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Editor's Letter (7/20/10)

The feathered boas of Pride Week have stopped fluttering. Now the Del Mar Race Track paddock opens, and the Comic-Con minions march into the convention center. It’s a mega-events monster month for San Diego.

To ready for a tough week of ponies, panels and post-parties, I first needed a weekend getaway. But did I pick the right place to re-charge my battery? Was I wise to try to re-energize with three 13-year-olds in tow?

And as the hotel promised, would I really get to glimpse Batman’s secret lair? (Be still, hearts of drooling Comic-Con-ers.) And, if I did find the Bat Cave, would the Caped Crusader spray me with forgetful gas?

The one-year-old Terranea Resort is on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, about 30 miles south of Santa Monica. The sprawling oceanfront resort rests on the former park site of Marineland of the Pacific (Lloyd Bridges filmed Sea Hunt here).

Down by the shoreline, there’s a rocky cave. It’s the spot filmed for the exterior shot of the entrance to the superhero’s HQ in the old Batman TV series.

Inside the cave, a kid in a camouflage floppy hat came up behind me and noticed graffiti on the rocks. “Uh-oh,” the kid said to his dad, “Looks like some teenagers were here.”

Well, my three teens—my daughter and two friends—were innocent. I couldn’t convince them to leave their luxury digs and hike down the nature trail that leads to the Bat Cave. They simply got their exercise jumping on the bed inside our two-room casita.

The ladies-to-be were happy to create their own secret lair inside a colorful cabana at the resort pool. None of us were wowed by the pool’s (slow) water slide. But I achieved a Zen state camped on a chaise lounge, chomping on a fruit plate and gazing out across the Pacific at Catalina Island.

We found the Mediterranean design of the 582-room Terranea casually elegant and kid-friendly. It was easy to coax the teen trio to Catalina Kitchen for the resort’s wall-to-wall seafood buffet. And they reveled in whipping up S’mores afterward at a poolside fire pit.

Traveling with three 13-year-olds is not the ideal antidote for stress. For the ride up and back, the car rocked with Shakira and Lady Gaga songs I’d never heard before. And I had to occassionally explain the details of adult hotel life, i.e., you get charged for taking the bathrobe, not just for wearing it.

But we all found generational forms of solace and respite. My daughter and I have traveled together for years. This was, however, the first time we took a yoga class together; the first time dinner conversation was about Spanish design aesthetics as much as…ice cream.

This getaway brought memories, milestones…and realization my little girl is growing up.

And, for the ensuing work week: a killer Bat-Cave icebreaker for Comic-Con fanboy interviews.

# # # # #

Want to know more about how kid-friendly Terranea Resort is? Read it from the point of view of young guests. My three 13-year-old charges were armed with reporter notebooks, and given the assignment of chronicling our trip:

GUEST ROOMS: Terranea Resort could easily be defined as “The lap of luxury.” One of the most enjoyable aspects would be the rooms. Each of the beds has a substantial amount of clean bedding and pillows, making it easy to fall asleep quickly. It seems they use only the best cushions, firm yet luxuriously accommodating. Each room was filled with all the accessories you might need. Along with the little details, the room’s design and layout is pleasant and comforting, creating an over-all appeal. Each decoration was well thought out, with subtle hints to tropical and Spanish culture. The rooms all in all, are wonderful, and just add to the magnificence of the entire resort.--Franchesca

DINING: While staying at Terranea, we ate at the Catalina Kitchen. It was wonderful. It was fancy and well put together but still welcoming. The food was tasteful and very delicious. The king crab was probably my favorite part of the meal. They aren't shy with the amount of food they serve you, I must say. I was overwhelmed with how much food there was. The sushi was also very good. They had about four different types of sushi out and they were constantly making more and more. There were these edible flowers which my friends and I found very interesting. I didn't bother to taste them after Chandler said they were spicy, but I'm sure people who enjoy a bit of heat in their food would find them appetizing. Although the bread took a while to get there, it was yummy and by taking time to get to our table, it proved it was fresh. The variety of cheeses was great and I heard only great things about the risotto. They didn't label their desserts, but it made it more spontaneous. S’mores at the end of the night was a definite highlight.--Danielle

THE POOL: The resort is amazing and to add on to that, the pool was outstanding as well. To start off, the view from the pool was awesome. I could see the Catalina Islands, and the beautiful ocean water. The service couldn't be better, the servers answered all questions and were very friendly. From the pool bar, I ordered a strawberry banana smoothie (I would recommend it). We all got to stay in a cabana too, a very colorful one. The cabanas were very relaxing and still had a great view, too. As for the water slide, it was enjoyable, but could be a wee bit faster. The pool also had a great temperature—it was great to jump into the cooling water after the heat. As for the Jacuzzis, they were very relaxing. All in all, I give the pool five stars. I hope I get to come back to Terranea.--Chandler

Posted by Ron Donoho on Tue, Jul 20th, 2010
Last updated Mon, Jul 19th, 2010

Keywords

Terranea Resort Weekend Getaways Travel

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