While we have been residents of Hermosa Beach for almost 30 years, if we didn’t live here our next choice would definitely be the area a bit south known as The Hollywood Riviera. The Hollywood Riviera is an ideal place to call home for many reasons but certainly high on the list is the location. Sitting between Torrance Beach and the hills of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the Riviera gets the best of both worlds. It’s just a short walk to the beach but the sloping hillside location makes for some tremendous ocean views and beach breezes. The area actually extends all the way to the ocean as one of the premier streets, Paseo De La Playa, has a number of spectacular homes with large properties extending to the high tide line along Torrance Beach. While the beach and the views are certainly a highlight, there’s plenty of reasons that the neighborhood is ideally situated. As it’s on the border of the South Bay and the peninsula it’s a bit removed from the busy feeling of some other South Bay cities but close enough to enjoy it all.
Just down the street is the very charming shopping and dining area known as Riviera Village. From weekly farmers markets, to holiday festivities to the appeal of strolling past the shops and restaurants on a summer evening. It’s a wonderful small town feel with an abundance of places to visit.
Beyond the Riviera Village is the Redondo Pier area and King Harbor. Offering a fishing pier, a variety of restaurants and bars, whale watching boats, kayak and paddle board rentals and more, this area really epitomizes the beach lifestyle. Famous landmarks like Old Tony’s with it’s crows nest upper bar with endless views of the ocean feel more like being on a ship than in a restaurant. Other popular spots are Kincaids, The Bluewater Grill, Shade Hotel, the Portofino Inn, R-10 Social House, Naja’s, and the Cheesecake Factory overlooking the harbor and boats.
Just up the hill are the various shopping centers and charming areas of Palos Verdes including Malaga Cove, Lunada Bay and more. Palos Verdes is also a great place to take a hike or go for a bike ride.
For outdoor activities the area doesn’t disappoint. Take a jog or ride on the oceanfront bike path that extends all the way from Torrance Beach to Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan and all the way to Santa Monica. The area also happens to be the beach volleyball capital of the world with courts seemingly everywhere. If the water is your thing, there is great surfing all along Redondo and Palos Verdes, snorkeling and diving off of PV or exploring the Redondo marine canyon.