Affordable hotel with comfortable room, some with private patio that overlooks the beach. On site parking, and terrace with table and chairs to rest and read morning paper. If you rather spend your vacation dollars on great food (Chinois), and budget your "play money" on other things, this is your pillow stop.

I enjoyed my stay, 1/2 block to the beach but separated by a park so the trees somewhat obstructed the ocean view. Staff was very pleasant. Rooms were clean and well appointed for the price. Property is a bit old but well maintained. Major complaint was the very slooooow free wi fi. I found this extremely annoying! Other issue was that hot water took forever to get to the room, like 4 minutes or more. Parking was extra, but worth it to have the car close to the room. Overall, I was happy, except for the wi fi.

I stayed in Santa Monica for a few days. I was alone so I was looking for a decent price. Luckily I found the Bayside Hotel. This is not a 5 star hotel but it has nice accomadations for a good price. You can see the beach from the front and you are near premium hotels like Casa Del Mar, Shutters and the Viceroy. You are also walking distance to Main St. The staff is very helpful and parking wasn't too bad, granted it was the winter season. I would recommend staying here if your looking for a good hotel without many frills.

The good: This hotel has a great location, close to the beach. Some of the rooms actually have a view of the beach. It is a 10 minute walk to the Santa Monica Pier and a 15 minute walk to Venice Beach. The people at the front desk were always available, helpful, and courteous. Our room (#107) was clean. The beds were very comfy with plenty of pillows and we had a large flat screen TV. Our shower was updated, free of mold, and had plenty of hot water. There is assigned parking on-site.

The bad: Our room was in need of some updating. The walls/floors are a tad thin. It could present an issue if the neighbors get rowdy. A major thoroughfare is a street away. There was some street noise but not terrible. There is a fee for on-site parking ($12/day).

I would have given this hotel 2 stars had it not been for the beds and shower. 3 stars means it met my expectations. (Note: I stay a lot at Comfort Inns so this is my comparison standard). I think it's a bit overpriced value-wise. Advice: swallow hard, pay extra to be on the beach and not have to worry about parking, stay on the top floor, bring earplugs, spend lots of time out and about. Don't eat at the restaurant at the ocean end of SM Pier. Do eat at Cha-Cha Chicken a block away from the hotel. Great Caribbean fare.