Best Motel: Sea Sprite
The Sea Sprite Motel epitomizes old Hermosa.
The Sea Sprite may be the last family owned and operated oceanfront motel in Southern California. It is almost certainly the only oceanfront motel where one can stay for under $200 a night.
“I hate to raise rates because I don’t want to price out families that have been coming her for generations,” owner Daryl Greenwald said. The downside to the low rates is that reservations between Memorial Day and Labor Day need to be made at least a year in advance.
In contrast to other Southern California beachfront accommodations, the Sea Sprite remains largely unchanged since Daryl’s father and uncle swapped it for a car dealership three decades ago. And that’s the way the Greenwald family and their guests plan to keep it.
“Our guests come from all over the world. But they aren’t looking for a stuffy hotel where they have to put on a suit to go down to the lobby. Our guests are the kind of people who want to get out of their dress suits and into swim suits,” Greenwald said.
1016 The Strand, Hermosa Beach
(310) 376-6933. SeaSpriteMotel.com
Runner-up: Grand View Inn
55 14th St, Hermosa Beach. (310) 374-8981. gvinn.com