HotelChatter

Check-in: We had to make a left into the hotel from PCH which actually took about five minutes. The entrance way is small but the valets were quick. We walked straight into the hotel lobby, which is very small and sort of flows in together with the restaurant.

We were so distracted by the proximity of the ocean and the hub-bub of a private party going on that we almost didn't notice the reception desk on our left.

The front desk clerks were very gracious if not frazzled. But the whole check-in rigmarole was very fast and we were shown the way to our room on the second floor.

Room Reaction: Joey Lawrence put it best in his Blossom days when he used to always say, "Whoah!" (You really need to hear it to understand it. We would pay good money to hear it live and in-person from Joey himself.)

We were booked in a room with a queen bed, but the bed was probably the only thing on the small side in this room. It's enormous and it faces right out on the ocean. There's also a sleeper sofa, a desk, a fire place and a huge bathroom.

Everything was very comfy-cozy. We kicked off our Uggs (they are still acceptable in Malibu) and plopped down on the couch to watch some TV.

Amenity Madness: The rooms are loaded with amenities. Our favorite? The Trina Turk His and Her bathrobes. If you want one, it will cost you about $180. There's also a fully-stocked minibar, complete with wine bottles, and all the munchies you can imagine.

The nightstand sported an iPod docking station (You already know about the iPhone application.) The rest of the room was rounded out by a flat-screen TV, surfing books, and LA-centric magazines. In the bathroom we found Molton Brown toiletries.

One nice touch that we especially liked: the pillowcases were embroidered with the hotel's name.

Internet Connect: Free wireless in-room which was awesome. What was not awesome? The spotty signal strength. This actually caused some problems when we tried to download the Hotel Evolution to our iPhone. We had signed onto the hotel's wireless network to do so, but it was so feeble that we ended up using the AT&T network which worked much faster.

What We Liked: We were really grateful that the hotel soundproofed their rooms so guests weren't disturbed by the noisy traffic from PCH. And we totally dug all the amenities in the room. We also liked the easy layout of the hotel. We had a room close to the elevator, but since it was only on the second floor, we just used the stairs.

What We Didn't Like: Parking was $23 a day, although the valet does give you little bottles of Fiji water for your trips. The WiFi was spotty and the Movies and TV Shows On-Demand function was not working. But maybe that's a good thing.

Bottom Line: All rooms have ocean views here and the quarters are spacious and filled to the brim with thoughtful little touches. We snagged a great rate of $258 a night which included dinner for one. If you can manage that, then this place is totally a steal.

Otherwise, rates hover closer to the $400 mark. This is not a terrible price for what you get; but at the same time, if you are going to visit Los Angeles, do you really want to be all the way out in Malibu? It's your call.

Tags: Malibu Hotels / HotelChatter Reviews / Hotel Video Tours / Geek Hotels

by juliana