Written by Jason Kritzberg on May 14th, 2021
With summer creeping around the corner and weather heating up, you might be wondering where to escape the high temps. Thankfully, California is the best place you could be. Not only does California have an amazing and diverse culture, architecture, cuisine, and recreation; California also boasts the most exquisite beaches on the Pacific!
Just an hour away from Downtown Los Angeles and less then 30 minutes away from the San Fernando Valley is Malibu. A star studded beach town with canyons, waterfalls, grasslands, beach front estates, and gourmet eats, Malibu hosts some of the most amazing beaches you can visit. Follow this list below to see where you’re going on your next beach day!
Malibu Surfrider Beach
Malibu Surfrider Beach is a recreational beach known for its amazing surfing conditions and the famous Malibu Pier for saltwater fishing and gourmet dining. Here, you will find many paddle boarders, kayakers, boating enthusiasts, and surfers (hence the name, Surfrider). Malibu Pier, located on the same beach, is an awesome place to grab a bite to eat mid beach day at local favorites Malibu Farm and Malibu Pier Cafe. This beach is also centrally located to the Malibu Country Mart, where you will find even more dining and shopping!
Point Dume
Just down the coast, you are met with Point Dume! This beach definitely attracts the crowd that likes a little more seclusion, while still soaking up the sun. Point Dume boasts bluff trails, views, and ancient sand dune! Point Dume is a promontory on the coast of Malibu, California that juts out into the Pacific Ocean. The point, a long bluff, forms the northern end of the Santa Monica Bay. Point Dume Natural Area affords a vista of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Santa Catalina Island. Zuma lies to its immediate northwest. And speaking of Zuma, that’s next on our list so keep reading!
Zuma Beach
About 10 minutes away from Point Dume is Zuma, a large stretch of sand that goes on for miles. The beach has wide sandy beaches, great surfing conditions, clean water conditions, and lifeguards on duty. It consistently ranks among the healthiest beaches for clean water conditions in Los Angeles County. The beach is also close by to the Trancas Country Market, where you have multiple dining options and a gourmet supermarket, Vintage Grocers. Come on the right day and you can get smoked bbq meat sandwiches, made to order!
The origin of the name of the beach may be related to the origin of the name of nearby [promontory] Point Dume. Point Dume was named by George Vancouver in 1793 in honor of Padre Francisco Dumetz of Mission San Buenaventura. The name was misspelled on Vancouver’s map as “Dume” and was never corrected. On a plat map of the Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit finally confirmed to new owner Matthew Keller in August 1870, the point is marked on the map as “Point Zuma or Duma”.
A Note From Stephen White
Malibu is an amazing place to visit for a beach day; however, Malibu is way more than its beaches. Malibu is known to have the most beautiful beachfront and mountain estates, with sweeping views for miles. If you are ready to be among the star-studded community here in Malibu, give my office a call to get started. To learn even more about Malibu and its hotspots, watch our Malibu City Tour, below!
