Villa Graziadio Executive Center at Pepperdine University

You stay on the Pepperdine University campus, above the Pacific and away from the usual beachfront hotel formula. Villa Graziadio Executive Center has 32 rooms, modern facilities and the practical feel of a university conference hotel rather than a resort built around poolside lounging.

The English-speaking hotel team makes communication straightforward from the start. You also have air conditioning, heating, free WiFi, private parking and a 24-hour front desk, which covers the basics neatly when your day has involved airports, coastal roads or a good deal of time outdoors.

The campus is alcohol-free and drug-free. That shapes the evening: this is a place for a quiet meal, a terrace and an early night rather than cocktails at the hotel bar.

The address is in Malibu, California, at 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, on the Pepperdine University campus. The hotel sits above the main campus in the Santa Monica Mountains, with views towards the Pacific and the surrounding hills. You are close to the coast, but not directly on the sand; Malibu's beaches are a short drive away.

Malibu Lagoon State Beach is about 3 miles away by road, while Corral State Beach is around 5 miles away. Paradise Cove Beach is roughly 5 miles away. The setting also gives you quick access to green spaces, including Solstice Canyon at about 3.5 miles and Malibu Creek State Park at around 9 miles by road.

The nearest useful spread of cafés and restaurants is a short drive away. Ollo and Sparrow Cafe are each around 2.5 miles away by road, while Rafi Lounge is about 4 miles away. Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park are roughly 15 miles away, and downtown Los Angeles is under an hour away in normal conditions.

The room choice is mainly about the view and the balcony rather than about accommodating a group. Rooms are set up for two people with a king-size bed, while the Ocean View Balcony and Premiere Ocean View Balcony options are the ones to look at when the Pacific matters more than simply having somewhere to sleep.

Mountain-view and balcony options give you a different angle on the campus and the Santa Monica Mountains. Accessible rooms are available, with wheelchair access, raised toilets, grab rails, lower bathroom sinks and an emergency bathroom cord. A lift serves the building, which is useful when you are travelling with luggage that has already had enough of the stairs.

For the practical business of recovering overnight, rooms include air conditioning, a refrigerator, a TV with streaming services and DirecTV programming, Illy coffee service, a wardrobe and a proper work area with an ergonomic chair. USB charging and easy-to-reach power sockets save you from hunting behind furniture. Bathrooms have walk-in showers, robes, a make-up mirror and a hairdryer. Daily housekeeping keeps the arrangement simple, and free WiFi covers the room and the wider property.

Food here follows the campus timetable rather than the all-day resort model. Waves Café, known on campus as 'the Caf', serves breakfast and lunch as a buffet, with a choice of dishes and dietary accommodations. The breakfast formula is continental, while the wider catering includes vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergen-friendly options.

Drescher Cafe is connected to the Villa and serves breakfast and lunch with fresh food inspired by the local area. It opens from 7:30 to 14:00 on weekdays, so it is useful for a morning start or a midday meal, but it is not an evening dining room. The pace is practical: eat, refuel and get on with the day.

Nature's Edge Market sits beside Waves Café and handles snacks and drinks, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and organic choices. Continuous snacking is available, which matters when lunch has drifted later than planned. Malibu's restaurants provide the evening outing, while the university's alcohol-free campus keeps the hotel itself firmly on the sensible side of the night.

The terrace, outdoor seating and picnic area give you somewhere to sit outside without turning relaxation into a scheduled activity. With the campus above the Pacific and the Santa Monica Mountains around it, the natural follow-on is an easy change of scenery rather than another indoor facility.

You can use the hotel as a base for hiking and cycling in the surrounding area, with Solstice Canyon, Alumni Park and Legacy Park nearby. Malibu Creek State Park, Mesa Peak and Century Lake widen the choice if you have a car and want a longer outing. Golf, horse riding, fishing, windsurfing and snorkelling are also available away from the property.

The hotel can also support excursions around Malibu and the coastal Los Angeles region. That suits a couple who want to divide a stay between the sea, the hills and a little sightseeing, without pretending that every afternoon needs an organised programme. Luggage storage and a 24-hour front desk make the comings and goings less fiddly.

Free private parking is available on site, with electric-vehicle charging and additional parking options in Lots R and S. Fourteen spaces are directly in front of the Villa, and the campus is reached through an entrance gate with visitor-badge access. A level route to parking Lot S supports accessible access; the route from Lot R to the main entrance involves around 50 steps.

Los Angeles International Airport is about 21 miles away by road. Allow roughly 45 minutes to an hour for the journey, depending on traffic. Santa Monica Airport is around 17 miles away by road, and Van Nuys Airport around 24 miles. There is no airport shuttle listed, so your arrival plan needs to account for the campus location and Los Angeles traffic.

Check-in is listed from 15:00, while the booking conditions give an arrival window of 16:00 to midnight. Check-out is listed until 12:00, and luggage storage is available afterwards. You need photo identification and a credit card at check-in; cash is not accepted. The minimum check-in age is 25, children of any age are welcome, cots and extra beds are not available, and parties are not permitted.

The catering focuses on fresh, local and sustainable ingredients, with responsible and organic sourcing practices. That approach runs through the campus food offer, from the main buffet to the market beside it, where organic and special-diet options are part of the selection.

There is no grand environmental badge to quote here. The useful detail is the purchasing policy: the kitchen works with fresh ingredients and gives you vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergen-friendly choices across the campus food outlets.