Ok so they say in life you get what you pay for...so after spending 2 weeks travelling around California & Vegas staying in decent hotels I had to bite the bullet for my final 2 nights in Santa Monica and get the cheapest place I could find as funds were running low...I didn't expect luxury, just somewhere to base and get my head down, not too much to ask...here is a summary of my experience:-

After leaving my Ocean Avenue Hotel I arrived by taxi around mid-day...to be met by a bum lying sprawled across the main entrance. I then spoke to the rudest lady I have ever met behind the glass counter on reception and asked very politely if I could leave my bag and check in later as I understood it was probably too early to check in. She agreed reluctantly, but charged me $10 for the privilege...and tried to add another $10 to the agreed room rate.

I returned later (and to be fair dealt with a much more amiable man) to check in, noticed a few shady looking characters (long term guests?) in and around the complex and checked into my room. Not exactly the Ritz but on the face of things looked fine for the money I way paying ($50+tax per night) - TV worked, free wi-fi, showers and hot water ok and spacious enough for a motel...and location reasonable enough ie 10 min walk to main st, 15-20 min to downtown and a host of restaurants (mainly fast food) dotted around the hotel (On Pico/Lincoln). After returning from walking around downtown in the evening the problems started.

'Lady' next door was bringing 'guests' home roughly on the hour until about 4am...you can imagine the sound effects and draw your own conclusions on her career choice...there were guys pacing up and down the balcony periodically and cars pulling up, knocking doors and heading off again soon after...again you can probably guess the industry these residents were in. End result, 2 hours sleep from when the sun came up and I felt safe enough to drift off.

Rightly or wrongly I stayed a 2nd night (I had to try and organise a flight home at short notice due to the poor weather in Europe so my mind was focused on that) and as my cell wasn't working I asked the rude lady at reception if she could change some dollars for coins for the phonebox outside (there are no phones in the rooms) - she surpassed herself in the rudeness stakes by yelling no and refusing to answer me when I asked if there was any call centres nearby (which we have in Europe)...I wouldn't speak to a dog like this and I am amazed that, in a country, famed for it's customer service in the hospitality industry, I would come across such a despicable human being. (For the record people/staff were nothing but courteous everywhere else I stayed on my trip, including the gentleman that worked in this dive when Cruella wasn't working)

2nd night passed off without incident...but this mainly due to me picking up my friend Jack Daniels from a nearby liquor store to help me get to sleep!

The cheap rate in this kip is definately not worth it....find the extra 20, 30 dollars or whatever and stay elsewhere...I am amazed this place is allowed to operate in the hospitality industry at all and I would have to be paid to stay here again.

Don't sleep ther if you want to stay healthy! Such a dirty place, just disgusting!

This place is AWFUL. DO NOT STAY HERE. We were in town for 1 night, and it was the most inexpensive place to stay. You check into your room from an outside window. There is no lobby, no continental breakfast, no coffee. You walk up to the window and speak to a person behind bullet proof glass. There is a slot at the bottom of the glass where you slide your credit card to the person on the other side. That person then slides it back to you along with the remote for the tv in your room and your key. The key is just that, a key. No electronic key cards. The neighborhood is not a good one. Lots of riff raff and seedy people, dirty with graffiti and garbage. The rooms are a disgrace. When we closed our door, the smoke alarm fell off the wall and broke open. There were no batteries in it, and the inside had been painted, so batteries wouldn't work anyway. This is a major building code violation. It makes me wonder when the last time the fire marshall inspected this dump. There are no deadbolts or chains on the door, just a knob lock that can easily be kicked in. There are no screens on the thin windows and no air conditioning. We tried to turn on the wall heater in our room, just to see if it worked, and it didn't. The curtains were filled with nicotine and other unknown stains and the curtain in the bathroom did not cover the window. There were cigarette burns all over the dresser the tv sat upon. The furniture is at least 40 years old. There was an overwhelming bleach smell when we checked in. Later, coming back to the room, it smelled of cigarettes and grime. They claim 100% smoke free motel, but they never got rid of the smells from the previous 40 years. There are no clocks in the room and no phone, not even the standard bible or phone book. There is no in room coffee or plastic cups and no ice machine on the property. There are no hair dryers. Our room had no hot water, NONE. And, when I turned down the bed, there were black hairs on the sheet. We were also given 2 towels and 2 wash cloths when we checked in, both of the cheapest quality. There is no bath mat either. This place is disgusting!! Because of the bad neighborhood and the cheap lock on the door, we did not feel safe at all. The noise was very loud at night too. The website claims to be 7 blocks from the famous Santa Monica Pier, but it's actually 7 long blocks to Ocean Avenue then about another 1/4 of a mile to the pier. There is no rental car desk or guided sightseeing tours, as the website claims. They hand you a brochure of the pier and tours taken FROM the pier upon check in. I definitely do not recommend staying here. If I ever have to stay in Santa Monica again, I will pay the extra money for a cleaner and safer room. The Santa Monica Motel has a lot of nerve charging $125.00/night for such a sh*t hole. DON'T STAY HERE.

For sure you can not expect to get luxury rooms for less money, but this motel is really a fleabag. Santa Monica is very expensive to stay, so the motel is also not at the best location. It's 20 minutes by foot to the beach and the center of santa monica. 5 minutes by car.
The rooms seems not very clean, but big enough. Wifi is for free, and the staff was very helpful when we needed a printer. At night there was much noise, because there is a bar next to it with live bands and action.
If you go to Santa Monica, better spent a little more money and take another hotel/motel