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.