The best hotels in Santa Monica

1. Regent Santa Monica Beach, the new icon of the Californian Riviera - tested by the editors

The most eagerly awaited address of the year, the Regent Santa Monica Beach reopened its doors in autumn 2024 after a spectacular metamorphosis. Formerly Loews, the iconic beachfront hotel enters a new era under the ultra-luxury Regent banner, with a clear ambition: to reinvent the seaside resort just a stone's throw from Los Angeles.

Just steps from the pier and facing the ocean, the Santa Monica hotel impresses with its scale - over 200 elegant rooms and suites offering more or less unobstructed ocean views - and the harmony that emanates from its light-filled spaces. Soft marble, natural textures, bespoke furnishings: everything here evokes the warmth and sophistication of the contemporary Mediterranean.

On the gastronomic front, Egyptian chef Michael Mina has created Orla, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant opening onto a vast seafront terrace. The cuisine is generous, sunny and inventive, combining Californian products with Levantine aromas.

Travelers in search of relaxation can treat themselves to a tailor-made treatment at the Guerlain spa, the very first of its kind on the West Coast, or work out in the state-of-the-art fitness room. During the day, the beach bar offers signature cocktails and picture-postcard sunsets, while the Sweet July Café, in partnership with Ayesha Curry, serves specialty coffees and homemade sweets. Finally, the resort's immense function rooms and modular spaces also make it an ideal destination for private or professional events. Discreet luxury, excellent service, a relaxed atmosphere and breathtaking views of the Pacific: the Regent redefines hotel standards in Santa Monica.

Regent Santa Monica Beach
200 rooms and suites, prices from 999 euros
1700 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica

2. Santa Monica Proper Hotel, masterful design and Californian art de vivre

Designed by architect Howard Laks, the Santa Monica Proper Hotel is built around a 1920s heritage gem, boldly redesigned by design star Kelly Wearstler, already at the helm of San Francisco's first Proper. The result? An address both sculptural and hushed, where the sensuality of form meets the softness of texture, in an aesthetic as inspired as it is masterful. This is not a luxury hotel in Santa Monica, it's an art gallery, a museum. Inside, 267 rooms and suites, many with private terraces, celebrate natural materials and coastal light: blonde stone, raw linen, local artworks and large picture windows offering unexpected views over the city's rooftops.

Comfort is in every detail, with Proper signature bedding, Fili D'Oro sheets, Kelly Wearstler bathrobes and Aesop bath products. Some accommodations now feature state-of-the-art Wellness Rooms, with air and water purification, Eight Sleep intelligent bed and rituals designed to optimize sleep and recovery.

The wellness experience naturally continues at the Surya Spa, the first Ayurvedic sanctuary in a hotel in the United States, but also on the terrace dedicated to gentle movements, in the latest-generation fitness studio or in the Recovery Suite, equipped for cryotherapy, contrast baths and light therapy.

In the kitchen, Calabra, a rooftop restaurant with swimming pool, combines Mediterranean flavours, Californian influences and panoramic ocean views, while the Palma Lounge, on the first floor, invites you to relax in an arty, vegetal and fluid atmosphere, from breakfast to evening cocktails. With its perched swimming pool - the only rooftop one  in Santa Monica - its holistic approach to the stay and its resolutely creative ambience, Proper embodies a new idea of luxury, more sensory, more intuitive.

Santa Monica Proper Hotel
285 rooms and suites, prices from 526 euros
700 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA 90401, United States

3. Shutters on the Beach, chic with your feet in the sand

Located right on the beach, this elegant white-fronted resort is more reminiscent of a large East Coast cottage than an American-style seaside hotel. And yet, for over thirty years, it has been the perfect embodiment of the local art of living. You'll feel right at home - or at least, in the beach house of your dreams: a fireplace in the lobby, rooms with immaculate linens and plush ocean-facing armchairs.

Some suites even have their own fireplace, perfect for warming up after a walk on the sand or a bike ride to Venice Beach.

Far from being a fashion statement, the Shutters assumes a casual chic style perfectly orchestrated by designer Michael S. Smith (the same man who decorated the White House for the Obamas). Soft colors, light woods, collections of books in the bedrooms, original works of art by Hockney or Lichtenstein on the walls... Elegance is everywhere, without ever being ostentatious. Every detail evokes a certain American art of comfort, with that extra seaside soul that makes all the difference.

When it comes to flavours, 1 Pico and Coast, the hotel's two Santa Monica restaurants, give pride of place to fresh produce and inventive recipes. For cocktails, head to the Living Room, where the hushed ambience extends the golden hours of the seaside.

And for a moment to yourself, head for the Spa One, with its relaxing treatments and absolute well-being. An outdoor pool, a fitness room with a view, direct access to the beach... everything you need for a taste of the Californian way of life without leaving your cocoon. In short, a cult address for those who dream of unpretentious luxury.

Shutters on the Beach
210 rooms and suites, prices from 582 euros
1 Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90405

4. The Sandbourne Santa Monica, a lifestyle address inspired by nature

Opening in 2024 in a completely converted building adjacent to the Regent, the Sandbourne Santa Monica is the new lifestyle address on Ocean Avenue. A member of the Autograph by Marriott collection, the Santa Monica hotel's contemporary approach to luxury is at once relaxed, sensory and rooted in its environment.

Conceived as a tribute to Californian coastal architecture, the hotel's sober lines, uncluttered volumes and palette of organic materials - blond woods, natural stone, textured fabrics - create a deliberately soothing ambience.

The 175 rooms and suites feature light, views and noble materials, some with balconies overlooking the sea or the Santa Monica skyline. Sand tones, handcrafted details and a selection of designer objects all contribute to creating a warm, elegant and unostentatious cocoon.

On the dining side, Marelle sets the tone. Open all day long, this convivial spot focuses on seasonal Californian cuisine, punctuated by Mediterranean influences. Come for a colorful breakfast based on fresh fruit, a light lunch on the terrace or a dinner with friends over plates to share, in a discreetly charming green setting. A coffee corner completes the gourmet offer, as do the bicycles available for guests to explore the beachfront promenade.

Sandbourne Santa Monica
175 rooms and suites, prices from 108 euros
1740 Ocean Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90401

5. The Pierside, Santa Monica's cool spirit

The Pierside is a brand-new, vibrant Santa Monica hotel a stone's throw from the legendary Pier, combining surf spirit with contemporary seaside elegance. Located at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Colorado Avenue, the address is literally a stone's throw from the beach: cross the street and you're on the Pier. Inside, you'll find a luminous, designer ambience, oscillating between Arts & Crafts influences, Californian modernism and surf-chic spirit: light wood, natural textures, oceanic colors..

Rooms are designed as relaxing refuges, bathed in light. Some open onto the horizon, with a direct view of the ocean and the Ferris wheel. Others have a cozy atmosphere, where you immediately feel like you're on vacation.

The heart of the place is also the Surfing Fox, a relaxed address that revisits Californian cuisine with freshness, from breakfast to sunset. The hotel also boasts a heated swimming pool, a stylish little haven perfect for a post-promenade dip or a drink with your feet in the water, and a fitness room.

But what makes The Pierside truly unique is its Board Shop, an all-purpose store where you can rent a surfboard, bike, ukulele, Nintendo Switch or even fishing rods. It's a simple idea that's totally in the spirit of Santa Monica, and of what people come here for: freedom, spontaneity and a big whiff of Californian fun. Add to this a monumental mural by Shepard Fairey, in homage to the city's skater and rebel history, and you've got a little digest of local energy, ready to turn every sunrise into an adventure.

The Pierside Santa Monica
132 rooms and suites, prices from 178 euros
120 colorado avenue, santa monica, los angeles, CA 90 401