Terranea or Huntington Hyatt
 

We will be traveling mid April. Is Terranea too remote for a mom and 2 kids 10/11? Are the restaurants very expensive? Would Hyatt be warmer with more activities? I do want to relax and kick back and not be too crazy but would like to have some fun at night with the kids. I'v seen some comments that Terranea can be cold and foggy - is that at night? We do want to be at the pool during the day. We's also like to enjoy the beach and see nature that we don't get in the midwest.

Wow. Those are pretty different resorts.

Terranea is a lovely resort, no question, but it's at the end of the Palos Verdes peninsula. If you're looking to kick back and relax and stay in one place, it's pretty ideal. If you actually need to get somewhere that's not in PV or RPV-- er, Rancho Palos Verdes--, it becomes a bit of an inconvenience. The beach itself is a short walk from the resort itself to a picturesque cove.

The Huntington Beach Hyatt is just off the main drag of HB (a few blocks to the south), but you're still close enough to the downtown fun. And you can walk across PCH on a pedestrian bridge to get to the beach and watch the surfers (HB isn't a great swimming beach, but the surfing is incredible). The Hyatt itself is great. I've spoken at conferences there, and the public areas are gorgeous. I've also seen the rooms, and they're quite nice.

My own preference, if I were a visitor and had to balance kicking back with a little exploration of the area, would be the Hyatt. The Terranea is a bit too off the beaten path for me; any kind of excursion out of the resort becomes a major schlep, and PV isn't all that interesting (although it's really pretty).

I would stay at the Hyatt in Huntington Beach if I had two kids with me. They would be bored to death on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Pretty but remote.

wow - thank you both for the great info. Sounds like the Hyatt is the best choice with the kids.

I agree, I think Terranea is better for couples, weddings, special events... that sort of thing.

I would stay at the Hyatt - I stayed there a few years ago and had a great experience. We took our daughter, who was around your 10 year old age. They have this great fire in the evening - and you can roast samores <sp> walk across to the beach and we did go down to BJ's in Huntington to have dinner one night. Enjoy.