Hilton Santa Monica Hotel & Suites – Hotel Review

Cali vibes are well and truly intact at Hilton Santa Monica Hotel & Suites, a fresh, no-fuss stay just a few blocks back from the sand. Twirling around a soaring atrium-style lobby, the hotel's relaxed, coastal-coloured rooms offer respite from the busy LA boulevards, and the on-site pool ringed by relaxed cabanas is perfect for a post-wander dip. Read on for the full review.

Where is Hilton Santa Monica Hotel & Suites?

Three blocks back from the area’s namesake beach, near the Memorial Open Air Theatre. From LAX, it’ll take around half an hour in a cab, inclusive of typically heavy LA traffic.

What’s near Hilton Santa Monica Hotel & Suites?

Stroll down Olympic Boulevard, cut through Tongva Park and in around 15 minutes, you’ll be on the shores of Santa Monica State Beach and its famous pier. If it’s a Saturday or a Wednesday, you’ll probably head a few minutes further north to the Santa Monica Farmers Market in Downtown, where you can bag everything from emu eggs to prickly pear pads.

Room types

Beach pad vibes abound in the peaceful sand-coloured rooms. Thanks to a recent refurb, they’re fresh and tranquil spaces of soft grey black-out drapery, cushy Envirosleep mattresses and Crabtree & Evelyn amenities. If space is important (and budget isn’t), suites have generous sitting areas with mid-century-feel furniture in the same muted tones. For guests planning to spend most of their time poolside, the rooms are more than adequate for stays, and there are full-sized work desks in each for digital nomads.

Restaurants and bars

There are three iterations of Monica’s, the on-site eatery dishing up farm-to-table produce from nearby farmer’s markets. Dressed as an upscale dining hall, Monica’s proper is the hub for substantial breakfasts of eggs and hash browns, through to Wagyu burgers and salmon plates for lunch and dinner. When the weather’s good, take a seat at Monica’s Pacific Terrace, the outdoor section of the same eatery, and during happy hour, perch around a central bar at Monica’s Lounge for a local bevvy – the fruity beers of Cali Squeeze from San Luis Obispo three hours north are something on a stifling day.

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Travel for work

Conference facilities are extensive here, with more than 700-square metres of space reserved for meetings and events. Spaces are functional, with lots of natural light and on-site planners to ensure things run smoothly.

All rooms have plenty of space to set up a laptop or two, with free wi-fi, of course.

Gym and pool

The pool adorns the porte-cochère, facing out towards those wide LA boulevards. Don’t skip a swim if you’re in town during winter – it’s heated for pleasant year-round dips. Those cabanas covered in drapery? They’re bookable (but you’ll have to be quick in summer). Although there’s no spa, the hotel can arrange in-room treatments and the fitness centre is open 24 hours, if that’s your thing.

Accessibility

The hotel has rooms for travellers with both physical and sensory disabilities, inclusive of features such as bathroom grab bars, roll-in showers and visual alarms.