Boutique Hotels in Santa Monica, CA

Planning a trip to Los Angeles? Traveling to such a sprawling landscape, it can be hard to know which areas of the city to visit during your stay, but it wouldn't be a complete trip without a few days spent in one of LA’s best-known coastal towns, Santa Monica. With its proximity to the beach, a wealth of art galleries and shopping, incredible restaurants, and the Santa Monica Pier, you won't have a hard time finding ways to fill your days in this sunny escape from the best boutique hotels in Santa Monica.

Explore the coastline from Santa Monica’s sandy beaches or from above, on the Palisades Park walking trail, which overlooks the Pacific and feeds directly to the Santa Monica Pier. Speaking of the pier, grab the kids and head over to this waterside dock for an afternoon of fun, where you'll find the iconic Looff Hippodrome Carousel amongst other rides, and the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Plus, the kids will love all the classic amusement park snacks offered on the pier, like cotton candy, pretzels, and hot dogs. Leaving the pier, make sure to check out the world-renowned Muscle Beach, an outdoor gym established in the 1930s that has tons of free-standing workout equipment available to use for free right on the sand!

Spend an afternoon strolling the 3rd Street Promenade, where you’ll find a plethora of clothing shops, home goods stores, restaurants, and a handful of movie theaters up and down the multi-block promenade. Find all your favorite stores at the Santa Monica Place open-air mall at the start of 3rd Street for a bit of guilt-free shopping while in town. Then for some art viewing, take the above-ground metro right from the start of the pier to its third stop, Bergamot Station. Here you’ll find a converted train station turned art space where you can spend the entire afternoon moseying through the many art galleries, all clustered on one big lot! There's also plenty of parking if you're driving by car, and with a cafe and a Michelin Plate awarded restaurant on site, you'll have a few great options for grub post art viewing.

Santa Monica is home to a top-notch food scene where you can enjoy almost any genre of food from around the world to tickle your tastebuds. From hidden gems to its 14 Michelin-awarded restaurants, it’s not a question of whether you should go out to eat but where. You’ll have an easy time wetting your whistle while in town with the city’s array of elevated cocktail bars and mouth-watering microbreweries, sprinkled up and down Main Street and further north, off Wilshire. One thing’s for sure— this city’s local fare will have you dreaming of sunny Santa Monica for months (and already planning your next visit)!

Enjoy your stay in seaside Santa Monica, and don’t forget to check out our top boutique hotels nearby in Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Las Vegas