6th Anniversary at Terranea

We spent our 6th anniversary (!!!) at a new resort called Terranea, just 45 minutes south of LA, in Palos Verdes. I'm not sure how it is that I never knew about this place, but it's just gorgeous.

Perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, the resort reminds me of something out of the Italian Riviera. It has all the best qualities of a family-friendly resort: kids menus, family pool, water slide, mini "beach", a splash fountain, they even roast s'mores over a fire pit in the evenings. But it still manages to feel like a luxurious hotel. Everything is clean & well-cared-for and the staff are incredibly thoughtful and polite.

We drove up on Saturday morning expecting to not be able to check in just yet, but our lovely ocean-view room was ready for us. (Although next time we'll request a spot that isn't right over the most popular restaurant).

Max loved the kids pool, especially since he's finally tall enough to touch the bottom. He hasn't learned to swim yet, but at least he's getting over his fear of water. Maybe if we get him some lessons this summer he'll finally figure it out.










We had our anniversary dinner at Catalina Kitchen. Although it was billed as the family-friendly midpriced restaurant, we actually liked it the best out of all the restaurants on the resort. Max said it was the best dinner he's EVER had, and wants to come back forever!










But that might just be a result of the yummy chocolate ice cream cake they brought us as a surprise for our anniversary!













On Saturday, we repeated the eat-pool-nap-pool-eat cycle, but this time Damon & I each took a turn getting a massage at the spa. The spa pool & facilities were actually my favorite on the resort - totally tranquil and right on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.























On Sunday, Max's little friend Hudson & his parents came down to join us for the day. Max is still figuring out how to be friends, so he tends to play near other kids (as opposed to with them). This weekend was no exception. We did manage to get them both to play together in the kayak down at the resort's little private beach.



Max is such a little runner! The beach in this picture is probably 100 feet below the rest of the resort, down a long windy hiking path. Every time we went down to the beach he took the path at a full run, both going down and coming back up. It's great to run with him - I get my exercise and I remember a little bit of how wonderful it was to run like that when I was little.

One of the highlights for Max was getting to roast s'mores over the fire pit while the sunset. Pretty great for the grownups, too.



This resort was a winner in our book - we'll definitely be back.