A Fab Afternoon in Malibu California
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If you find yourself in LA or Santa Barbara and want to take a little drive along the PCH (i.e., Pacific Coast Highway or Highway 1), here is my recommendation for a fun afternoon in Malibu, California!
Recently, I found myself in Carpinteria, California, which is about 15 minutes south of Santa Barbara. With a free solo day on a Sunday, I contacted my Los Angeles resident daughter to see if she wanted to meet for lunch. She did! Guess what world famous beach town was sort of halfway between us… you’re right! Malibu, California… home to certain Barbie and Ken dolls of the 1970s, Frankie and Annette beach movies, Johnny Carson back in the day (I am nothing if not timely in my references), Pacific Ocean views, surfers, beautiful beaches, and celebrities!
We met for lunch at OLLO Malibu (23750 Pacific Coast Highway). OLLO touts itself as a family purveyor of locally sourced California cuisine with Mediterranean influences.
OLLO’s is located in a nice strip mall with conveinient parking. There was a big newstand in the strip mall, full of every magazine you could think of. A rarity these days. I was able to get an Archie’s comic book as a surprise for my 20somthing kid!
The resestaurant has a covered patio with heat lamps, and a large open dining room with bar. There is also a fireplace and TV.
It was a great atmosphere, with pleasant ambiant music, and the acoustics weren’t too loud, so it was easy to have a conversation (Yes, this seems more and more to be my top criteria for a restaurant these days!)
The food was very good! I had Crab Cake Benedict, and my daughter had fish tacos.
We hopped in the car and drove a mile to visit the Malibu Pier. Parking was a steep flat fee of $25. There didn’t seem to be other easy options, so we went for it. The pier has a great, classic vibe. Shops selling rafts, surfboards, and other beach gear. The restaurants (Malibu Farm and Malibu Farm Cafe) were packed and looked like a lot of fun, with good food.
There are great views of the beach and the coast from the pier, of course. The end of the Pier holds a fun shop, The Ranch at the Pier, selling knickknacks and artwork. The Farmers Cocktail Bar offers up delicious-looking concoctions.
After the delightful pier our plan was to visit the Malibu Country Mart for some shopping, or more likely some browsing. The Malibu Country Mart is a complex of buildings featuring high-end shopping and dining. Stores (that I recognized) included Brandy Melville and Starbucks 😀 There are lots of other clothing and home goods stores which I was interested in checking out.
Unfortunately, it was jam-packed when we arrived at about 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon. We couldn’t find parking and gave up. But it does look like a fun place to browse and see some stores and merchandise, which is different from the usual stuff we can find at our local mall!
Though I only had an afternoon to spend in Malibu, I want to come back to explore more! Here are some of the other places I found when I was researching where to go:
- Getty Villa Museum – Our old pal, J. Paul Getty’s collection of ancient Greek and Roman art with fabulous ocean views and beautiful gardens in this recreation of a Roman country house! They offer an afternoon Garden Tea which I’d love to check out!
- Point Dume Cove Trail – Though I’m not a huge hiker, this looks like a very do-able and fun trail. It’s only a 1.1 mile loop, and is supposed to offer some amazing views.
- Geoffrey’s Malibu – This restaurant was originally called “Holiday House” and was patronized by Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and JFK! It still looks like an amazing spot to visit. Every table is supposed to have an ocean view.
- Duke’s Malibu – Duke Kahanamoku won 6 Olympic swimming and water polo medals. He is also known as the father of modern-day surfing. There are 6 Dukes Restaurants now, 3 in Hawaii and 3 in Southern California. Dukes is famous for their Hula Pie dessert: Macadamia nut ice cream in a cookie crust, topped with hot fudge, whipped cream, and macadamia nuts!
- Malibu: Celebrity Homes, Beaches & History Tour – This highly rated 5-hour long open-air bus small group tour sounds like a really fun way to spend your afternoon in Malibu! It starts and ends in Santa Monica, so it’s perfect if you’re visiting L.A. without a car and/or want someone else to drive so you can enjoy the gorgeous views and not have to worry about the abysmal parking.
- Paradise Cove Beach Cafe – A reader just let me know about this gem with some tables actually on the sand of the beach. Looks like great food, and if you go on your birthday, you get a free 10-inch tall piece of cake! What’s not to like?
- Neptune’s Net – Another reader recommends this historic “beach shack” restaurant with great views. Check out this link for a list of movies it has been featured in.
Please let me know in the comments if you have suggestions for other cool places to check out for a fun afternoon in Malibu California!
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