Stayed here for three days in late January 2012.
Pros:
Perfect location (literally steps from the beach) with beautiful views of Santa Monica Pier and the Pacific Ocean.
Gorgeous, spacious rooms. Three large windows only opened a few inches, but it was still enough to let in the warm ocean breeze. Bed was one of the most comfortable I've ever slept in.
Bathroom was gigantic and had the most amazing hydro therapy bathtub. (I took three baths in 24 hours - it was that awesome).
Housekeeping was fantastic and friendly and thorough.
Within walking distance of Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica Place, and more.
Beautiful lobby, restaurant, bar, etc. Every bit of the hotel's design/decor is tasteful and stunning.
Cons:
Wifi ($12.99 per day) was spotty and several people in our group weren't able to access it at all.
Room service food was extremely expensive (compared to similar caliber hotels) and was below average in quality. We ate dinner at Shutters next door one of the nights and highly recommend it if it's in your budget.
Customer service overall was not friendly from the front desk on.
Small billing glitch after checkout. The issue did get fixed, but no apologies were offered at all. The worst thing you can do is make the customer feel like they did something wrong instead of owning up to a mistake.
The workers next door at Shutters were outside hosing down and doing work at the crack of dawn and were a little loud even with my windows closed. It didn't bother me because I'm an early bird, but you might want to request a room not along that side facing Shutters if you are planning to sleep in or are a light sleeper.
- Casa Del Mar Hotel
- Casa Del Mar Santa Monica
