During my last holidays in Los Angeles – visiting my brother who lives there since 5 years – I was many times in Malibu. It is such a small place, but has so much to offer that I think it is definitely worth collecting the best places to go and things to do.
Don’t pass by because your not finding a parking slot.
Entering Malibu via PCH1 can be a little bit stressful at first, because it is more or less a highway, cars driving quite fast and you have to look for a parking slot directly at the road. At weekends many times cars are waiting second line for a free spot, and they are really hard to find when the weather is nice. The second little adventure is crossing the road as a pedestrian. It can be dangerous and sometimes we waited around 5 minutes or longer if there is no traffic light near by. But all this is totally worth it, I promise!
First stop: Malibu Farm Pier Cafe / Restaurant
Especially during the week the cafe at the end of the pier is a beautiful place to have breakfast or brunch and hangout for some time. They offer delicious all-selfmade food, I had a mixture of super healthy beetroot shots, fresh orange juice and Swedish pancakes with fresh berries. I loved that. Super fresh, organic and tasty. You can sit outside and just relax with this really endless view on the beach and sea.
The restaurant is located at the entrance of the pier, I did not try the food there, but they should offer a similar quality compared to the cafe. The interior design is really cozy and stylish and you just wish to have a lot of time to relax on their sofas at the terrace.
Go hiking in the canyons and climb into Jim Morrison’s Cave
Just 10 minutes from here by car the nature is completely going wild und absolutely a must see. From Pacific Coast Highway turn onto Corral Canyon Road. It is a small, windy street that goes up and up. You have incredible views over the mountains and the Pacific Ocean the higher you get.
After around 5-10 minutes the street ends and you will find a small parking slot, from where you can start hiking different tours in different directions. For the Jim Morrison Cave you should take the trail directing to the south (opposite direction of the parking). Follow the trail, there is only one even though it looks like it is splitting sometimes.
After around 15minutes you should enter a plateau with big stones on the left side with graffitis on. In this area is the cave. I heard that the public entrance is closed since the beginning of May 2016, because of too many people spraying graffitis inside the cave, but you should give it a try.
To get inside you have to squeeze yourself through a quite narrow gap located in the north of the stones, the graffitis are telling you a little bit the way to the entrance. Once in there the smell of all the paint is quite strong, but the view over the landscape is amazing. You get an impression how Jim Morrison must have felt there, escaping from LA and writing his songs.
Beachtime at Paradise Cove
In the afternoon the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe offers a nice atmosphere to have a small picknick at the beach. You can order food there – the seafood is actually better than expected – or you just have some small side dishes.
I had my first Clam Chowder Bowl there which tasted quite good. The beach is super clean and organized – a really holiday like feeling. Order a fresh coconut and just relax…
Dinner and drinks in TheMoonshadows
For a more dinner-like atmosphere visit The Nobu or The Moonshadows. Especially for windy days it is perfect to sit behind the glass directly at the water. Both places are super-nice spots at the sea, also later in the evening for having some drinks.
Malibu is located very close to Santa Monica, which makes it absolutely an option to drive there just for a couple of hours to escape the city. Thinking of that makes me a little bit jealous of not having a „Malibu“-like place in Berlin, no sea, no mountains… But also makes me coming back to Malibu soon!
Loving all the recommendations, I’m headed to LA this weekend and need new places to check out in Malibu.
XO,
Maria
MariaOnPoint http://mariaonpoint.com/ | Find me on IG https://www.instagram.com/mariajabad/