A Day in Malibu
Thirty miles west of downtown LA is the idyllic beach town of Malibu. This charming seaside community includes a 21-mile-long natural coastline bordered by the boundless sea and the rugged highlands of the Santa Monica Mountains.
We started the day at the Malibu Pier and grabbed a bite at Malibu Restaurant at the start of the pier. It is so cute and cozy and the food is good! No reservations are required.
Make sure to take a stroll down the Malibu Pier and take in the surfers, the wildflowers, and the ocean views, you may be lucky enough to spot a whale. We paid $15 USD iand parked at the lot by the pier, since parking in this area can be a bit of a challenge.
After brunch and a walk down the pier, I made reservations to check out the Getty Villa. This is an amazing piece of architecture. We strolled around for a little over an hour though you could definitely spend more time here and enjoy all the exhibits, before we headed off to Point Dume State Beach.
A short and beautiful drive from the Villa, is Point Dume State Beach. Point Dume is perfect for a laidback hike with amazing views. The 1.4 mile hike is easy for all. THe bit of a challenge comes if you want to walk down to the beach, which is worth every second to check out the tide pools. There is a rope that someone placed to help one with the steep decent and climb. My 8 year old had not problem with the climb up or down, but she is very agile. We were lucky when we went because it was spring and the wildflowers were in full bloom all over Point Dume and Malibu.
Point Dume is great for heading down to the beaches on either side of it, but a favorite is Westward Beach. However, when you are here you may get lucky and get to do some whale watching. There are also falcons, dolphins, and more wildlife that you can come across at Point Dume. The parking situation is difficult at the trailhead, so head here early if you want to get a spot closer to the tip of Point Dume otherwise it will be a hike up from Westward Beach or the neighborhood nearby.
After checking out Point Dume we went to El Matador Beach is a popular spot not just for soaking up the sun but exploring its dramatic rock formations and sea caves. It also seemed to be where every maternity photoshoot was happening the day we went. This beach is beautiful. It has small coves surrounded by rocky cliffs, large sea caves, and natural tidepools teeming with marine life. Though we did not stay for sunset I have heard it is quite amazing. Parking here is also challenging but we just found parking on the road and walked down.
Our last stop before heading home was having dinner at the iconic Malibu Seafood Fresh Fish Market & Patio Cafe and catching the sunset. It was the perfect day.
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