Santa Monica

Santa Monica is our favorite place to stay in LA and a place we visit at least a few times a year. With great restaurants and miles of boardwalk stretching up and down the beautiful Pacific coast, it’s perfect for a long weekend or a stopover as you explore other areas in Southern California.

Dream

There are a number of luxury hotels in Santa Monica, but they can be particularly pricey during much of the year. A more economic but still upscale alternative is our current preferred option; an ocean view room at the Viceroy Santa Monica.

Located at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Pico Boulevard, the Viceroy is in a great location, albeit set back one block from the ocean. If you intend to spend a lot of time hanging out at the hotel pool, then this is probably not the place for you. While the outside patio is very chic, the pool is small and mostly in the shade and the sunbeds can get snapped up early.

Here are a few other hotels you may consider:

• Proper Hotel: New gem in Santa Monica. The exceptional design alone is worth a visit.

• Casa del Mar: Sitting directly by the beach, the hotel has a large, inviting and elegantly furnished lobby which is the perfect place to meet friends for drinks. The small hotel pool overlooks the ocean and is ideal if you want to take in the views and relax.

• Fairmont Miramar: Newly renovated, this hotel is across the street from the beach access on Ocean Avenue, and again the ocean view rooms are the most desirable. There are also a number of bungalows set in the lushly planted hotel grounds. The lobby is a great place to people watch and the hotel restaurant, Fig, is quite delicious.

• Shutters on the Beach: Another hotel with great beach and ocean views and a relaxed, upscale atmosphere. Situated right on the beach, adjacent to its sister hotel, the Casa del Mar, the hotel can be pretty pricey due to its incredible location. A fantastic location for weddings and other events!

Dine

There is no shortage of great restaurants to choose from in Santa Monica and nearby Venice.

For breakfast, Cora’s Coffee Shop is our go-to stop. It’s conveniently located across the street from the Viceroy, with outdoor seating. A line usually forms, but it moves quickly and the wait is well worth it. Try the buckwheat pancakes!

Every time we visit Santa Monica, we try to stop by Gjelina in Venice for either lunch or dinner. It’s our absolute favorite. Dinner reservations can be hard to come by, but as an alternative, try the incredible pizza available during the day at the take out counter next door. The food is first rate.

And here are a few more restaurant choices:

• Felix, Venice: A new Italian gem on Abbott Kinney with a cozy atmosphere. This well-reviewed restaurant lived up to our lofty expectations with fantastic hand-made pasta rolled within view of diners in a glassed-in pasta-fabricating room in a corner of the main dining room.

• Scopa Italian Roots, Venice: Modern upscale Italian restaurant: one of the best in the area.

• The Rose, Venice: Spacious indoor/outdoor setting with a farm-to-table focus.

• Rustic Canyon, Santa Monica: Quaint dinner location with a fun wine list.

• Charcoal, Venice: A lively scene at this bar and restaurant, with a focus on charcoal, including as an ingredient in their Midnight Margaritas!

• Urth Caffé, Santa Monica: Perfect for breakfast or lunch.

• Malibu Farm Restaurant, Malibu: Farm-to-table food on Malibu Pier with amazing ocean views.

• Birdie G’s: American cuisine in a super fun setting.

A little further afield, bit definitely worth the effort is the second outpost of the extremely popular Jon & Vinny’s Italian, in Brentwood. First rate pasta, pizza, salads and desserts in a relaxed, cosy atmosphere; this is highly recommended.

Coffeeholics try Intelligentsia Coffee on Abbot Kinney in Venice.

Do

Santa Monica is the perfect place if you want to stay active while on vacation. The beachfront bike path runs along the Pacific Ocean for about 22 miles. Running or biking on the path is a great way to work out or just take a leisurely stroll or ride. Many of the hotels provide bikes or you can rent them on the beach.

If spinning is more your scene, SoulCycle has a conveniently located Santa Monica location. Keep your eyes open for celebrities.

The 3rd Street Promenade is a great place to shop, with the usual high street stores and many upscale shops in a pedestrianized street stretching for several blocks. Or head down to trendy Abbott Kinney Boulevard in Venice with its boutiques, fabulous restaurants and coffee shops.

If you rented a car and are looking to explore a little further afield, consider a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway towards Malibu. A short drive away is Nobu restaurant, built directly above the beach with incredible ocean views, it has been called the most beautiful restaurant in the world, and is a celebrity hot spot.

There are several other restaurants along the coast. Dukes is a casual favorite. You can also check out the fabulous Pepperdine campus on the way, set in the hills next to the ocean.

nearby destinations