GREAT EATS HAWAII

Monday, December 17, 2012

THE LINKS AT TERRANEA

THE LINKS AT TERRANEA

TERRANEA RESORT

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA

THE LINKS AT TERRANEA

TERRANEA RESORT

100 TERRANEA WAY

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA 90275

310-265-2800

Rated #2 out of the Top 10 Par 3 9-Hole Courses, the Links at Terranea does not disappoint. The course is beautiful and challenging. The views are amazing and I did lose a few balls on this Par 3 Course. The staff was exceptionally friendly. Stu at the Pro Shop really made us feel special and welcome during our stay. He answered questions and let us know that we were valued guests of the Links. Really appreciate Stu's attitude and service. Really want to return to Terranea and play this course again.

MAGNIFICENT VIEWS OF CATALINA ISLAND AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN

THE BOSS TEE'S OFF

BUNKERS PROTECT THE GREENS

The Links at Terranea is a dramatic 9-hole par 3 Southern California oceanfront golf course, with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. This is no ordinary 9-hole par 3 course; rather, it is a collection of 9 championship-caliber par-3 holes, masterfully routed and integrated with each other and the natural surroundings. Artful bunkering, unobstructed sightlines and a wide range of classic strategic elements combine to give our Southern California coastal golf course every bit of the "wow" factor you would expect. he Links delivers a memorable experience - reasonably priced - that doesn't take all day to play. With tee placements from as much as 173 yards and a refreshing coastal breeze, the Southern California course offers an experienced golfer the opportunity to play every type of short and mid-range shot imaginable, and the new golfer an inviting setup. An expansive short game practice facility and professional instruction allow you to improve the most important part of the game in a spectacular setting.

The Golf House, located on the east side of the Resort, offers golf accessories, premium rental clubs, walking carts and a selection of golf and resort-casual apparel. A relaxed outdoor seating area is the perfect place to count scores and enjoy a beverage and the ocean views.

Awards

2nd Place - Top 10 Par-3 Courses - Golf Magazine
2009 Development of the Year, U.S. Courses - Golf Inc.
Best New Courses of 2009 - LINKS Magazine

TERRANEA RESORT - RANCHO PALOS VERDES

TERRANEA RESORT

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA

TERRANEA RESORT

100 TERRANEA WAY

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA 90275

310-265-2800

www.terranea.com

Terranea is a magnificent resort nestled on the beautiful Rancho Palos Verdes Coast less than an hour from Los Angeles Airport. The resort takes you out of "reality" and into a Mediterranean village with spectacular views of the Pacific ocean and Catalina Island. The resort staff was friendly and gracious. From Check In to Check Out we were treated like guests of a great hotel. Everything was excellent here except for one incident with dining reservations that is detailed in another post on this blog.

TERRANEA RESORT

ENTRANCE TO TERRANEA IS SIMPLE BUT BEYOND THESE WALLS IS INCREDIBLE

TERRANEA HAS MAIN HOTEL PLUS CONDOS AND CASITAS

ENTRANCE LEADS TO UNOBSTRUCTED OCEAN VIEWS

LOBBY IS A BIT SMALL BUT VERY COMFORTABLE. SEATING IS AT A PREMIUM DURING PEAK TIMES OR WHEN THERE IS AN EVENT OR LIVE MUSIC

VIEW FROM TERRACE OFF THE MAIN LOBBY. CATALINA ISLAND IN THE DISTANCE.

LOBBY TERRACE HAS GREAT VIEWS, SEATING AND FIRE PLACES TO KEEP YOU WARM

TERRACE SEATING AND FIREPLACE

STAYING WARM ON A COLD EVENING AT TERRANEA

MAIN BUILDING OVERLOOKS THE POOL AND PACIFIC OCEAN

MAIN POOL HAS CABANAS AND WATER SLIDE

BEAUTIFUL VIEWS. CASITAS UNITS ABOVE

TRAILS LEAD TO TIDAL POOLS WITH VIEWS OF CATALINA ISLAND

WALKING TRAILS ALL ALONG THE PROPERTY LEAD TO GREAT VIEWS AND HIDEAWAYS

GROUNDS AND LANDSCAPING ARE BEAUTIFUL

BEAUTIFUL VIEWS OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES

ADULT POOL OVERLOOKS THE PACIFIC

MAIN SWIMMING POOL

CASITAS UNITS ALONG THE COAST

PRIVATE ENTRANCE TO CASITAS UNITS

CASITAS UNITS HAVE FIREPLACE AND SEATING IN FRONT OF EACH UNIT

CASITAS DOUBLE BED ROOM

CASITAS SMALL DESK AREA, REFRIGERATOR IN DRESSER AND FLAT SCREEN TV

Terranea History

In 1827, Don Dolores Sepulveda received an original land grant to Rancho de los Palos Verdes which supported several thousand heads of cattle and a flourishing hacienda. In 1913, the founding father of the Peninsula, Frank Vanderlip, bought the 16,000-acre Palos Verdes Peninsula, and embarked on a grand vision to develop the "Palos Verdes Project" into the most fashionable and exclusive residential colony in the nation. The first homes appeared in the region in 1924, two years before the historic Point Vicente Lighthouse was built.

Then, nearly 30 years later, Marineland of the Pacific opened in Palos Verdes in 1954. Marineland was the world's largest oceanarium featuring sea life, entertainment, and research facilities. Opening one year before Disneyland, many consider Marineland California's first major theme park, and it remained a major attraction to the area until it closed in 1987.

One of the guiding principles in the creation of Terranea was to weave it into the cultural, historical and social fabric of the Peninsula. In addition to embracing the classic Mediterranean architecture that defines the area, Terranea pays homage to the rich heritage of the site through the names of many amenities, such as The Catalina Room, Marineland Ballroom and The Vanderlip Suite. Nelson's was named after Mike Nelson, the character played by Lloyd Bridges in the television series Sea Hunt, which was filmed at Marineland in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

MAR' SEL - TERRANEA RESORT

MAR' SEL

TERRANEA RESORT

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA

TERRANEA RESORT

100 TERRANEA WAY

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA 90275

310-265-2836

http://www.terranea.com/marsel/index.php

HOURS: 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM

Wednesday thru Sunday

Was able to enjoy a great meal despite the fact that the Terranea Resort Staff did everything possible to keep us away. When we checked into the Terranea I visited the Dining Reservations Desk in the lobby of the hotel. I asked to make a reservation at Mar' Sel that evening. The desk clerk who had beautiful blue eyes informed me that the earliest time available was 9:00 PM. That does not work for us so I asked about the next night availability. Again she said 9:00 PM. She told me that we could be put on a waiting list and they would phone our room if a earlier time became available. I said please do and waited for her call. The first night passed without a call. I waited until around 3:00 PM on the second day and then called the hotels concierge. I explained that we were on a wait list for Mar' Sel for two nights and had not received a call. The concierge told me she would check with Dining Reservations and call me right back in our room. I waited and waited. No call. During this time I went online and was able to make a reservation for that same evening at 6:30 PM. How the Dining Desk and Concierge messed this up is beyond me. I expected more from what is billed as a five star resort. This was the only bad experience at Terranea. The rest of the stay was perfect. Now to Mar' Sel. Wow....one of the best dining experiences ever. Great service and food. The wait staff here is top notch. Always smiling, explaining the menu if you have questions and providing five star service. The Manager named Neil was a Prince. Came over to our table and introduced himself and asked if we were enjoying our meal. Yes Sir I told Neil. "This is great, fresh food and we love it". Neil was all smiles and asked that we call on him personally if we required anything. I was impressed not only with the service but also the food. We started by sharing the Endive Caesar Salad ($16). Our waiter split the salad onto two plates in the kitchen. There was more than enough for two people. The salad was unique in that it used Endive in place of Romaine Lettuce and included Prosciutto. The White Anchovies, Shaved Parmesan and Roasted Garlic Aioli added great flavors and texture to the salad. This salad was fantastic! Next up was the Grilled Spanish Octopus ($18). This was the most perfectly grilled Octopus on earth. Served with Chorizo, Fried Potatoes, Preserved Lemon, Piquillo Peppers and Salsa Verde. I asked the waitress how they can cook Octopus so perfectly and she explained that they use a $10,000 machine to pre-cook the Octopus to a perfect temperature. Then they simply lightly grill it before serving. The result is a soft and moist Octopus that melts in your mouth. Another fantastic dish. We also tried an appetizer that was Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter. Delicious. Just was not enough of them. The Mediterranean Branzino ($38) was a whole fish minus the head served with Roasted Butternut Squash Puree, Bloomsdale Spinach, Pomegranate and Brown Butter. Moist and delicious fish that the entire family loved. The Grilled Trout was actually just like Salmon. The fish was cooked to perfection, moist and delicious. Cannot say the same for the Pork Chop. Served with a smelly sauce that just ruined the dish. The Chop itself was a bit bland. The sauce was just too overpowering for me to recommend this dish. My wife and daughter loved the Lamb Shank. This huge piece of meat literally fell off the bone and was full of rich flavors. Served with a hugh pile of buttery Polenta. Dinner here was so good that we booked again for another night. Neil was more than happy to make a 6:30 PM reservation for us so we did not have to go through Dining Reservations or the Concierge. My hats off to the entire staff and chefs at Mar' Sel. Thank you for providing one of the best dining experiences ever.

MAR SEL

MAR' SEL AT TERRANEA RESORT - RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA

RICH INTERIOR WITH LARGE FIREPLACE FEELS LIKE A COZY LITTLE LODGE

HOUSE MADE ENGLISH MUFFINS WITH BUTTER AND SALT

ENDIVE CAESAR WAS DELICIOUS!

GRILLED OCTOPUS THAT WAS COOKED TO ABSOLUTE PERFECTION

LAMB SHANK WITH POLENTA

FRESH TROUT ON THE MENU BUT TASTED AND LOOKED LIKE SALMON

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI

MEDITERRANEAN BRANZINO

PORK CHOP WITH SOME TERRIBLE RED SAUCE

CATALINA KITCHEN - TERRANEA RESORT

CATALINA KITCHEN

TERRANEA RESORT

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA

CATALINA KITCHEN

TERRANEA RESORT

100 TERRANEA WAY

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA 90275

310-265-2800

http://www.terranea.com/southern-california-dining.php

HOURS: Breakfast 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Breakfast Buffet 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Lunch 12:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Dinner 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Enjoyed some really good meals at the Catalina Kitchen at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. During all of our visits the staff was friendly, efficient and professional. Service was excellent. For Breakfast I enjoyed the Huevos Rancheros ($16). The dish looked like a mess but tasted pretty good. Just a little bland and expensive for some tortillas and beans. My daughter loved the Hot Chocolate that was served with a nice topping of whipped cream. Her French Toast with Bananas and Peanut Butter was a big hit. She loved it. For lunch I went for a Margherita Pizza ($13). I liked the thin crust and fresh tomatoes. This was a pretty good size and tasting pizza for the price. My friend ordered the $17 Catalina Burger. The burger looked good and was served with a side salad. All that I could think about was that for $17 we could buy around 8 In N' Out Burgers. Can you believe that. Eight In N' Out Burgers for the price of one Catalina Burger. At dinner I splurged and ordered the Ahi Tartar ($16) and the Lobster Linguine ($34). The Ahi was a bit too sweet because of the sauce but delicious non the less. The Lobster Linguine was an expensive dish but included a nice size lobster tail. Could not get the English Peas and Arugula that was all over the dish. The pasta and lobster however were delicious. My friend loved the Pan Seared Pacific Salmon ($27). Overall I give Catalina Kitchen high marks for service and quality food. Prices reflect the location which is priceless.