HKW’s Shoestring Travel Guide to Santa Monica

HKW — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:03:32 +0000

I love Santa Monica. But finding a nice yet reasonably priced place to stay there is a pain in the ass.

A big chunk of that is due to the cost of accomodation in the area, with hotels usually starting in the hundreds. I love splashing out on $500/night hotels, but only if I wasn’t paying for them. And considering that I’ve gotten old of pick-pocketing cheap toileteries and hotel sandals, I needed something that yieleded a bit more benefits.

So after scourging through Tripadvisor, Virtualtourist, Orbitz and Travelocity to find the best deal possible and calling 18 different hotels on speed-dial seeing if any of them could hook us up, we stumbled upon the Santa Monica Travelodge on Pico Boulevard.

Ranked at the #6 spot on Tripadvisor, its rates were surprisingly lower than the rest of the competition by at least $100-$150. The only downside was its location.

It’s located 2 miles away from Santa Monica Beach, and 3 miles away from Venice Beach. So at first we thought that would mean having to hitchhike to offset the price difference, but it turned out that it costs like $10 in a cab only, which still means we’re saving at least $100-$200 a day compared to staying in the other places.

We booked a king bedroom ‘suite’ with a separate sitting area at a rate of just around £67 per night. (FYI this occurred in January, and June-August rates are peak season, so prices go up to around £100 / room.)

When we first arrived, we didn’t know what to expect. We were surprised therefore to find that the hotel was located on a main street that led directly into Santa Monica. I was expecting it to be in the middle of nowhere, but there were actually plenty of restaurants, shops, and bars in the area. Not that I’d spend my whole time there, but at least weren’t in a completely isolated area, which is what I initially thought.

Upon arrival, the buildings weren’t much to look at from the outside, but as soon as we stepped into the hotel, the receptionist greeted us with a swift check-in. We were also welcomed amicably with complimentary free parking on site, and given instructions on how to use the Wifi.

“Remember the complimentary breakfast from 7am-10am,” he said, and left us to check out our rooms.

As soon as we got to our rooms, our worries melted away.

I was worried about noise from the main street, but our rooms faced the courtyards and could barely hear anything.

The room was well furnished, with a nice double bed, a large flat screen TV, a separate kitchen/sitting area and a bathroom. It was no designer hotel, but was very decent, no frills, and everything worked.

“It’s like a mini-suite on a budget,” I remember saying.

At some point we also got pretty thirsty, so we rang up the front desk asking if we could buy some water in the area.

Next thing we knew, a knock on the door, and we were brought 4 bottles of complimentary spring water.

4 bottles? Excessive but impressive.

Considering most hotels in the area probably charge $5 a bottle, I’m starting to like this place.

We got out of the hotel, and found that the bus stop was only across the road. We also took a cab back to the hotel from Main Street / Ocean Blvd at 3 in the morning for just under £6 ($10).

Having saved over £100, we spent it on great food and some great souvenirs. Do check out The Massage Place where you can get a great massage for just $60, and also EuphoriaLovesRAWvolution, a subsidiary of The Euphoria Company that serves some great raw food.

I wish I woke up earlier to get the continental breakfast, but the next morning, we woke at 11 because the alarm didn’t go off (excuse for a late night), and so we frantically called the front desk requesting a late checkout.

The manager, a really cool guy, said

“Don’t worry. It’s Sunday and I never chase my guests out.”

Never heard that one before, but a good note to end on, along with the complimentary copy of USA Today at our doorstep.

The courtyard also had a few benches to soak in the sun, but we decided to spend it at the Farmer’s Market, worth a check if you want to experience some of the freshest and healthiest food you will eat in your life.

My personal opinion is that if you want to find an overpriced, expensive hotel in the Santa Monica region, there are plenty of them.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a nice, affordable place to stay at a great price, keep The Travelodge in mind when you’re in the area. And don’t forget your toiletries.

Hong Kong Wong » shoestring travel santa monica

HKW’s Shoestring Travel Guide to Santa Monica

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