Terranea Resort

What the classifiers highlight

Thirty miles from downtown Los Angeles on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the 582-room resort spreads oceanfront rooms, bungalows and casitas across a bluff facing Catalina Island. Eight restaurants and a 50,000-square-foot spa overlook the water, and a nine-hole, par-3 course runs along the cliffs. Falconry and tide pooling round out the activities Forbes highlights.