El Matador Beach(Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach)

El Matador Beach, located in Los Angeles County, is one of three beaches that make up the Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach (the other two are El Pescador Beach and La Piedra Beach). Nestled along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway, El Matador Beach, or “El Mat,” is known for its picturesque rock formations, golden sands, and is located below dramatic oceanfront bluffs that are lined with very expensive multimillion-dollar homes that, in some cases, exceed $30 million.

The beach has been named as the 11th best beach in “Top 50 Beaches of the United States” list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as “Mr. Beach.” Managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, El Matador Beach is also celebrated by Lonely Planet as one of the top beaches in the U.S., and it’s often recognized as one of Los Angeles’s best beaches. Visitors can enjoy the beach daily from 8 am until sunset.

During the summer, lifeguards are stationed at El Matador Beach, as well as on holidays and certain weekends. The blufftop area offers basic amenities like picnic tables and portable restrooms. Dogs are not allowed here.

El Matador Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, hiking, tidepooling, fishing, swimming, surfing, bodyboarding, skimboarding, bodysurfing, jet skiing, boating, scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching.  

Bodyboarders and bodysurfers occasionally visit El Matador Beach during manageable water conditions – this beach is also popular with scuba divers and snorkelers, who visit it to explore the nearby underwater kelp beds.

If you are planning to surf, swim, kayak, or canoe here, we recommend being careful because the water here has rip currents and it also has large waves during summers and winters. In addition, the underwater rocks near the beach also make water activities unsafe here.   

The rocky formations, arches, and sea caves make this beach a favorite for photographers, especially at sunrise or sunset when the lighting creates stunning photo opportunities. Tide pools filled with starfish and sea anemones are best explored at low tide.

For those looking to escape the crowds, the northern side of the beach offers quieter spots, perfect for a serene experience or a photography session against El Matador Beach’s iconic rock formations.

El Matador Beach does not have wheelchair access.

Getting to El Matador Beach is easy – the paid parking lot – that holds approximately 30 cars and charges $8 – is located near 32200 Pacific Coast Highway and it is identifiable through a signpost. This parking lot is located 10 miles to the west of Malibu. Once you park here, you need to walk along a nearby steep, long, and rocky walking trail that leads you to a three-part staircase, which in turn takes you down to the beach. 

In addition to the paid parking lot, there are also free street parking spaces along Pacific Coast Highway – once you park at these spaces, you can easily walk to the trail for this beach. However, if you are planning to park along the street here, we recommend being careful because crossing an active highway can be dangerous – we also recommend you follow the parking and no parking signs to avoid expensive parking tickets and tow zones. 

It’s best to arrive early, especially during summer weekends when the beach can get crowded. Checking the weather and tide conditions for El Matador Beach in advance is recommended since high tide can cause some areas to become waterlogged.

This beach has been featured in many movies including the popular Ryan Gosling movie The Notebook and the 2020 movie Fatal Affair.

There are many attractions near El Matador State Beach within a 25-minute- drive. Paramount Ranch is a part of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and this ranch was leased by Paramount Pictures in 1927 for shooting films – visitors can see remnants of the film sets used in the shooting of the television shows Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Westworld. 

In addition, this ranch also offers many other fun activities including biking, horse riding, picnicking, hiking, and wildlife watching. The Adamson House was built in 1929 and it has many interesting designs that are created from beautiful tiles – it was designed by architect Stiles O. Clements and it also has amazing gardens. There is also a museum near this house named the Malibu Lagoon Museum – it offers a unique insight into the history of Malibu. 

Leo Carrillo State Park is a state park that was named after eminent actor and conservationist Leo Carrillo and it has multiple beaches including South Beach, North Beach, Staircase Beach, and County Line Beach. This state park offers many fun activities including tidepooling, fishing, scuba diving, surfing, hiking, wildlife watching, and camping – this park has been featured in many television series and movies including Better Call Saul, the TV show Orange County, and The Usual Suspects. 

Malibu Pier is a beautiful historic pier that was built around 1905 and it offers amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and the southern California shoreline. This pier is also popular with fishermen and many surfers also surf nearby – it also has restaurants and shopping stores. If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Point Dume is a large and famous promontory – the area around it has a diverse coastal biodiversity and you can see many kinds of animals while visiting here. The top of the promontory offers amazing views of the southern California shoreline, the Pacific Ocean, and the Catalina Islands and it is also a popular rock-climbing site.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near El Matador State Beach. Sabor a Malibu is a food truck that serves excellent Mexican dishes including burritos, quesadillas, fries, burgers, tacos, fish and chips, and hot dogs. Geoffrey's Malibu is an upscale waterfront restaurant that offers many amazing dishes for lunch and dinner including soups, salads, seafood, steak, and chicken dishes. Kristy’s Village Cafe offers many amazing dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner including pasta, seafood, burger, sandwiches, steaks, and Asian dishes.  The Sunset Restaurant has a relaxed ambiance and it offers many amazing dishes for lunch and dinner including seafood, chicken dishes, salads, tacos, pasta, and steaks. If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Neptune’s Net is an immensely popular restaurant that is known for serving outstanding seafood baskets and it also serves delicious burgers, sandwiches, and its famous clam chowder – it has also been featured in many movies and television shows including The Fast and the Furious, Point Break, and Gossip Girl. 

If you are looking for a hotel near El Matador State Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 25-minute drive. Nobu Ryokan Malibu is an upscale adults-only hotel that has Japanese-inspired architecture and it has beautiful landscaping with local plants – it offers many amenities including a zen rock fountain, stone pathways, a spa, a nearby restaurant, a racquet club, a sundeck with ocean views, a fitness center, and in-room spa treatments. 

The 4-Star Malibu Beach Inn is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a spa, a fitness center, a beach club, a gift shop, and a restaurant. Another popular upscale hotel is the 4-Star Surfrider Hotel Malibu that has an interesting surf culture inspired-ambiance, and offers many amenities including a guests-only restaurant, watersporting equipment and beach equipment loaner facilities, surfboard and wetsuit storage facilities, and a shower – the hotel was also listed in Condé Nast Traveler’s “Gold List” of “Best Hotels In The World” in 2020 and 2021. 

A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Malibu Country Inn that offers many amenities including a pool, an outdoor courtyard, and a restaurant. If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, The M Malibu is a 2-Star hotel – this hotel was one of the first motels to be built in Malibu and it offers many amenities including a pool and a sundeck with lounge chairs.