Portuguese Bend Cove Beach

Located in the southern part of Palos Verdes Peninsula coastline, Portuguese Bend Cove Beach is a rocky beach situated near Portuguese Bend, which is one of the last major stretches of natural vegetation in the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The beach is located near the South Bay Archery Club. The name ‘Portuguese Bend’ comes from the Portuguese whalers who operated in this region during the 19th century.

Portuguese Bend Cove Beach offers no lifeguards or other amenities except washrooms and walking trails.

Portuguese Bend Cove Beach offers many fun activities including hiking, tide pooling, surfing, beach walking, fishing, wildlife watching, boogie boarding, surfing, surf skimming, and bodysurfing. Portuguese Bend Cove Beach is known to have strong water currents, so it’s best to be careful when heading into the water. The water near the beach is home to seals, sea-lions, dolphins, and migrating whales. You can often catch seals resting along with the rock formations near the beach. To the west of the beach is Inspiration Point which can be explored during low tide and has many tunnels and sea caverns. You can also fish at Inspiration Point – the popular catches here include salt, croaker, preach, corbina, and halibut.

The beach area can be accessed from the paid parking lot of the nearby Abalone Cove Shoreline Park situated at 5970 Palos Verdes Drive South, from where you can walk to Portuguese Bend Cove Beach.

An interesting attraction nearby is the Portuguese Bend Reserve, which has interesting volcanic rock formations. The land at Portuguese Bend Reserve is constantly changing due to geological instability, making hiking here a unique experience. The flora and fauna in the reserve have unique biodiversity. There are unique varieties of common bird species such as orange-crowned warblers which are only found here.

If you're looking for a restaurant, I-Naba Steakhouse is 22 minutes away by car and offers a great Japanese-American fusion fine dining experience, and serves excellent steaks. A more family-friendly option is Giorgio’s Restaurant which offers great pasta, veal parmigiana, and fantastic Italian seafood dishes. A modestly priced dining option is The Beach Hut which offers great breakfast dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Portuguese Bend Cove Beach, there are many great options. The nearby 5-Star Terranea Resort offers many amenities including a restaurant, a pool, a hot tub, a fitness center, and a spa. The 3-Star Best Western Plus Redondo Beach Inn is situated 25 minutes away and offers many amenities including a pool, an in-house cafe, a fitness center, and a hot tub. The modestly priced Manhattan Inn & Suites is another good option.