Staying at this luxurious hotel, tucked between Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach, is more like visiting a wealthy friend’s beach house in Newport (R.I., not CA). In fact, the breezy split-level studio suites are individually owned and outfitted to meet every need, including a kitchenette, gas firelace, oversized bathrooms and furnished patios or balconies. It stands on The Strand, a popular 26-mile paved coastal path; one of Southern California’s most popular beaches is right across the walk, so summer can get chaotic. Calm reigns behind the Beach House’s double-paned windows and solid, insulated walls, however, but I recommend springing for a second- or third-story room just for privacy’s sake. Most studios overlook the beach, and room rates rise in proportion to the amount of water in your window view. The small, in-house spa’s surprisingly wide array of services include in-room massage, reflexology and yoga or pilates on the beach.You’re steps away from the Huntington Beach Pier and the town’s nightlife—the Comedy & Magic Club,where Jay Leno holds forth on a regular basis, is just four blocks away.

 

 

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