Portofino Hotel

On our lists of the best romantic restaurants, restaurants with a view and activities in Los Angeles.

Mary Davis, a racecar enthusiast, opened this as the Portofino Inn in 1962, and it quickly became a hangout for racing names like Peter Revson; in 1971 the hotel served as the finish line for the first Cannonball Run cross-country race. It's still the only hotel in Redondo Beach with both ocean and marina frontage, docking 181 boats and looking out on a resident colony of sea lions. Guests can rent kayaks and paddleboards from the on-site Dockside Adventure Center or book a sail on the hotel's own catamaran, the El Rey.