Malibu Beach Vacations in San Diego, California Area
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Malibu is home to some of Southern California's great surfing beaches. It includes beach activities such as swimming, surfing, beach games and a classic Malibu Pier. A pier that began as a shipping wharf some 100 years, was built by businessman Frederick Rindge as a shipping wharf for hides and grains produced on his 17,000-acre Malibu Rancho. Battered in the big storms of 1982, the pier was recently renovated and is open for dining and cocktails with The Beachcomber, a Ruby's managed restaurant (Ruby's is slated to open, as well.) Malibu Pier Club is a tiki bar, Tonga Lei Room, with casual dining. The Beachcomber Cafe is a 1940's style American dinner house that offers a vintage Malibu dining atmosphere, menus filled with eclectic coastal dishes and fantastic views of the surf. Jus at the base of the pier is Surfrider Beach with its famous three-point break. Surfers have long enjoyed the ride at this Southern California location, one of the northernmost surfing spots in this region of California.
Malibu, itself, is a unique place with many shops, a few hotels and dining lined up along Coast Highway. Billed as 27 miles of scenic beauty (that's what the road signs say,) it's hard to fathom that so much coast can belong to a single city. In reality, the city of Malibu doesn't actually maintain all the beaches within its geographic bounds. Much like the historic Malibu Pier that is state owned and operated, many beaches are state beach operations. Beaches are certainly the top tourist attraction in this area, and by estimates close to two million people trek on the beach sands annually. There would be many more if not for the famous Malibu parking crunch. Limited parking and lots of houses on the sand create a reality or at least a perception that it's not easy accessing Malibu's gems. On our visit to the beloved private pier at Paradise Cove, we discovered that we had to eat to avoid paying an approx. $20 parking fee for the lot that the pier accesses. There are many celebrities and very wealthy people living on Malibu's beaches, and lot of disagreement has transpired over access of the sand beyond their houses.
For tourists, the other highlight we personally find unique and well worth the visit is The Getty Villa. Though technically in a small hamlet of Pacific Palisades, it almost seems like the building is in Malibu. The villa was a personal home willed by the Getty estate for the public to enjoy and visit. Renovated and open to the public free, you must go online or call and get a ticket for a reservation. And unless you ride in on bus and get your ticket stamped, you have to pay a parking fee for your car. It's worth it. The treasures at the villa with its open courtyards and water fountains include not just the architectural design and rich stone and marble treatments, but the artifacts of Italian life with many rare treasures. Jewelry, glass, statues and a variety of the world's best preserved pieces paint a picture of life several thousand years past.
On a clear day in the spring after one of those rare California rains, you can stand at the beach and look up the slopes of the hills of the Santa Monica mountains, gazing at blue sky, catching a scent of wild grasses and hear birds sing. It is on those rare days that you feel like Malibu is paradise.
Visit Malibu, California
San Diego County is the top America beach vacation because of its year round nice weather, sizzling entertainment and fabulous culture. Come visit and find out why everyone loves San Diego beaches so much.
Malibu Beach Inn
22878 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90265
3 Star
The Malibu Beach Inn is located on the beach in the heart of Malibu, one of the most famous gatherin
The Malibu Motel
22541 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90365
3 Star
The Malibu Motel is a boutique Motel offering 18 sleek and clean Retro-style rooms. Right on the Pac
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