Sun, surf, sand, sea—and no smog, come to Hermosa Beach, the center of Los Angeles County's South Bay coastline. Hermosa means beautiful in Spanish, and boy you can see why. White sand beaches and blue water. At Hermosa Beach there is 1 ½ miles of the prettiest, cleanest beach in Southern California. You can have fun with volleyball, paddleball, or beach ball, while creating a golden tan or toning up.

Hermosa is mostly known for volleyball, if you love to play this is were to go. Hermosa has been the home of several well known volleyball tournaments, both internationally and locally. you can almost always find people playing and enjoying the sport.

While walking, riding, or exploring Hermosa you may find a familiar land mark from the famous TV show Beverly hills 90210. On the corner of Hermosa and Manhattan beach is the beach house that was shot for the exterior view in the show.

Since I mentioned riding along the beach, there are several places to rent bikes, boards, roller blades, and many other things to stroll the beaches. In this particular area Redondo, Heremosa, and Manhattan beaches all connects and it is a joy to ride a bike or walk through them all and enjoy the shopping, scenary, and beach life in this area of LA. In Hermosa there s a nice paved road that is made for people to ride and walk, on one side of the road is the beach and the sand, and the other is the front doors of beach houses. I particularly like Hermosa because it is cleanest and the prettiest.

Just sitting on the beach enjoying the average weather of 70 degrees and getting a tan is what I preferred to do with my husband, but I have been here about three times and every other time I have rented a bike and rode around.

For a relaxing, and clean beach where you can play some volley ball or lay out, check out Hermosa, you might even catch a volleyball tournament.

Hermosa Beach has a problem with not enough parking on busy summer days. Other than that, it's a handy beach with shopping and restaurants adjacent to the central pier area. The town's business district parallels the beach, as well--so even if you're not near the pier, you have access to a various stores and dining opportunities. A wide, concrete path for biking, jogging, skating and strolling extends the entire length of Hermosa Beach. This path gets a bit crowded at times--and not just with tourists on the weekends, either. The local residents love their recreation path, and it's especially busy in the mornings before work, and in the evenings when the people get home. Hermosa Beach has a funny little pier. It's a modern, concrete pier, but it's rather short, and there's no restaurant at the end of it, like most of the metro area piers have, nor is there a restroom on the pier.

On the beach near the pier are numerous, permanently-set-up volleyball nets--Hermosa Beach is a big "beach volleyball" town, and both pro and amateur tournaments are held here from time to time. The beach itself is wide, and its sand is white and clean. It's a fine beach for swimming, as well. You can stroll onto the plaza across from the beach and pier areas without having to cross a busy street. The plaza is wide enough to accommodate a crowd of visitors in the summer, and even an occasional band playing a concert. Several restaurants are located on this plaza, including the casual Cantina Real, which serves reasonably priced Mexican food. There are parking lots behind the buildings of the plaza, which serve both the businesses and the beach. These lots are quite adequate most of the year, but fill up quickly on busy summer weekends. The parking lot situation is the reason that I prefer to visit Hermosa Beach during the off-season.