My Happy Place | Terranea Resort

Courtesy of Terranea Resort

Having won many awards like the Forbes Four-Star Award, AAA Four Diamond Award, Conde Nast Traveler Readers Choice Award, and more, the resort is as approachable, and the staff is as friendly as possible. Perhaps the influence of the property’s new president, who is all things happy in one person, has set an example for everyone.

How did this happy place come to be? Terranea Resort opened in June 2009, and since then, I’ve had my eyes on this slice of heaven for a trip. As luck would have it, I recently indulged in a rare vacation with a girlfriend to see what I’ve been hearing great things about myself.

The Mediterranean-inspired resort has a Spanish Colonial vibe and panoramic ocean views. Here, the blue water meets the blue skies, and the distant view of Catalina beckoned me. Yet, why would I want to leave such a complete resort experience?

The 102-acre property is by no means small. Its positioning on the bluff is sprawling, and there is so much to do on the property, including visiting its world-class spa and enjoying the award-winning, nine-hole, par 3-links golf course with ocean views.

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Long before Terranea’s debut, the pristine setting on the Palos Verdes Peninsula was a backdrop to a rich heritage and a diverse natural habitat. Once a part of the Channel Islands, the peninsula shifted slowly over millions of years and fused to the mainland coast of California. As a result, it is now home to a unique collection of rocks and plant species.

Before Juan Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer, discovered the peninsula in 1542, the Indigenous Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe lived in prosperity there as seafarers, traders and fishermen.

Years passed as stewardship slipped from Spanish land grants to private ownership until the 1913 purchase of 16,000 acres by a consortium of New York investors led by Frank A. Vanderlip, considered the founding father of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Today, the resort’s biggest suite is named after Vanderlip.

Terranea’s scene-stealing backdrop has attracted Hollywood film crews since the 1950s when Lloyd Bridges starred in the popular TV adventure series Sea Hunt. Since then, Terranea’s dramatic oceanfront setting has been featured in numerous television and feature film productions, from Pirates of the Caribbean to The Beverly Hillbillies.

For this week, the scene-stealing backdrop was all mine. I enjoyed a two-bedroom, three-bath villa with ocean views through every door and window. My home base for my trip was much like a home, with a nicely appointed kitchenette, laundry facilities and enviable closet space. I had a fireplace in my living room and on one of my two balconies overlooking the ocean, perfectly positioned for stargazing.

If I had been willing to depart my luxe villa, I could have joined other guests for one of the monthly stargazing sessions with a high-powered telescope positioned at a fire pit with hot chocolate and s’mores. But alas, I had fire, water and wine at my villa, so I gazed from my balcony.

Courtesy of Terranea Resort

My awesome location puts me just steps from the spa and fitness center for daily workouts and is close to the coastal trail on the bluff, which takes me to a lighthouse one day and a posh neighborhood the next.

There are so many ways to enjoy Terranea. Starting with the spa, I enjoyed the Crimson Revival, where contrast therapy revitalizes circulation and enlivens the senses. It incorporates detoxifying thermal mud, a massage and sessions in a dry sauna and a Swiss shower. It’s an ultra-pampering, two-hour experience.

I’ve never experienced contrast therapy, which means combining hot and cold. Even my Swiss shower had cold and hot water jetting simultaneously. I followed that treatment with a CBD facial, which was incredibly nurturing for my skin. My aesthetician pointed out that most people don’t know the depth of skin nutrition in CBD, and it’s all the rave right now.

The extensive spa includes everything you’d expect in a top spa, including a dry and steam sauna, a hot therapy pool and a cold plunge. The styling stations offer good products, and every treatment room provides picturesque views. The upstairs recovery lounge has one of the best views on the property.

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Feeling detoxed, invigorated, shiny and smooth from head to toe, I took my happy skin to the spa pool for some much-needed vitamin D. The pool boasts fantastic views, lounge seating with fire pits and service from the resort’s extra healthy spa café, Solviva, which highlights wellness with locally grown and procured ingredients for healthy fare that on this day paired well with a fresh, limey skinny margarita.

Dining at Terranea is like being on a luxury cruise ship…in a good way. There are nine dining destinations, each with its own flair. You can enjoy bubbles at sunset on the Veuve Clicquot Terrace, adorably styled in Veuve gold accents. Breakfast is served at catalina kitchen, where you can dine inside or out.

My favorite daytime meal was at Nelson’s, with its spectacular cliff-top setting directly above the Pacific Ocean, fire pits and outdoor dining on shaded picnic tables in the sand. You’ll find all the fan favorites here. I ordered the seafood cob with shrimp and lobster both times. Yum.

Courtesy of Terranea Resort

For a more formal take, mar’sel is Terranea’s signature restaurant, reflecting a modern twist on California cuisine as inventive as its name suggests (Spanish for “sea” and French for “salt”). A seasonal, gourmet menu spotlights local ingredients alongside herbs and produce grown on property in the mar’sel garden and at Terranea’s main garden adjacent to the resort. There’s good reason to dress up, as the cuisine is elevated, and the wine sommelier is ready to suggest what pairs best with your dinner that night.

It was just announced that mar’sel was awarded Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence for its 10th consecutive year for its outstanding wine list of 375 selections and impressive wine service. Given the restaurant’s name, French wine was the selection for the evening to complement the elegant seasonal Californian cuisine with an inventive twist created by Michelin-starred Chef Fabio Ugoletti.

I dined at mar’sel with a friend. With so many wonderful items to choose from, we started with the pesto risotto scallops. They were perfectly prepared and excellent. A satisfying bite, I could have almost stopped there. We split the beet salad, which was so fresh and fabulous and then separately ordered the Dover Sole and the Sea Bass.

After a bottle of wine and a remarkably satisfying dinner, we ordered dessert, which we didn’t need. Still, the lemon delizia, a limoncello-soaked sponge cake with lemon custard and cappuccino gelato, was a perfect palette cleanser. The attentive service, the incredible patio and the panoramic view made this an exceptional dining experience, which you should not miss. Make a reservation for sure!

Courtesy of Terranea Resort

We had a similarly delightful dinner with a completely different vibe on another night. Bashi is a modern take on Asian cuisine with a long list of sake options. We opted for the patio again…who can beat this view? The Sizzling Shaking Beef is a local favorite. It comes on a sizzling platter and is perfectly seasoned, juicy and delicious. The sushi is fresh, elevated and inventive. We also had curried veggies that paired great with the beef. This is an excellent stop for a light bite or a serious dinner.

If we weren’t hiking, spa-ing, sunning or dining, we were shopping. That’s what girlfriends do. And with decades of shopping miles trekked, we were impressed by the resort shops at Terranea, so much so that one of us had to check a bag home.
Vacation well done once again.

There are plenty of things to do, places to dine and trails to walk on this idyllic coastal trip. Now, I know what everyone has been talking about, and I look forward to sharing, too.