Redondo Mom Finds Relaxation, Easter Fun at Terranea

Bargain hotels have never been in my wheelhouse, even when I've had very little money to spend, such as when the parents cut me off after college, and I had to get a "real" job. I don't think anyone necessarily likes subpar hotels; they just tolerate them in a more reasonable manner, whereas my head pops off the pillow at 3 a.m. screeching, "NEVER AGAIN!" I slept on a futon for years of my life (while I was in college) and lived out of my VW bus for a few months (as a rafting guide while I was supposed to be in college), so I think I deserve nice hotels.

This past weekend was my birthday, and I wanted to go somewhere nice. I knew just the place. On the bluffs of Palos Verdes, we found . We had stayed there once before, and I really wanted to go back.

So we did. With Smith. I adore my little man, and he's not going to miss out on my birthday celebration.  

Terranea's Tide Pool Adventures kids' club is a terrific resource—a terrific resource that we have yet to use because we wanted to stay with Smith. Next time we go, we plan to use the kids' club for sure, as it is very inexpensive (4 hours for $50) and provides a wealth of activities for your children. It's also a great resource if you want to get smashed by the pool (no one will know until you trip over a bush and fall into the hot tub) and not have to worry about your child drowning or stealing someone's float. We chose to get mildly inebriated and follow Smith around like gregarious slaves.  

What did we do with Smith at a beautiful resort with three pools, four on-site restaurants and a nine-hole golf course? We hid him in the closet with a stuffed animal, of course!

But seriously. We swam, we ate, and we played a little golf. The resort pool has a fun fountain that spurts water at different intervals, which Smith navigated like a spastic blind buffalo visiting Old Faithful. Beside the fountains, there is a large "sandbox" zone that contains various toys to play with in the sand. The slide was a lot of fun—for Joe and me, as you need to be 48 inches tall to ride. Smith understood, and clapped wildly at Mommy's inelegant landings. I lost my glasses—twice.

On the golf course, Smith proved to be a smashing flag retriever, sand trap rake, and golf clapper. He enjoyed rambling up and down bright green hills and watching the ball go towards the flag—or sand trap. He was Daddy's little caddy, and he took the job quite seriously. It's a beautiful course, and a great way to spend an hour (or more, if you have a toddler in tow) in an idyllic setting. It's fairly inexpensive, and I know they offer golf packages, so it's a no brainer to go out on the course and PUTTz around.  

The restaurants are all child-friendly—they don't mind if your child tosses forks and yells, "ALL DONE" every five minutes—and they truly go out of their way to make you feel like you are a special guest. We only had time to eat at Catalina Kitchen and Nelson's. I have to say that I am partial to Catalina Kitchen's breakfast buffet, as they have everything from miso soup to breakfast burritos, along with the usual omelet/waffle stations.  

I have to mention the manager at Catalina Kitchen. Her name is Marge Miller, and she does an exceptional job. She is ever-present and always smiling and making sure the guests are enjoying themselves.

On Easter morning, the entire restaurant was decorated to the nines, with a candy scooping station (just in case you didn't scarf the contents of your toddler's Easter basket yet) to boot.  

We also ate there in the evenings, and the food, especially the butterfish, was scrumptious from start to finish. Catalina Kitchen's children's menu provides your child with a plethora of options to satisfy the most persnickety eater (luckily, Smith has no such problem). We also enjoyed a lovely evening at Nelson's with a group of adults and their children. There is nothing quite like sitting out there drinking wine and watching the sunset while your child watches Tangled on an iPad. 

Y'all didn't think I was the perfect parent, right?

Easter Day was full of great activities for kids. They had a petting zoo, a craft station, an egg hunt and a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny. Smith got to literally "pat the bunny," and he was floored. Terranea does a great job creating a holiday atmosphere in a resort setting.

One of the greatest aspects of Terranea is the fact that it is a 20 minute drive from Redondo Beach, yet we felt like we were light-years away. We plan on going back in August with our friends and their children for a few nights. We were going to go to Hawaii, but after staying at Terranea, we thought, why leave? Sure, it's not cheap—don't expect your wallet to stop eyeballing you for a few weeks—but it's worth it. The service was five-star, from the front desk (we love Joel!) to the lifeguards (we love Logan!). We slept like babies (their "cribs" are very comfortable), we ate like kings (too much), and we played like ... sea otters? 

By the way, I'm using the "slept like babies" colloquialism here, but I think that's a load of hooey. Babies are terrible sleepers.

If you need to escape far, far away, and you only want to travel a short, short distance, go to Terranea.  Now get back to reality, Redondo Beach!