enjoy a spot of retail therapy in the resort’s exclusive selection of retail stores. Terranea is the opportunity to embrace the slower pace of life with a stroll along the beach, taking in the turquoise blue ocean and soaking in the sun on the property’s beach loungers.

There’s a great selection for the kids too, from archery and falconry experiences to tide pool adventures and pony rides. There’s also a children’s discovery club throughout the week.

What sets it apart: A huge factor that sets Terranea apart is its commitment and transparency towards sustainability. The resort is committed to protecting the landscape and nature in which it sits and is committed to minimizing its environmental footprint throughout the resort. The resort’s food waste recycling program supports their “20/20/20” goal, a pledge to reduce energy and water usage by 20% and send only 20% of its total waste to the landfill, all by the year 2020. 

The resort donates unused toiletries to the Midnight Mission charity (nearly 300lbs in 1 month!). The resort also collaborates with Chefs to End Hunger to redistribute prepared food to local food agencies serving meals to those in need. 

All this led to the resort being named the Platinum Adrian Award winner for Leader in Sustainable Tourism by National Geographic and HSMAI. The resort also earned the California Hotel & Lodging Association’s Award for Good Earthkeeping.

Terranea Landscaping
Terranea Bouganvillea

How much does Terranea cost?

There is a range of accommodation options to suit various budgets and desired vacation experiences. 

Prices start from $500 per night for guestrooms and up to $2,700 per night for three-bedroom casitas.

The resort also offers member prices for a reduced rate on their accommodation options as well as packages such as The Golf Links package to include two rounds of golf and two breakfasts with your stay.  

Diego Travel Loves: There are some things in life that words can’t describe. The experience of Terranea is one of them. From the vast range of activities to the attention to detail in the accommodation and dining experiences, each vacation here is tailored to you.

Terranea Paddleboarding
Diego Travel Extras at Terranea

Extras You’ll Get with Diego Travel in 2021:

  • Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
  • Daily breakfast for two guests per bedroom served in Catalina Kitchen or In-Room dining (up to $60 credit)
  • $100 USD Resort or Hotel credit, to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
  • Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
  • Complimentary Wi-Fi
    • Coastal Escape: Enjoy a Southern California vacation at Terranea and save up to 15% off our Best Available Rate. Escape for a quick weekend getaway or an extended stay. There is plenty to do outdoors such as hiking, open-air painting by the sea, archery, stand up paddleboarding, and more. Enjoy adventures by land and sea, a round of golf at The Links, or any of our dining offerings. Book and stay through September 15, 2021; Subject to minimum night stay. Offer subject to availability. Not valid for group bookings of 10 rooms or more.
    • Book 3 Nights and get the 4th free! – Plan an incredible oceanfront getaway at Los Angeles’ hidden gem on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Enjoy plenty of time to discover, relax, and explore the unparalleled natural habitat of the Southern California coast. Book 3 nights and receive the 4th night free! If you book by September 6, 2021. Valid for stays May 26, 2021, until September 30, 2021. Promotion is subject to availability at the time of booking and may contain blackout dates. Not Valid for 10 or more rooms. Not valid for Ocean Front Rooms and Ocean Front Suites and Villas. Valid for consecutive days.
    • Stay More, Save More – Rediscover more summer, more savings, and more Terranea. Enjoy more time to experience all that Terranea has to offer on the Southern California coast. 
      • Stay 3 nights and receive 15% off 
      • Stay 4 nights and receive 25% off 
      • Stay 5 nights or more and receive 35% off 
      • Book by Sep 30th for travel through Dec 23, 2021.
      • Thursday-Friday arrivals will not be eligible for the 3-night stay offer. 

    * Excludes oceanfront rooms and oceanfront suites and all villas. All packages are subject to minimum night stay, blackout dates and availability. Not valid for group bookings of 10 rooms or more.

    Terranea Insider Tips:

    Don’t miss the opportunity to book an archery lesson during your stay at Terranea. Not only will  you find no better setting than the sandy cove overlooking the Pacific Ocean, but you will not find a better instructor that Terranea’s very own USA Olympic archery team medalist. 

    Olympic Archery Lessons at Terranea

    Summary of Our Stay at Terranea:

    After a week-long road trip down the Southern California coast, Terranea Resort was our final stop at the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Even though it is just 20 miles south of LAX, it might just be considered a hidden gem of California, with sweeping views across the Pacific Ocean. The waves crashing against the tall cliffs is mesmerizing, and the mist that hovers over the peninsula somehow reminded me of time spent in Ireland. I made this comment to Valerie, the sales director for Terranea during our site tour, and she said that the owners built it in a way that was actually inspired by the Amalfi coast. Okay, two different countries, but both with impressively tall cliffs and gorgeous ocean views. You get the picture.

    Terranea Beach

    This was a multi-generational trip for us, which has become increasingly popular during the pandemic and I think will continue to be a travel trend going forward. What does that mean? Grandparents, parents, kids, and maybe aunts, uncles and cousins joining in too. Truth be told, after a week in the car together, we all needed some extra space, and Terranea delivers just that. They have bungalows, casitas and villas, all with exterior entrances, kitchen, washer/dryer, and all the comforts of home. So whether you are staying over a weekend like we did, or a month, you could literally make yourself at home, comfortably and easily with very large groups.

    Terranea Slide

    We arrived in the late afternoon, and our 3-bedroom oceanside casita had a huge grassy area in front of our ground floor patio that overlooked the ocean. There were no steep edges, so the kids were able to run around and chase the hundreds of wild rabbits that made their home in the foxtails. While they played on the grass and sunset approached, I set up with my laptop (per usual) at the outdoor covered table and was able to work with the most breathtaking view. To me, our accommodation was the best on property, because we had privacy, amazing views, and that grassy area for the kids. And the beauty was that it could be converted into a 1 or 2 bedroom as well. Terranea delivers on flexibility.

    Terranea Rancho Palos Verdes

    ​For breakfast we walked down to Catalina Kitchen, one of their 7 restaurants on property, where we took advantage of our included breakfast which you’ll always receive when you book with Diego Travel. After breakfast, the kids bee-lined it to the main family pool, one of four pools, just in time for the sun to peak out from behind the clouds, so they did a few circuits down the water slide until it was time to head down to the beach where we had a private lesson set up with the resort’s professional archery coaches, Bob and his daughter, Brooklyn. It was this experience that really set this property apart for me as a travel advisor, and someone who has seen literally hundreds of luxury hotels and resorts. The setup is right in front of the ocean along these massive cliffs, and they have the whole area roped off for you to practice a really fun sport in the most amazing setting. And yes, you can set up a proposal after an archery lesson too. Lots of adults sign up and I highly recommend the activity for a fun date night. At any rate, it was the highlight of our stay, along with the hikes we took along the nature trails around the property.

    La Samanna Beach

    The property is quite massive with so many different room/villa categories, and also so many different activities and dining options to choose from. I highly recommend setting up a call to discuss which one would be right for you, and reserving your activities and dining in advance. I did not take this advice, and missed out on the opportunity to enjoy the spa while there because I didn’t reserve in advance. I was incredibly impressed with how beautiful the area was, and wish we had stayed a little longer to be able to participate in the activities like kayaking, visiting the natural tide pools, more extensive hiking up to the lighthouse, and star gazing. We will definitely be back! And if you plan to go, be sure to reach out to book your stay with Diego Travel to receive your exclusive offers that Terranea often has for our clients, and so that we can VIP you and add on those additional amenities like resort credit and complimentary daily breakfast.

    Design My Trip!

    Terranea Trails


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