MALIBU
Residence Inn Los Angeles Westlake Village
United States
TRIP OVERVIEW
Day 1 – Getty Villa · Adamson House and Malibu Lagoon Museum · Malibu Lagoon State Beach · Solstice Canyon · Point Dume State Beach and Preserve
Day 2 – El Matador State Beach · Zuma Beach · Leo Carrillo State Park
Day 3 – King Gillette Ranch · Malibu Creek State Park · Topanga State Park
Day 1
1. Getty Villa~2 hr
A museum dedicated to the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria, housed in a recreated 1st-century Roman villa. The collection spans 44,000 objects — sculptures, mosaics, decorative arts, and manuscripts — acquired by J. Paul Getty beginning in 1945.
Daily 10:00am - 5:00pm
Reserve timed-entry tickets in advance — same-day entry not guaranteed
2. Adamson House and Malibu Lagoon Museum~1 hr
A 1929 Moorish Spanish Colonial Revival residence designed by Stiles O. Clements for the Rindge family. Notable for its Malibu Potteries tile on floors, walls, fountains, and facades — the last major production run of the manufacturer founded by May K. Rindge. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.
Daily 11:00am - 3:00pm
Tours depart hourly — arrive near the top of the hour
3. Malibu Lagoon State Beach~1 hr
A California State Park where Malibu Creek meets the Pacific, encompassing a protected coastal lagoon and a beach recognized as one of the premier longboard surf breaks in the world. Three surf points generate long right-hand waves that established the international surfing reputation of this coastline.
4. Solstice Canyon~1 hr 30 min
A hiking area preserving Roberts Ranch, owned by supermarket chain founders Fred and Florence Roberts from 1932. Architect Paul Williams designed the family's ranch house around the canyon's creek and a waterfall in 1952; a 1982 wildfire left only its foundation, reached today by an easy trail.
5. Point Dume State Beach and Preserve~1 hr
A 34-acre California state preserve on a volcanic headland rising 200 feet above the Pacific. A trail leads to the clifftop, a documented observation point for gray whale migration in winter and California sea lion haul-outs on the rocks below. The beach includes tide pools accessible via stairs.
Open 24/7
Day 2
1. El Matador State Beach~1 hr
The most photographed of the three pocket beaches making up Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach, reached by a steep bluff-top staircase. Sea stacks and collapsed sea caves rise directly from the sand, casting shifting shadows through the day and drawing photographers at sunset.
2. Zuma Beach~1 hr 30 min
The largest county-run beach in Los Angeles County, with 1.8 miles of wide sand acquired by the county in 1941 after tax foreclosure on the Marblehead Land Company. The 1959 film Gidget drew crowds of surfers here through the 1960s, and the beach remains one of the region's cleanest stretches of coastline.
3. Leo Carrillo State Park~1 hr 30 min
A 2,513-acre park named for actor and conservationist Leo Carrillo, who served on the California State Parks Commission. Sea caves, tide pools, and reef formations line 1.5 miles of beach at the Los Angeles-Ventura county line; the Woolsey Fire burned through nearly the entire park in November 2018.
Day 3
1. King Gillette Ranch~45 min
A 588-acre former estate built in the 1920s for razor magnate King C. Gillette, its buildings designed by architect Wallace Neff. Later a Catholic seminary for a quarter-century, the property opened to the public in 2007 and now serves as the main visitor center for the Santa Monica Mountains.
2. Malibu Creek State Park~2 hr
An 8,215-acre park preserving the Malibu Creek canyon, home to the Chumash for millennia before Twentieth Century Fox used its rock formations and meadows as filming locations for M*A*S*H, Planet of the Apes, and more than 100 other productions. Trails lead to the Rock Pool and Century Lake.
3. Topanga State Park~2 hr
At 11,000 acres, the largest state park within the boundaries of a major American city, reaching from Topanga Canyon to within a few miles of the Pacific. Trails from the Trippet Ranch entrance climb to viewpoints including Eagle Rock and Parker Mesa Overlook, with sightlines to the ocean and the San Fernando Valley.
Weekly Closures
Museums · Closed Tuesday
Historic Sites · Closed Sunday - Wednesday
Tours
Viator
A 5.5-hour guided van tour covering celebrity home neighborhoods, beaches along Pacific Coast Highway, the Malibu Pier, and the Malibu Colony. Includes stops at Surfrider Beach and Point Dume with a local guide narrating history and resident lore.
5 hr 30 min · Small group
A 2 to 3-hour guided hike through the vineyards of Saddlerock Ranch, with photo stops, ranch-animal encounters, and wine tastings along a beginner-friendly loop.
2 hr · Small group
Cappuccino
Malibu Farm Pier Cafe · 4.2 · 800+ reviews
SunLife Organics · 4.5 · 500+ reviews
Caffè Luxxe · 4.6 · 300+ reviews
Restaurants Near Hotel
Malibu Café at Calamigos Ranch · 4.3 · 1000+ reviews
California cuisine in an open-air dining room by oak trees and a creek.
In the hotel
Daily 11:00am - 9:00pm
Old Place · 4.5 · 600+ reviews
A converted 1869 general store serving wood-fired steaks. Cash only.
Thursday - Sunday 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Closed Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
Mastro's Ocean Club · 4.4 · 2000+ reviews
Upscale steakhouse on Pacific Coast Highway with direct ocean access.
Daily 5:00pm - 10:00pm
Downtown Restaurants
Tra di Noi · 4.4 · 700+ reviews
Italian trattoria with house-made pasta. Neighborhood fixture since 1994.
Daily 11:30am - 9:00pm
Moonshadows · 4.0 · 1800+ reviews
California cuisine with oceanfront outdoor seating since 1968.
Daily 11:00am - 10:00pm
Local Tastes
Seafood at Neptune's Net
A roadside seafood counter on PCH at the Ventura County line since 1956 — fresh fish and chips, steamed clams, and crab at outdoor picnic tables overlooking the Pacific.
Santa Monica Mountains Wine
The Santa Monica Mountains AVA produces estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc from vineyards in the hills above PCH. Malibu Family Wines and Cornell Winery are the primary producers with tastings by reservation.
Acai Bowls
Health food culture centered on acai bowls, green juices, and raw food — a diet popularized by the surf community in the 1990s. SunLife Organics and Malibu Smoothie are the principal local venues.
Food Delivery
DoorDash
Foreign number: accepted. — DoorDash accepts any phone number; the verification code is sent by SMS to the number provided during sign-up.
The strongest delivery option in Malibu, with broad coverage of PCH-side restaurants and a few inland spots; useful when the beach towns are busy and walk-in waits are long.
Uber Eats
Foreign number: accepted. — Uber Eats uses the same Uber account; any number Uber accepts works here too.
Solid coverage along the Malibu coast with a good selection of local restaurants and the same chain options as the app's US-wide catalogue; delivery windows run 30–50 min from more remote parts of the beach corridor.
Shows, Performances & Concerts
Malibu Performing Arts Center
A 450-seat venue at Pepperdine University presenting professional theater, dance, and music productions throughout the year.
Getting Around
Uber
Foreign number: accepted. — Uber accepts any phone number; the verification code arrives by SMS or by email link.
The most reliable option along the PCH corridor; wait times are longer than in LA proper due to Malibu's spread-out geography, so booking a few minutes ahead is advisable for timed activities.
Lyft
Foreign number: not accepted. — Lyft requires a US, Canadian or Puerto Rican phone number; the SMS verification code is sent only to that number.
Good alternative to Uber with comparable coverage across the beach corridor and the canyon communities; prices are similar and having both apps open improves availability during busy summer weekends.
Day Trips by Train
Ventura · 50 min
A small coastal city with a historic downtown, Mission San Buenaventura founded in 1782, a walkable Main Street, and access to Channel Islands National Park boat tours.
book at: amtrak.com or Omio
Santa Barbara · 2 hr
Known for Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, Mission Santa Barbara, and the State Street arts and restaurant corridor.
book at: amtrak.com or Omio
Pickleball
Westlake Village Community Park · Outdoor
4 dedicated lighted outdoor courts; free; no reservations.
Daily 6:00am - 9:00pm
Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center · Indoor
6 wood-floor gym courts; morning open play; drop-in fee.
Monday - Saturday 8:00am - 11:30am
Closed Sunday
Pepperdine University · Outdoor
8 outdoor courts; community open play sessions; drop-in fee.
Tuesday 4:30pm - 6:30pm · Thursday 4:30pm - 6:30pm · Sunday 10:00am - 12:00pm
Closed Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday
Michelin Restaurants
Nobu Malibu
Japanese-Peruvian fusion · Omakase and à la carte.
Hiking
Point Dume Natural Preserve Trail · Easy
Bluff loop above Westward Beach with cliff-top views along the Pacific coast.
1.2 km loop · 27 m ascent
30 min
Malibu Creek Trail to the Rock Pool · Easy
Follows Malibu Creek past volcanic rock to the Rock Pool canyon swimming hole.
5.6 km return · 60 m ascent
1 hr 45 min
Solstice Canyon Trail · Easy
Oak canyon to the Tropical Terrace ruins — a 1950s ranch house taken by plants.
3.7 km one way · 90 m ascent
1 hr 30 min
Sandstone Peak · Moderate
Santa Monica Mountains' highest summit; Channel Islands visible on clear days.
10.1 km loop · 460 m ascent
3 hr 30 min
Worth Knowing
On Malibu
Malibu is not a city in the conventional sense — it is 27 miles of Pacific coastline incorporated in 1991 primarily to give residents control over development. That tension between private land and public beach runs through everything here. The Rindge family spent decades trying to keep the public off what they believed was their private coast; their legal battles produced the estate system, the celebrity enclave, and eventually the Adamson House and its tile collection, which survived only because Rhoda Rindge built on the lagoon rather than the bluff.
The Getty Villa is a separate provenance entirely — an oil fortune translated into a replica Roman villa stuffed with antiquities — but it sits on the same coast for the same reason: the light, the views, the feeling that wealth and the Pacific belong together. Point Dume is what was here before any of that.
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