One of our first visits to Santa Monica was during our epic month-long Pacific Coast road trip in 2021. After a wonderful morning in Santa Barbara and lunch at Geoffery’s in Malibu, we arrived at our destination for the evening and kicked off a day on the water. Since then, we’ve gone back numerous times, and outlined our favorite places to stay, eat, and things to do.

Stay:

The JW Marriott Santa Monica Le Merigot is our favorite so far. It’s in a beautiful location, walking distance to the pier and tons of restaurants and shopping. Most times we have been able to get an upgrade to a great room with a huge balcony overlooking the water. The hotel rooms are a little dated, but the property itself is in a great location, and the balconies are clutch. Seriously the balcony wrapped around the room and had space for two hightop tables, two lounge chairs, and enough room for us to host a group of our friends for drinks and to watch the sunset.

Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel is a bit nicer in quality than the JW, mostly just because it’s a newer property. It’s also in a great location, walking distance to everything you could want to do in Santa Monica, but not a Marriott property, and we all know I’m a bit obsessed with my points and status with Marriott.

Courtyard by Marriott Santa Monica is another property we’ve stayed at in the past. Depending on what is happening in the city, the room rates can get pretty wild. The Courtyard is a good affordable option, still within walking distance of everything you could want to do in Santa Monica. The hotel itself is newly renovated, and we’ve always enjoyed our stay there.

Eat:

My favorite way to start every day in Santa Monica is with one of my two favorite coffees Phillz Coffee and Blue Bottle. If you like slightly sweet iced coffee drinks, I cannot recommend the Mint Mojito from Phillz and the New Orleans Iced Coffee from Blue Bottle. I got both all the time when we lived in San Francisco, and both keep expanding but for some reason haven’t made it to Denver yet.

Another new favorite of mine is Alfred Coffee. In addition to coffee, they also have milk tea and boba, and everything I’ve tried has been delicious. They don’t technically have a location in Santa Monica, but it’s worth the 15 minute drive to Westwood to pick one up. Afterwards you could walk around the UCLA area while enjoying your drink.

One of our favorite spots in Santa Monica is brunch at The Penthouse in the Huntley Hotel – this spot is absolutely beautiful, and has some fantastic views. Often spots like this don’t have the best food, but here you get the best of both worlds. Everything we ordered was great, and it’s an awesome spot for large groups and parties once COVID subsides!

The Veranda at The Georgian Hotel is a great spot for any meal, but also just for a pre-dinner drink if you get a chance. It’s a beautiful location, right on the water. Eric and I had a chance to sit and watch the sunset over a glass of wine last time we were in town, and it was magical.

For Italian, we love Orto. Located right in downtown Santa Monica, they have an interior courtyard, which is great, because it allows you to eat outside but blocks the ocean breeze that can make it a little chilly in the evenings. The menu was amazing, and we had SO many good appetizers and entrees. The carpaccio was phenomenal, the burrata above was divine, and all of the pastas we tried were super rich and flavorful. They also had some really unique cocktails. We each tried one before getting wine with dinner, and I picked the red pepper martini which was a savory pepper martini and it was one of the most interesting martinis I’ve had for sure.

For seafood, Blue Plate Oysterette is phenomenal. Right in downtown, and overlooking the water, it’s so good. Luckily the last time we were in town a few friends came with us so that we could try a ton of stuff on the menu. The photos above were some of the highlights, but honestly everything was amazing. The restaurant group also has Blue Plate Tacos down the street, and we can’t wait to try that next time we’re in town.

Though not technically in Santa Monica, I highly recommend taking the 15 minute drive to Ms. Chi Cafe in Culver City. Chef Shirley Chung was a finalist on Top Chef season 11, and one of her winning dishes, her cheeseburger potstickers, is featured on the menu. They also have some fantastic cocktails, including my absolute number one guilty pleasure, the lychee martini.

The Albright is a great seafood spot on the pier, and a fantastic place to stop for a quick lunch. The seafood is super fresh, and we opted to share some oysters, a lobster roll, and a salmon blt, which was the definite winner of the bunch.

Do:

I always over-eat at every meal (doesn’t everyone?) and so afterwards you can walk the Third Street Promenade for some fantastic shopping, and the Santa Monica Pier for old school carnival vibes. Although closed currently for COVID, the ferris wheel is a great way to snap some incredible views of the ocean, and the last time we were there we even saw a couple get engaged on the ride.

If you’re following along on our PCH trip, we left Santa Monica and headed to our next stop, Newport Beach! Be sure to check out our full Pacific Coast itinerary here!