Property
Prepare to be star struck by the quintessentially Californian Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel from the first moment you enter its palm-tree-lined atrium lobby.  Guest rooms and suites are plush but casual, featuring luxury beds and linens and all the modern conveniences.  Management is extremely child-friendly-front desk staff greeted the author’s children with age-appropriate goody bags and delicious cookies upon check-in and allowed them to play in the revolving door until they tired of it.

Location
Loews is in Santa Monica, a trendy and colorful seaside community just west of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.  The hotel is just minutes from Universal Studios and the Getty Center.  Disneyland is about an hour away, but you may never make it farther than the strand and the Santa Monica pier.

Sleeps
2-5.

Highlights
People watching and celebrity spotting on the 3rd Street Promenade (3 blocks away).  Near perfect weather.  Tame and flat beach (for the Pacific that is) right in front of the hotel.  Two playgrounds within easy walking distance (see concierge for details).

Good to Know
The 4th-floor ocean-view pool area is a destination in itself. With chaise lounges, al fresco dining, and year-round 86-degree water (the Jacuzzi is a welcoming 101°F), you’ll have a hard time tearing yourself away for sightseeing.

Contact
www.santamonicaloewshotel.com

February 1st, 2008 | by Kimberly Ford