The Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club

My boyfriend & I stayed at The Portofino last weekend which was recommended by good friends - what a great find right here in LA county - you feel like you are on a retreat! Beautiful rooms, we booked an Ocean Premier and the front desk staff gave us a third floor room which faces the ocean and has a balcony. Blues, yellows, whites, large bathroom with marble. It was super comfortable and really nice for a relaxing retreat. They have these really cute stuffed seals which you can purchase and the money supports a marine mammal rehab center. We couldn't resist! We had dinner at their restaurant Baleen which is in a seperate building with views of all the beautiful sailboats & yachts. Started off with a martini in the lounge (dreaming of a yacht one day!!) and then went into the dining room...hip design, dark woods sleek feeling...loved it. I had the Cioppino which was delicious, started off with the scallops. Presentation was beautiful. My boyfriend had the BLT salad. Oh my! You have never tasted bacon like this before. Then he had the spiced short ribs which were equally finger licking good. The servicer made great recommendations and was super attentive. I highly recommend this hotel - I think it's a great find and we will be back!

Pros: Delicious food, friendly staff

Posted 03/22/09

Very disappointed. Paid $350/night (incl. parking) for an "oceanside" room, but this hotel simply is not in the $350/night league.

First "oceanside" room they gave us a small room that looked out onto a stone wall over a concrete wall. After paying an "upgrade fee" the next one they gave us had a strong chemical smell - even after opening windows and spraying cologne. Next room they gave us had no heat - after the staff reset the unit and promised it would warm up slowly, we went to bed with sweaters on and froze. Didnt sleep well at all.

Staff was not sympathetic at all, and really a bit rude.

Also - the bathrooms all (at least oceanside) contain earplugs for the noise of the Seals barking. Cute for about 5 minutes, then becomes very very annoying.

Worst hotel experience in recent memory - and Ive done a lot of travelling.

Posted 11/07/07

Worst Restaurant Experience ever!!!!!!!!
Thought I'd try out this place, i was shocked when i saw all of the fruit files throughout the entire restaurant. The waiter didn't seem to care to do his job, forgetting cutlery for desert and coffee which was cold and literally walking away from us and no one in sight barely to even swat all of the flies away, forgetting our meal, forgetting water, my wine, the place actually smelled really bad too ;p All of the pictures don't reflect the food either, they changed the way they cook and prepare the food, If you value being treated with class or even acknowledgment than go to the nearest Cheesecake factory or even McDonalds, they're much cleaner and friendlier, they rarely forget your cutlery, the extra ingredients for the desert and drinks!!!! Horrible Experience EVER!!

Pros: NONE

Cons: Flies, poor service, unsanitary environment, scandalous staff

Posted 06/29/07

One great thing about LA is that you can indulge in a "getaway" without having to go far. For us, Redondo Beach is an hour drive from home, but a world away from the noisiness of living in LA. My husband and I have been here twice and enjoyed a jacuzzi room both times. The tubs with their ocean or harbor view window were wonderful. The last time, we were in a room next to an extremely loud and vulgar group there for a wedding. We could here them through the wall. My husband requested a room change. I didn't expect them to move us as the hotel had a lot of wedding guests, but we were moved to a jacuzzi room within 10 minutes. We'll be going back this year when the stress hits unbearable levels, I'm sure.

Pros: Location, Helpful staff

Posted 03/08/06

We received a wedding gift of a night in an oceanfront room. Although my brother-in-law had been to visit the rooms and explained that the room was a gift for our wedding night, we were placed in a room next to a group of partying prom kids. The room was 1/2 of an adjoining suite, with only a set of double doors seperating us from the kids. We asked for another room. The front desk offered to call security. We said that we would just prefer another room and the desk clerk said that he would call back. He never did. We called again, and were told that the hotel was full. We told the clerk that we would like to check out, after having spent 20 minutes in the room, and he informed us that we might not be entitled to a refund; we eventually did get one.

Posted 06/22/05