|
Classic Malibu Beach: Zuma Beach, Leo Carrillo State Park, Pocket Beaches
It even quietly hosts a handful of private beaches -- that rarity in this state that places a premium on public access to ALL its coastline. NOT JUST FOR JENNIFER ANISTON But even with its famous citizenry's penchant for privacy, Malibu's public beaches -- all 24 of them, are not only
easily accessible,
but a favorite destination for swimmers, surfers, scuba divers and hikers. MOUNTAINS, CITY, BEACH The Santa Monica Mountains tumble (and sometimes slide) right down to the ocean here, so hikers can literally park at the beach, take a swim then lace up their boots and hike into the hills. The steep topography also means that the city clings to the coast with long, lean municipal boundaries: 27 miles long east-to-west, and one-to-eight miles wide. Take a drive along PCH, and in between rows of swanky homes, you'll discover beach after beautiful beach unfold. STAYING HERE? PROBABLY NOT If you're planning a beach vacation in Malibu you'll have just a few options for Malibu Hotels.
Malibu Beach Inn
overlooks Malibu Lagoon, and Casa Malibu Inn on the Beach offers beach-side accommodations.
Most overnight visitors stay just "south of the border" in Santa Monica,
or over the mountains a few minutes drive north in Calabasas.
For dining,
you're in Malibu! Dine on the beach! Some choices include Duke's Malibu, Geoffrey's Malibu, the roadhouse-style
Malibu Inn
and Paradise Cove Beach Cafe and bar -- popular with locals.
EVENTS AND TOURS Come to Malibu over Labor Day weekend and you can catch the small-town Malibu Kiwanis' Chili Cook-Off & Carnival. Enjoy historical tours? Try them Malibu-style: Check out the 22-acre Ramirez Canyon Park in the hills above Paradise Cove. The Santa Monica Conservancy runs this former estate of the legendary Barbra Streisand and operates it as an environmentalism "Think Tank." Visitors can take a 90-minute guided tour, including Streisand's "Art Deco House," one of several of her former homes on the property. Between exploring Malibu beaches, tour the Getty Villa once home to J. Paul Getty. And, for a sense of what Malibu was like when it was a private rancho owned by a single family, visit the
Adamson House and Malibu Lagoon Museum.
Come back soon to our Malibu Beach page: We'll be adding more dining, activities and accommodations news. Don't miss these related pages... Photos copyright 2007 West-Coast-Beach-Vacations.com
|
U.S. Highway One, or Pacific Coast Highway (say, "PCH") runs the length of Malibu - heck, it runs the length of the west coast. But in this town it's the "Main Drag" and in spots the only drag.
And just in case you're wondering how Malibu got its name, Chumash Indians once had a large settlement here. They named their digs, "Humaliwo," which historians speculate meant something akin to "loud surf."
