90403 Travel Guide
HotelChatter Reader Deals
Oceana Santa Monica Lures Us In With Big Discounts
October 30, 2008 at 3:15 PM | 0 Comments
Spacious Rooms at the Oceana Santa Monica
$355 a night
We've noticed some pretty good rates for the often pricey Oceana Hotel.
Rooms that are normally $555 and up are starting at $355 and the Deluxe Signature Ocean View Suite which normally runs at $995 is only $505. Um, that's a savings of nearly fifty percent. Party at the beach! And unlike other hotels, you get what you pay for as all of the Oceana rooms are huge. It was a former apartment building afterall.
We're not sure how long these rates will be available--an email from them said book by October 31--but the same email offered promo code EFALL which turns out the same rates as an average search. So, there's a chance these deals won't last long. Book now.
If you're stuck in the drearier, colder parts of the world, we recommend planning a little vacay. We've got our hearts set on the deluxe ocean view room for only $385.
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Santa Monica Hotel Reviews
Santa Monica's Huntley Doesn't Impress The NYT
March 3, 2008 at 9:00 AM | 2 Comments
Since the Huntley Santa Monica reopened a couple of years back, there's been um-ing and ah-ing about whether it's really up to the luxurious standard it should be. This weekend the NY Times got around to checking the place out and they were pretty harsh.
The NYT reviewer Leah Rozeen had a few complaints about the Premier Room (#1404) she got to stay in. A cramped bathroom, a broken towel rail and no new towels at turn-down time, no comfortable armchair to read in and a room layout that didn't take full advantage of the ocean view were just a few of the negatives.
Party Dispatch
Party Dispatch :: Oceana Hotel's Opening Party
September 28, 2007 at 11:47 AM | 0 Comments
Last night was the official opening party for the Oceana Hotel in Santa Monica. As you may recall, we toured the place over the summer when it had just completed its top to bottom renovations and we really liked what we saw. Except the room prices which are $400+.
Nevertheless, the hotel threw a huge hotel opening party to let people know the Oceana Santa Monica and its beach luxury chic has arrived.
Santa Monica Hotel Reviews
Oceana Hotel Gets a Good 'Eater' Review
September 11, 2007 at 5:22 PM | 0 Comments
Last month, we checked out the Oceana Hotel in Santa Monica and pretty much liked what we saw, except for crazy expensive room rates.
But Eater LA managed to snag a one night stay at the place (thanks to an NPR-KCRW pledge) over Labor Day Weekend and has the inside scoop on the guests-only restaurant.
We held court at the The Ocean Lounge, a guest-only restaurant conceived by New York City's Jonathan Morr, that recently opened. (Morr will bring his BOND ST. to the Thompson Beverly Hills hotel soon.)
The restaurant offers a pretty lavish breakfast buffet in the morning with an array of Bread Bar baked goods, fruits, smoked salmon, yogurts, plus an a la carte menu. Scrambled eggs studded with ham and Emmenthaler cheese on rustic bread did us quite well.
Dinner is simple (steaks, seafood, a few pastas, sandwiches), but decent. Poolside cocktails are served all day, but it's not like the Backyard at the W or the Standard hotel pools. Here, it's quiet, laid-back, not crazy at all. And there's something to be said for a Grey Goose lemonade with watermelon ice cubes...sweet, cool watermelon ice cubes...
Related Stories:
· Inside the Oceana Santa Monica Hotel [HotelChatter]
Hotel Video Tours
Inside the Oceana Santa Monica Hotel
August 7, 2007 at 12:09 PM | 1 Comment
As we mentioned last week, we were able to get a tour of the newly renovated Oceana Santa Monica.
The hotel has been transformed from a ho-hum little hotel by the ocean to a bright and vibrant place worth checking out. Originally built as an apartment building in 1952, the current owners (who have a place by the same name in Santa Barbara) added seven new rooms and suites for a total of 70. And since this was a former apartment building, all but 12 of the accommodations have a separate living area. Suite, indeed.
Guests can also choose between Lanai suites, Ocean View Suites and Deluxe Ocean View Suite with Balcony which has prime views. For those looking to stay a little longer or who just like the added convenience, six of the suites have kitchenettes.
Of course, these are not the only changes at the Oceana. The renovations took place from top to bottom.
Hotel Renovations
Snapshot :: The Newly Renovated Hotel Oceana
August 3, 2007 at 10:00 AM | 0 Comments
This week, we took an in-depth tour of the newly renovated Hotel Oceana in Santa Monica. While we were there, we snapped this shot of the hotel's Ocean Lounge on the first floor where guests can enjoy meals and cocktails. (There are proper dining tables off to the side.)
You may remember this hotel from a few months back when it was undergoing the changes and put up an "Extreme Makeover" sign causing us to believe it would actually be featured on the show, Extreme Makeover. Well, it was just a gimmick but the hotel has undergone some tremendous changes, all of which we like very much.
We promise a full report on Monday including a Hotel Video Tour but in the meantime, check out the hotel's revamped website which launched this week.
Related Stories:
· Hotel Oceana Gets 'Extreme Makeover' [HotelChatter]
Santa Monica Hotel Reviews
Hotel Oceana Gets 'Extreme Makeover'
April 11, 2007 at 3:17 PM | 0 Comments
A tipster sent us this picture yesterday of the "Extreme Makeover" that's going on at the Hotel Oceana in Santa Monica on Ocean Avenue.
We got all excited because we thought Ty Pennington and crew would be down there working away and filming. We practiced our best "Move that bus!" chant and raced over to the hotel (conviently, we live six blocks away). Yet we were disappointed to find that it was just some regular old hotel renovations going on with a clever "Extreme Makeover" banner hanging out front.
More pictures and details after the jump.
Hotel Restaurants
Inside The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel
March 26, 2007 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments
This is a quick video tour of the Penthouse restaurant atop the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica. The hotel reopened a few years back after at $15-million renovation under the direction of designer Thomas Schoos, the same man Nicky Hilton hired to save her from her own design fiasco.
Today, it belongs to the Preferred Hotels & Resorts group and the decor is the predictable boutique hotel decor--dark woods, white furniture, candles burning, funky ram rugs, and painted white fish hanging from the walls.
The location is pretty sweet on 2nd Street between California and Wilshire. For those of you without a clue of the area, this means that the hotel is one block from the ocean and two blocks from the touristy shopping center, the Third Street promenade. It's also directly across from the Fairmont Miramar, an older hotel facing the ocean.
The reviews of Huntley Hotel are mixed. Some disliked the funky decor, others disliked the fact that there is no pool or hot tub on the premises. And then others disliked the $399 a night room rate, but that's why TripAdvisor was created so people could bitch and moan about hotel rates.
Now back to the Huntley, the restaurant used to be a Mexican joint called Toppers, once favored by recent college grads. But Schoos made his mark all over here too and it's very...well...Kelly Wearstler, another hotel interior designer who takes classic items (Victorian-era chandeliers and chairs) and places them in a modern setting (i.e. everything inside the Viceroy.)
Inside Penthouse, chic white leather booths line both walls where you have panoramic views of Los Angeles. If it's a clear day, you can see all the way to Beverly Hills. If not, you'll settle for a look up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. There's a bar in the center of the room and a mini-lounge with brown leather chairs and an orange shag rug to the left. All in all, it's a pretty pleasant setting for breakfast, especially if the sun is shining.
As for the food, the breakfast dishes didn't disappoint serial-brunchers, especially our hungover friends. Our crowd ordered--eggs over easy with country sausage and toast, eggs benedict, a salmon scramble and a big plate of french toast. Even better, the menu offers some unique hair of the dog drinks like a Bloody Maria (made with tequila instead of vodka) and a Pomosa (champagne and pomegranate juice).
The downside is that restaurant has a McDonald's type of breakfast rule. Breakfast on Sundays ends at 11am when the lunch menu kicks in so get there before then.
Related Stories:
· The Penthouse [Chowhound]
· The Huntley Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
Hotel News
Santa Monica's Huntley Hotel to Reopen
April 12, 2005 at 9:17 AM | 0 Comments
If Britney and Kevin need another hotel in Santa Monica to stay at when they are having one of their drunk, angry, baby-making, baby-hating newlywed fights, they can ditch the Le Merigot and head for the nearby Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica.
The hotel will reopen most of its renovated 209 rooms by the end of this month.
The $12 million renovation will continue until the end of the year when the last phase of construction is expected be completed.
According to a hotel spokesperson, the hotel has a marine theme, reflected in coral fixtures with 300 white lacquered ceramic fish covering the lobby walls.
The hotel recently changed hands on April 1 from Radisson to Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
Rooms begin at $249. A restaurant at the hotel is due to open in September (the Federline's anniversary month, y'all!)
