What with the scarcity of open land and tight environmental and zoning restrictions on the California coast, it’s not surprising that large oceanfront hotel properties tend to be few and far between. Despite the odds they face, however, several new coastal properties are either recently opened or under way.
Southern California
Among the largest upcoming developments is Terranea Resort, which is scheduled to open in May 2009 on a spectacular 102-acre site of rolling hills and cliffs above the Pacific Ocean. Located in Palos Verdes, about 15 miles south of Los Angeles International Airport, the $450 million, 582-room resort will occupy the site of Marineland California, which closed in 1987.
Ron Sandvig, director of sales for the property, notes that it took the developers, Lowe Destination Development, seven years to go through the approval process and break ground on the property after acquiring the land in 2000.
“There is nothing like it on the Los Angeles coast—and you are unlikely to see anything else like it ever again in the Los Angeles area,” Sandvig says of the development site. “We’re on a peninsula that allows for panoramic views of the ocean. You can actually see both the sunrise and sunset over the Pacific.”
Operated by Destination Hotels and Resorts, Terranea will include 63,000 square feet of meeting space, a full-service spa, three swimming pools, and a nine-hole golf course.
Orange County continues to lead the region in new coastal resort developments. Scheduled for a fall 2008 opening, the Resort at Pelican Hill will offer 204 bungalow-style units tucked into terraced hills overlooking the Pacific just south of Newport Beach. Adjacent to a 36-hole, Tom Fazio-designed golf course, Pelican Hill will include five restaurants, a full-service spa and about 25,000 square feet of meeting space.
Northern California
In Monterey, Pacific Hotel Management is gearing up for the spring 2008 unveiling of the city’s first new hotel in several years, the 208-room Cannery Row Hotel. Located next to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the property will feature a boardwalk and observation pier over Monterey Bay.
In the sparsely developed Tamales Bay area of Marin County, San Francisco-based restaurateur Pat Kuleto successfully surmounted a lengthy approval process to open Nick’s Cove & Cottages in July. The luxury resort, which includes 22 cottages and a restaurant with a private dining room, is available for corporate retreats and small meetings.
