Terranea Resort

"Terranea Resort & Spa in Rancho Palos Verdes is offering a few different ways to celebrate Thanksgiving. The Grand Ballroom plays host to a sumptuous buffet with live music on Thursday, November 28, with seatings from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the cost is $140 for adults and $65 for children. The on-site restaurant Mar’sel is serving a three-course menu from 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day by chef Fabio Ugoletti. The array of dishes on the $195 menu includes porcini truffle risotto with winter black truffles; roasted turkey breast and confit thigh with cornbread stuffing; and a chocolate ganache tart with pomegranate and pistachio gelato." - Eater Staff

"Stopping at Terranea Resort, one of California’s most luxurious resorts where we were greeted like celebrities, the valet insisted the car was parked front and center at the main hotel entrance." - Travel + Leisure Editors

"Located on the California coast, this resort offers stunning views, family-friendly activities, and proximity to Southern California attractions." - Elizabeth Rhodes Elizabeth Rhodes Elizabeth Rhodes is a special projects editor at Travel + Leisure, covering everything from luxury hotels to theme parks to must-pack travel products. Originally from South Carolina,

"This rambling resort on the Palos Verdes Peninsula overlooking Catalina Island "feels more Mediterranean than Southern California." "It’s hard to believe a resort as remote as this is only 30 minutes from L.A." The 102-acre estate has bungalows, casitas, and villas with granite countertops, hardwood floors, and vaulted ceilings. "From your room, you can look through the billowy white curtain and watch pods of dolphins swim by." There are eight restaurants; at the casual Nelson’s, take in sunsets and "the best chicken wings and cold beer." Catalina Kitchen offers a "can’t-miss" Friday night seafood buffet. "It’s super family-friendly," and the nine-hole golf course is "a jewel—every hole has a view." Staff seem to "truly enjoy their work environment and treat guests like family." The 50,000-square-foot spa has 25 treatment rooms."

"Terranea On arrival at Terranea, it’s natural to release a big, tension-melting sigh. The luxury resort occupies 100-plus acres along the bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, providing expansive views of the Pacific and a sense of spaciousness that’s rare in the city. The Mediterranean-style resort hotel spent $40 million in 2017 to upgrade the property, which includes 582 guest rooms and suites, eight bungalows, four swimming pools (take the kids to the 140-foot waterslide at the Resort Pool), and one acclaimed golf course. At its upscale wellness-minded spa, ingredients grown on the grounds go into the treatments, which are designed and timed to improve the body’s circadian rhythm. Pure pampering aside, regulars return in part for the unparalleled access to dozens of postcard-pretty hiking trails, including a naturalist-led walk (there’s also a falconry program). One of the resort’s five eateries can meet virtually any craving that hits, but the diver scallops with black truffle polenta should be non-negotiable. Pro tip: Book a visit in December or January to watch the sun rise and set from the same vantage point—and maybe even spot some humpback whales."