Everyone comes to Malibu for the water. The guests who love it stay for the hills behind it — twenty minutes of switchbacks that end in vineyards, trailheads and some of the quietest views in Los Angeles.

The canyons

Solstice and Corral are the approachable ones. Go early, before the marine layer burns off, and the light through the fog is extraordinary.

Wine country, thirty minutes out

The Santa Monica Mountains AVA is small and personal. Most tastings are by appointment — another thing worth handing to the concierge rather than a search bar.