Teeing Off At Terranea
Despite the 40 miles that stretch between Hollywood and Terranea Resort, arriving at this opulent oceanside resort often feels like stepping onto the manicured set of a major motion picture. The lush natural terrain is marked by swaths of green grass and craggy rocks that roll naturally along the Palos Verdes Peninsula toward dramatic vistas overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. The cinematic charm of the landscape has earned the resort a role as the backdrop for many popular films over the years — including Pirates of the Caribbean, The Aviator, Charlie’s Angels, This is 40 and more — but it’s the resort’s eco-chic accommodations and award-winning greens that play the starring role at this Southern California resort.
Terranea Resort first opened in 2009, but the story of the land predates the Spanish discovery of the peninsula in 1542, when indigenous tribesmen occupied the area as fishermen, tradesmen and seafarers. Spanish influence waned as the land shifted toward private ownership, and soon a large Japanese farming community moved to the area in the early 1900s, prepping the soil and imparting their own aloha ‘āina on the peninsula. There was something special about the 102-acre landscape that had been so carefully imparted with culture and history, and, when plans for the 582-room resort began to shape up in 1998, the new owners knew they wanted to preserve the history and legacy of their Palos Verdes Peninsula location.
Terranea Resort is now one of the leading golf resorts on the West Coast, where its oceanfront course has been named “Most Enticing Par-3 Course” and has ranked high on countless “Best Golf Course” lists since its inception. Course designer Todd Eckenrode incorporated eco-friendly design elements into this nine-hole, par 3 golf course, including natural irrigation and treatment through vegetated wetland channels (bioswales) that not only improve the quality of the water but also create a natural habitat for native species. The result of his design is a 1,239-yard course that is both visually stunning, and, one that plays in harmony with respect to the land and the ecosystem on which it resides.
The Links at Terranea opens with a par 3 that was named after the historic site on which it sits. From the back tee, Long Point stretches 123 yards
and offers a challenging yet exciting intro into what the rest of the course holds. The next hole (104 yards, back tee) takes golfers along a boomerang-shaped green that wraps around a deceptively tricky bunker. A historic lighthouse lines up nicely with the third hole (172 yards, back tee), with views reaching over Point Vicente, yet it’s the gusting tailwind that glides the ball toward Point Fermin on hole four (136 yards, back tee). The fifth hole was inspired by the native El Segundo Blue Butterfly and offers a refreshing break with a 115-yard (back tee) stretch of greens framed by the Pacific Ocean. The next two holes don’t relent, and the game quickly picks up as the complex movement of hole six (145 yards, back tee) leads way to hole seven (150 yards, back tee), a.k.a. “The Punchbowl,” where dramatic slopes make for strategic moves at the left of the course. The longest yardage of the course awaits on hole eight (173 yards, back tee), with clear views of Catalina Island leading toward the show-stopping views of hole nine (121 yards, back tee), where migrating gray whales often make an appearance for a memorable end at the finishing hole.
Golfers can select from nine different dining options for an after-game aperitif at Terranea, where experiences range from lunches overlooking the Pacific to cocktails served al fresco by the pool. The resort is also home to one of L.A.’s most celebrated fine dining restaurants, mar’sel, where a fragrant herb garden guides diners along a pathway to the entrance of the restaurant where they are greeted by a roaring fire that adds to the elegant ambiance while it warms guests from the chill of the nightly Pacific breezes. Seasonal and local ingredients flavor the menu and coincide with the resort’s overall ethos on wellness and sustainability, which extends from the water conservation efforts at the resort all the way to the employee uniforms that are made from bamboo or chemical-free organic cotton, wool or hemp.
The Spa at Terranea is another natural extension of the hotel’s sustainability and wellness initiatives, where overnight guests are offered a range of indoor and outdoor fitness classes and personal training options, along with sumptuous spa therapies with treatments for relaxation as well as treatment for athletic recovery. Terranea’s 582 guestrooms and suites offer their own level of respite and relaxation, with natural linens and warm ocean-scape color schemes gracing the interiors throughout the hotel, bungalow, casita and villa options. Each offering at Terranea seeks to provide guests with exclusive experiences, from check in to check out.
For more information, visit www.terranea.com