Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel - Santa Monica, California - Beachfront Luxury Hotel

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean from outside West Los Angeles, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel is one of the area's few seaside hotels rated for four-diamond luxury. It prides itself on panoramic views, personal service, award-winning accommodations and a casual "home-away-from-home'' ambience. But Hollywood-style opulence is also readily apparent. For example, the hotel's four-story atrium lobby is lined with palm tress, towering 45 feet into the air above and backed by flowing fabric that has been draped from the ceiling.

Among the hotel's 342 newly renovated guestrooms are seventeen spacious suites, including thirteen one-bedroom suites with Jacuzzi bathrooms, skylights and wet bars, some featuring their own private outdoor patios. There are also four luxury suites - named the Palm, the Pacifica, Santa Monica, and the Bay - each featuring custom furnishings and exceptional views.

Standard units come in four styles. The Deluxe and Superior King rooms measure 350 square feet and come with one king bed featuring a goose-down duvet and pillows, plus 300-thread-count linens. The Deluxe and Superior Double rooms are similarly appointed, offering two double beds. All rooms have work-friendly executive desks, new drapes and wall coverings, contemporary artwork, and floor lamps.

Other basic room amenities include a remote-control television with 60 premium cable channels and pay-per-view, a color TV in the bathroom, an AM/FM clock radio with CD player, built-in Internet access, in-room safes to accommodate laptops, and a mini-bar. Each bathroom comes with a makeup/shaving mirror, plush waffle-cloth bathrobes, a scale, a hair dryer, and complimentary Bloom toiletries. Eleven rooms are fully fitted for disabled guests, with spacious layouts for easy wheelchair access and accessible safety bars throughout the units. Two guestrooms also have roll-in shower stalls.

Apart from direct access to Santa Monica Beach, Loews has its own pool with excellent ocean views and a deck for lounging. There is full-service spa with four treatment rooms for facial and body treatments, a eucalyptus steam room, a dry sauna, and an outdoor Jacuzzi. Connected to the spa is a complete fitness center, too, with a weight room, a resistance training circuit, and a cardiovascular room. Pilates and yoga classes are available daily during operating hours, 6am till 10pm weekdays and till 9pm on weekends.

Also on the premises is a full-service hair salon with manicures and pedicures offered, a sundry shop in the lobby, a limousine service and a Hertz car rental desk. The hotel can provide guests with dry-cleaning and laundry services, shoe shines, skate, bike, and rollerblade rentals, supervised recreational activities for children, professional baby-sitting, and pet care programs.

For business meetings, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel has over 20,000 square feet of function space, able to accommodate up to 900 guests. The Arcadia Grand Ballroom alone covers 6,188 square feet, while the Catalina Junior Ballroom spreads out over 1,633 square feet. The Palos Verdes Boardroom can be used for smaller gatherings, and the hotel can provide business services, catering, and teleconferencing capabilities 24/7.

For dining options, guests have plenty of choices at Loews. The Blue Streak is a poolside spot for lunch and lounging with sandwiches and snacks from 11am to 6pm daily. The award-winning Ocean and Vine "farm to table'' restaurant serves breakfast each day from 6:30am till 11:30am and is open for dinner from 6pm to 10pm. Offering stunning views from its floor-to-ceilings windows, Papillon is the hotel's fireside lounge, featuring tapas-style dishes, aperitifs and afternoon tea, a Coffee Cart from 6am till 10:30am, and food service and cocktails from 11am till late. Room service is also available for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night dining.

Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel is located at 1700 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, California 90401. Valet parking is provided for $28 per night.