Review of Shore Hotel, Santa Monica CA, USA

For a couple’s stay we chose the Shore Hotel. Actually, we wanted to book a room in one of the upscale, more traditional hotels in Santa Monica but neither their location nor their reviews were convincing enough.

This sleek, modern hotel couldn’t be situated more conveniently! It’s next to everything, be it the Santa Monica Pier, the beach, restaurants or shopping area, and this within walking distance.



The Shore Hotel calls itself a boutique hotel but I think it’s too big to be called like that (164 rooms), but never mind. We opted for a King Suite as we wanted to have a bit more space. Whereas the living room is large, the bedroom is rather small. There is only a half-wall between these two rooms, so there is not much privacy. We were literally blown away by the a/c in the bedroom so we were forced to leave on only the one in the living room, that was quite inconvenient. The bathroom is okay but nothing spectacular, there is a regular shower and not the see through glass kind that most of the other rooms have. Both rooms have small private balconies with an angled view of the ocean and the pool. Speaking of the latter, it is pretty small and always crowded, not a place for a peaceful sunbathing.

There is no restaurant onsite where you can have breakfast. One morning we had coffee/tea and a muffin in the reception area, this is okay for a quick bite but not really what we expect from a hotel of this class. The staff we encountered was pleasant and accommodating.

All in all, the Shore Hotel is not to beat location-wise, offers good comfort and the employees are helpful, but I would call it a rather standard hotel. Especially an onsite restaurant should be a must for a hotel of this size and class.

Date of stay: October 2013