Tucked along the shoreline just seven miles south of Los Angeles International Airport, the Redondo Beach area is an ideal place to soak up some Southern California beach culture while never going too far from the many tourist attractions that Los Angeles and Orange County have to offer.<BR><BR> Want to visit Hollywood or Beverly Hills or the Universal Studios? Less than a half hour to the north from Redondo. Disneyland or Knotts Berry Farm? Just a tad bit further to the south. Beaches, shopping and fun restaurants? Just look outside your hotel room if you're staying in Redondo.<BR><BR> After years of passing Redondo right by – it's a little bit off the freeway and does take a short drive on surface streets to get there – we made a point to book a hotel room with an oceanfront view of the beach at Redondo. In this case it was the Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach and Marina Hotel which is located just across the street from the epicenter of Redondo – the marinas and piers that were bustling the weekend we visited.