Shutters on the Beach Hotel Review

Shutters on the Beach is a high-end hotel that offers visitors a beach cottage ambiance with a luxurious feel. This top-rated hotel is located where Pico Boulevard meets the shoreline of Santa Monica. Close to the action on the beach, this hotel is within walking distance of Main Street, Third Street Promenade. Santa Monica Place Mall and the Santa Monica Pier.

The seven-story non-smoking Shutters luxury hotel with 198 rooms is one of two hotels that are situated right on Santa Monica Beach. The boutique-style hotel features a lobby overlooking the beach with floor to ceiling windows that welcomes the cool Californian breezes. The sun deck, located three flours above the beach offers a beautiful ocean view and cocktail service while lounging by the heated pool and Jacuzzi. Great for sun-loving tourists who want to soak up the Southern California sunshine.

For your dining pleasure, Shutters on the Beach has a fine dining restaurant, One Pico. The menu, mainly American cuisine with a European influence, changes with the season. For your dinning pleasure, One Pico offers Bass, Ceci Bean Salad, and Cherry Tomatoes; Smoked and Braised Short Rib, Polenta, and Parsley Salad and Halibut, Roasted Artichokes, Porcini, and Celery. One Pico is open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch but you have to make reservations.

Aside from One Pico, the hotel also has a beachside cafe and bar, Coast ahich also has an ocean view. Coast offers raw oysters, salads, sandwiches, pastas, seafood, steaks, and other appetizing dishes. Breakfast and dinner are served daily and there is a Coast Bar Happy Hour. Lunch however is available from Mondays to Fridays with brunch being served on weekends. The bar opens in the later part of the morning to late evening. The lobby lounge is open from early afternoon to late evening and offers appetizers, light meals, coffee, afternoon tea, and cocktails.

Guest rooms have wicker furnishings with most rooms having a balcony with ocean views. Some rooms have fireplaces or whirlpool tubs. All rooms also have floor-to-ceiling windows with slatted openings or louvers. And true to its name, Shutters on the Beach indeed has shutters that you can actually open and close. The guest rooms have white washed wood, with blue and white colored upholstered furniture, reminiscent of a cozy summer beach house. Each guest room has the following amenities such as wireless Internet access for a fee, air conditioning, a complimentary newspaper, a refrigerator upon request, a telephone, flat panel television with premium channels, a microwave upon request, a DVD player, and an in room safe. The rooms also have electronic keys, daily maid service and 24-hour room service.

For the ultimate luxurious indulgence, guests may choose to stay in one of the three Presidential Suites. These luxury suites feature extra large bathrooms with oversized oval whirlpool bathtubs, additional powder rooms, full-size living rooms with fireplaces and galley kitchens with full-size refrigerators. The suites offer one or two bedrooms.

For guests who want to rejuvenate their tired muscles after a busy day out in Santa Monica, they may visit the on-site spa, ONE, which offers lavish services with Ole Henriksen and SkinCeuticals products. The "Sea You Soon" massage and the "Pore Baby" facial treatment are just a few of the extreme indulgences the spa offers which can relax and revitalize the body and spirit. Other services the spa offers include body scrubs and body treatments, manicures, pedicures, and waxing. On the other hand, for guests who want to sweat out the calories they gained from dining at the restaurant can go to the on-site health and fitness room for some rounds on the cardiovascular and weight training equipment. Free weights and unisex saunas and steam rooms are alos available. At the complimentary health and fitness club, you can hire a personal trainer for a workout at the health club itself or on the beach.

Other pluses for staying at Shutters on the Beach include meeting facilities, security, currency exchange, common area wireless access with high-speed internet access for a fee, a gift shop, AV equipment rental, an ATM, car rental, photocopy and fax services, a business center with a computer, babysitting or child care, and a multi-lingual staff. Pets are allowed in the hotel at an additional charge. Valet parking is also offered. Children under 12 years old are free of charge provided that they occupy the same room as their parents and sleep on the existing bedding.

Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica provides the best luxury accommodations and service of any beach hotel in the Los Angeles area.