Splurge Hotels · Los Angeles & Long Beach
The best rooms near LA’s two terminals are on the coast, not by the ships. Terranea is the one Four Diamond, Forbes Four-Star resort within reach, 11 miles from the LA cruise port, and it prints nothing for cruisers. For Carnival, the Queen Mary and The Maya are the nice nights that also handle the morning.
We looked for the nicest places to stay before a cruise from San Pedro or Long Beach. Two of the six also make our top 20, because they publish the cruise details; the other four are the better rooms, and the morning is yours to arrange. Tap the night you’re after and the pick lights up.
Two are AAA Four Diamond for 2026, and one is also Forbes Four-Star. Nothing near either terminal is Five Diamond, and we say so rather than stretch.
The area's one AAA Four Diamond and Forbes Four-Star resort, on the Palos Verdes cliffs 11 miles from the LA cruise port. The cruise part is yours to arrange.
Sleep aboard the Queen Mary and walk to your Carnival ship next door, with your bags handled on the Stay & Cruise package.
A resort on the water a mile from the Carnival terminal, with its own sand beach and the terminal shuttle built into the nightly fee.
Redondo's only true oceanfront hotel, by its own claim, with a balcony on every room. Nothing for cruisers, and a $39.95 nightly fee.
Suites on The Strand, 25 feet from the sand, with a fireplace in every one, free breakfast and no resort fee.
AAA Four Diamond with its own 9-hole golf course, 3.6 miles from LAX. The fly-in splurge; the ship is a drive south.
Hover or tap a hotel to light its column. Green is on offer, gold comes with a cost or a catch, grey isn’t there or isn’t stated.
| Feature | Terranea | The Queen Mary | The Maya | The Portofino | Beach House Hermosa | westdrift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAA rating | Four Diamond, since 2010 | Not on AAA's 2026 Diamond lists | Not on AAA's 2026 Diamond lists | Not on AAA's 2026 Diamond lists | Not on AAA's 2026 Diamond lists | Four Diamond, since 2018 |
| Forbes Travel Guide | Four-Star; Four-Star spa | — | — | — | — | — |
| On the beach | No; oceanfront cliffs | No; docked in the harbor | Its own sand beach, 6,500 sq ft | Oceanfront; not a sand beach | On The Strand, 25 ft from the sand | No; inland in Manhattan Beach |
| Restaurant | mar'sel, Catalina Kitchen, Bashi, Nelson's | The Chelsea; Promenade Cafe | Fuego | BALEENkitchen | — | Three restaurants, per Marriott |
| Bar or drinks | Lobby Bar and Terrace; Solviva | Observation Bar | Fuego; pool bar | BALEENlounge; The Living Room Bar | — | Jute Coastal Bar |
| Spa | 50,000 sq ft oceanfront spa | — | — | Partner spa, 0.5 mi | Sand Spa, by appointment | — |
| Breakfast | Not stated | Not stated | Paid | Paid | Free continental | Not stated |
| Kitchen | — | — | — | In the Extended Stay Suites | Kitchenette in every suite | — |
| Resort fee | $75 a night | None stated | $30 + tax a night | $39.95 a night | None | Not stated |
| Parking | $75 valet; cruise parking not stated | $39 a night; cruise parking seasonal | In the Bon Voyage package | $43 a night; cruise parking not stated | $46 valet; cruise parking not stated | $48 self, $58 valet |
| Shuttle to the port | — | Next door: walk | Shuttle in the $30 fee | — | — | — |
| Distance to the port | 11 miles | Next door | 1 mile | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Only two of the six publish the ride. The Maya’s nightly fee includes a shuttle to the Long Beach terminal, and the Queen Mary is next door to it. Both are for Carnival. Sailing from San Pedro, every splurge here means booking a car for the morning.
The fees add up. Terranea charges a $75 nightly resort fee and $75 valet, the Portofino $39.95 and $43, The Maya $30. Beach House Hermosa is the one that charges no resort fee and includes breakfast.
Driving and want a printed number? The Guest Harbor Inn, No. 4 in our top 20, charges $10 a day to leave the car near the San Pedro terminal.
| Hotel | Why it isn’t in the six |
|---|---|
| Shade Redondo Beach | 54 rooms on the King Harbor waterfront, with balcony soaking tubs in the suites and a rooftop pool. No rating, $45 valet, and its pages give no address or anything for cruisers. |
| The Westin Long Beach | Marriott calls the Queen Mary "just steps away". A good downtown hotel rather than a splurge: no rating, no shuttle, $49 parking. |
| The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey | AAA Four Diamond and Forbes Four-Star, but north of LAX, the wrong side of the airport for either terminal. We didn't check its cruise details. |
| The Resort at Pelican Hill | The nearest AAA Five Diamond, in Newport Coast, a long drive from either terminal. We didn't check its cruise details. |
| Huntington Beach’s Four Diamond hotels | The Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, Pasea and The Waterfront Beach Resort are all AAA Four Diamond for 2026. We haven't checked their cruise details yet. |
By the ratings, Terranea. It's the area's one resort that's both AAA Four Diamond and Forbes Four-Star, on the Palos Verdes cliffs 11 miles from the LA cruise port by its count, with four pools and a 50,000-square-foot spa. It publishes nothing for cruisers, so arrange the ride yourself. westdrift in Manhattan Beach is the other Four Diamond, and the better pick if you're landing at LAX.
No. AAA's 2026 Five Diamond list has nothing in the South Bay, Palos Verdes or Long Beach. The nearest are in Orange County, such as The Resort at Pelican Hill and Montage Laguna Beach, and Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. Terranea is the only Forbes-rated hotel near either terminal.
Mostly not. The Maya's $30 nightly fee includes a shuttle to the Long Beach terminal, and the Queen Mary is next door to Carnival, with luggage service in its Stay & Cruise package. Terranea, the Portofino, Beach House Hermosa and westdrift mention no cruise shuttle; book a car for the morning.
Rarely, with a price. The Maya includes up to 7 nights of parking in its Carnival Bon Voyage package, price unpublished, and the Queen Mary's multi-day parking is seasonal. The other four say nothing about it. Both terminals' own parking is $23 a day.
Yes. Its site cites a 2023 reopening and lists 300 guest rooms in Art Deco staterooms and suites. It sits beside the Carnival terminal and ranks seventh in our top 20.
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