The Best Beach Clubs in Malibu & Los Angeles This Summer

Los Angeles has always had a complicated relationship with its coastline — it’s everywhere and somehow still inaccessible, a backdrop to everything and yet the most coveted seat in the city. The beach clubs along the Malibu and Santa Monica shoreline operate as the most exclusive expression of that dynamic: some require a waitlist measured in years, others a membership buy-in that rivals a down payment, and a few are available to the right hotel guest at the right moment. All of them offer something that no amount of money can simply manufacture — a private stretch of California coastline in summer, with the service to match.

These are the best beach clubs in Malibu and Los Angeles right now.

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The Private Membership Clubs

Little Beach House Malibu

Photo Credit: Little Beach House Malibu@sohohousecalifornia

No beach club in Los Angeles carries the cultural weight of Little Beach House Malibu, Soho House’s standalone outpost occupying 200 feet of oceanfront on Carbon Beach, wedged between Nobu and the Malibu Beach Inn on what locals still call Billionaire’s Beach. Getting in requires more than a standard Soho House membership — existing members must apply separately for the Malibu Plus add-on, and Malibu locals reportedly have a real say in who gets approved, making it one of the only Soho Houses in the world with its own distinct vetting process. Inside, hidden nooks, contemporary art, and a meat-and-seafood-heavy all-day menu create the sense of a beach house that happens to belong to several hundred of your closest friends, if those friends included half the creative industry’s West Coast contingent.

Jonathan Beach Club

Built in 1927 by architect Gene Verge Sr., Jonathan Beach Club is the beachfront annex of the broader Jonathan Club, whose main social and athletic clubhouse sits downtown — but the Santa Monica beach facility is authentically its own institution, not just branding. With roughly 3,600 members, it’s the largest private club of its kind in Los Angeles, and membership was men-only until 1987. The two-story oceanfront clubhouse includes three dining outlets, a penthouse terrace, and a “Sand Deck” that seats 300 directly on the sand, alongside a members-only sandbar on the beach itself. Initiation is reported at roughly $45,000 plus monthly dues — a real barrier to entry, but one that has kept the club exactly as exclusive as it was nearly a century ago.

Bel-Air Bay Club

Bel-Air Bay Club spans 14 oceanfront acres in Pacific Palisades, split between an Upper Club — a 1920s Mediterranean mansion bookable for weddings and events by non-members — and a Lower Club, the private beachfront facility with roughly a quarter-mile of sand reserved for members. Equity buy-in for the Lower Club runs approximately $85,000, the highest of any beach club on this list, plus roughly $500 in monthly dues, with cabana waitlists common among the membership. The club withstood the January 2025 Palisades Fire that devastated much of the surrounding area, though its full post-fire operating status should be confirmed directly with the club before publishing, given how close and severe that fire was to this exact stretch of coastline.

Calamigos Beach Club

Part of the Calamigos Private Members Club network, Calamigos Beach Club occupies a stretch of Pacific Coast Highway near Corral Canyon, open Wednesday through Sunday with beach service and paddleboard access toward Latigo Point. It’s a quieter, less culturally loaded alternative to Little Beach House or Jonathan Beach Club — a genuine members-only beach club without the decades of red-carpet mythology attached, which is precisely its appeal for members who want the access without the scene.

The Hotel Beach Experiences

Club Casa Del Mar

Long before it was a hotel, this Santa Monica address operated as Club Casa Del Mar, one of the West Coast’s original exclusive beach clubs when it opened in 1926 — and in 2026, the property celebrates its full centennial. A $50 million renovation in 1999 revived the building, with designer Michael S. Smith, who also redesigned the Obama White House, later reimagining the lobby and Terrazza Lounge. Today’s Club Casa membership program offers Single, Couples, and Family tiers with access to the oceanfront Palm Terrace Pool, spa credits, signing privileges, and a 24-hour gym — the most structured, tiered membership program of any beach club on this list, and the most direct living link to 1920s Los Angeles beach club culture still in operation.

Nobu Ryokan Malibu

It isn’t technically a “club” in the membership sense, but Nobu Ryokan Malibu delivers a private beach experience few actual clubs can match. Co-owned by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro, Larry Ellison, and Meir Teper, the 16-room ryokan sits directly on Carbon Beach, with private steps leading straight to the sand and staff on hand to set up chairs and umbrellas. Guests get preferred reservations at Nobu Malibu next door and access to beach-side fitness programming, from paddleboarding to a signature kettlebell class — the closest thing Los Angeles offers to a beach club built entirely around a single, very small guest list.

For more of Haute Living’s Los Angeles coverage, see A Haute Neighborhood Guide To The Best Of Malibu and The Best Luxury Hotels in Los Angeles Right Now.

THE HAUTE READ

Haute Living breaks down the real beach club landscape of Malibu and Los Angeles, from Soho House’s ultra-exclusive Little Beach House Malibu to century-old institutions like Jonathan Beach Club and the surprising public history behind Annenberg Community Beach House.

FAQs

What is the best beach club in Los Angeles? Little Beach House Malibu, Soho House’s standalone Carbon Beach outpost, is widely considered the most culturally significant beach club in the Los Angeles area.

Is Little Beach House Malibu open to all Soho House members? No — existing Soho House members must separately apply for the Malibu Plus add-on membership, and Malibu locals reportedly have input into who is approved.

What is the oldest beach club in Los Angeles? Jonathan Beach Club, which opened in Santa Monica in 1927, and Bel-Air Bay Club, which opened the same year in Pacific Palisades, are the two oldest private beach clubs in the area.

Are there any beach clubs open to the public in Los Angeles? Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica is open to the public with no membership required, though its historic pool operates on seasonal day passes.

What is Carbon Beach known for? Carbon Beach in Malibu, nicknamed “Billionaire’s Beach,” is home to Little Beach House Malibu and Nobu Ryokan Malibu.

Does Nobu Ryokan Malibu have a beach club? Nobu Ryokan Malibu is a 16-room hotel rather than a formal beach club, but it offers private beach access and beach-side amenities exclusively for hotel guests.

How much does it cost to join a private beach club in Los Angeles? Membership costs vary significantly — Jonathan Beach Club’s initiation is reported at roughly $50,000 plus dues, while Little Beach House Malibu’s add-on membership runs $5,350 per year for existing Soho House members.

Is there a beach club in Marina del Rey? No genuine private beach club currently operates in Marina del Rey; the area offers day-rental cabana services rather than membership-based beach clubs.

What is the difference between a beach club and a beach hotel in Los Angeles? True beach clubs like Jonathan Beach Club and Little Beach House Malibu require membership, while properties like Nobu Ryokan Malibu and Hotel Casa del Mar offer beach-club-style amenities exclusively to hotel guests.