Hermosa Beach Area.

[matsterrocks]

Got a decent price on a hotel near Hermosa Beach. How is the area? Good beach or should we head up to Santa Monica Pier instead? Any highlights in the area we shouldn't miss?

 

[bcla]

I was in Hermosa Beach last month. Kind of complicated, but I took a day trip to the area to waste some time and got there via public transportation from LAX. My intent was to look around, but I picked a heck of a day to go. The wind was so bad that there were zero beach goers, sand was blowing everywhere, and the Hermosa Beach Pier was closed (it’s really just a small fishing pier). I noticed a lot of beach volleyball courts. If it were warmer and the wind mild, I’d think it would be pretty nice.

It’s an area with more low key shops and restaurants. Santa Monica is a lot more developed. I’ve been through Santa Monica a few times and it was very crowded during summer and still crowded in November.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Hermosa Beach is a nice area. Like OP said, it mainly has shops and restaurants. I don't believe I've been to Santa Monica's beach so I can't answer about it

 

[LKing]

When are you visiting?

Hermosa and Manhattan Beach are beautiful beaches. In my opinion, they are much cleaner than Santa Monica.

If the weather is nice, you can sunbathe and play in the water. You can walk, skate or bike along the beachfront bike path. Both Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach have restaurants with ocean views. Manhattan Beach restaurants are a little pricier than Hermosa or Redondo. Parking can be difficult to find around dinner time.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

Hermosa Beach is pretty nice, as well as Manhattan Beach as previous poster said. In terms of the town itself, Manhattan Beach is probably the "nicest", then Hermosa, then Redondo IMO. I don't really remember the beach around Redondo that well though, I only remember the pier there.

We were just at Santa Monica last week and it was nice too. We were just there a day but we went to the Santa Monica pier and the surrounding beach. Kids spent the afternoon playing at the beach and they had a good time.

 

[LKing]

The sandy beach stops at Herondo (border between Hermosa and Redondo). The Redondo Pier and surrounding restaurants take up a few blocks, before the sandy beaches pick up again just south of the pier. The area next to Redondo pier, isn't the cleanest. If you bike a few blocks south towards Riviera Village, there are lots of restaurants and cleaner beaches. There is a big (pay) parking structure adjacent to Redondo pier. There is another parking lot at Torrance Beach (2 miles south of Redondo pier).

 

[bcla]

I would note that Hermosa Beach is pretty small. If the comparison is with Santa Monica, then it's a small town vs a good size town. When I went to the beach I walked from the bus stop on PCH and it didn't take very long. The main beach area looks nice, but it's not like Santa Monica.

In Santa Monica, the beach is really long and you're going to find a lot more. A lot more hotels, businesses, people, etc. There's also a bluff over the beach and that was rather fun to just walk, while Hermosa Beach has a boardwalk next to the beach. Santa Monica can also have some interesting characters. I made a mistake talking to someone trying to hawk CDs of his performances and regretted it. There are some homeless and mentally ill walking around the streets. I might have made a mistake buying a homeless guy some coffee, but he was polite and it didn't cost me much. I did like Santa Monica though.