The Santa Monica Proper Hotel is an upscale boutique hotel that is situated at 700 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, California, within a short walking distance of the beach and Santa Monica Pier. Its design is unique, developed by Howard Laks Architects and interior by Kelly Wearstler. It features a seamless combination of an old Spanish Colonial Revival-style building, dating back to 1920, and a new seven-story contemporary building. The hotel has the city’s only rooftop pool and bar, offering panoramic ocean views, as well as the Mediterranean-inspired Calabria restaurant and the all-day Palma lounge. Additionally, it boasts the famous Surya SPA, complete with Ayurvedic treatments. It has Wellness services that include a 3,000-square-foot gym with classes offered every day and a Recovery Suite including cold plunges, a sauna, and red light therapy. Outdoor recreation, free bicycles are used to see the beachfront bicycle path and the other attractions of the area, including the Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Farmers Market.
What Can You See & Do at Santa Monica Proper Hotel?
Here are the eight best things to see and do at the Santa Monica Proper Hotel:
- Relax at the Rooftop Pool Deck: The rooftop pool at the Santa Monica Proper Hotel is one of the main attractions, which provides an excellent panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and the city skyline. Visitors spend their time on the relaxed sunbeds, lie in their own cabanas, have a refreshing cocktail or a light meal as they watch the sunset. The pool area is equally serene, beautiful, a place to read, socialise, or just to get in a sunbed.
- Experience Wellness at Surya Spa: Surya Spa is oriented towards holistic health, which involves the incorporation of modern methods with the traditional Ayurvedic products. The guests have the opportunity of massages, facials, body scrubs and energy therapies that rejuvenate the body and mind. The spa also has a sauna, steam room and cold plunge, and relaxation lounges that bring a relaxing atmosphere of complete rejuvenation, enabling the guests to be totally out of touch with the real world.
- Enjoy Rooftop Dining at Calabra: The Calabra, rooftop restaurant and lounge, is an incredible resting place, serves Mediterranean cuisine and innovative cocktails. Visitors sample fresh salads, small dishes such as hummus and baba-ghannouj or rich main courses as lemon-herb salmon, grilled chicken and fine burgers with ocean and city panoramas. Its vibrant and upscale ambience makes it ideal for sunset dinners, brunches on the weekend, or drinks by the pool.
- Explore the Art & Design Features: The hotel is designed with art, beautiful architecture and unique interior design. All spaces include pieces of art, original sculptures and furniture designed and custom-made by Kelly Wearstler, with her natural surfaces and natural colours. Visitors explore these aesthetically stimulating spaces, take click photos, and experience the artistic atmosphere that is a blend of modern luxury and natural, coastal beauty.
- Join Fitness & Movement Classes: The hotel has a range of fitness and wellness classes for guests at all levels. Yoga and meditation, stretching and mobility, and strength training are offered on a daily basis in the gym, and all of these are fully equipped. Peloton bikes and Pilates reformers are also available for the guests with modern fitness equipment. Such classes and facilities motivate the guests to continue their wellness programs when travelling.
- Enjoy In-Room Luxury: The hotel offers rooms and suites in a personal getaway with luxury bedding, spa-style showers, fluffy robes, customised minibars, and considered latitudinal decor that creates a comfortable and sophisticated blend. Anytime, in-room dining is available where guests relax, work or reflect in the serene environment. The place is prepared with freshly prepared meals or snacks for the guest to enjoy in the privacy of their rooms.
- Walk or Bike to Santa Monica Beach: The hotel is conveniently situated in areas close to the beach, allowing guests to walk or hire a bike and visit the Pacific coastline. The picturesque bike paths and the walk-in streets enable the visitors to have a relaxing time on the beach, in the parks, at the well-known and popular Santa Monica Pier, and on the oceanfront. Early mornings and evening strolls along the beach or cycling on the bike path are unforgettable experiences along the coast.
- Explore Cultural Programming: The Santa Monica Proper Hotel is a place of diversified events and cultural experiences throughout the year. Visitors are able to listen to live music, attend art pop-ups, wellness classes, tastings, and seasonal celebrations. Such managed experiences enable the visitors to interact with the local culture, socialise with other guests and have exciting experiences that are not part of the usual hotel stays, making every visit a very special experience.
What Are the Best Times to Visit the Santa Monica Proper Hotel?
The optimal times to go to the Santa Monica Proper Hotel are when the weather is warm but not overly hot (May-June and September-October). It’s the best time to visit with fewer crowds than the peak season and the same lively ambience, easy access to the beach, and perfect weather, given the walkable nature of the neighbourhoods and oceanfront access of the city of Santa Monica.
What Are the Rooms & Amenities Like?
The rooms at the Santa Monica Proper Hotel are dressed up in an elegant coastal style incorporating the use of natural fabrics, cosy neutral colours and luxury to produce a peaceful, airy environment. The rooms are spacious, have high mattresses, high thread counts, blackout curtains, curated minibars, oversized smart televisions, and fancy bathrooms with plush robes, walk-in showers, and high-end toiletries. The hotel rooms have sweeping views of Santa Monica or the Pacific Ocean. The hotel also enhances the experience, with a full-scale fitness centre, Peloton bikes, Pilates equipment, and daily movement classes, as well as a famous Ayurvedic-inspired spa, where personal treatments, hydrotherapy options, a cold plunge, sauna, and recovery therapies are offered. The guests spend their time in the only rooftop pool in the area, accompanied by the Mediterranean-style restaurants, ocean-view lounges. Visitors have the opportunity to use their own cabana, and the stylish social spaces in the lobby provide the guests with meals and cocktails during the daytime as well. The services, such as pet-friendly service, valet, room service, high-speed Wi-Fi, meeting rooms, and a considerate wellness program, make sure that the hotel not only provides comfort but also luxury to any leisure or business traveller.
How to Get to the Santa Monica Proper Hotel?
Here are the five best ways to go to the Santa Monica Proper Hotel:
- By Car: The hotel is also accessible by road, as it is located near major highways such as the I-10 and Pacific Coast Highway. The hotel offers a valet parking facility where its guests have their cars dropped right at the entrance.
- By Public Transport: Metro E Line serves the Downtown station at the Santa Monica Station, which is located within a short walking distance of the hotel, and several local buses operate along Wilshire and Santa Monica. It makes public transportation a convenient and inexpensive choice.
- By Ride-Share: Uber, Lyft, and local ride-share services are available to drop you at the hotel fast and with a direct drop-off. It is a stress-free way to get to the hotel, whether you are leaving LAX or some other area of the city.
- By Limo Service: Santa Monica is full of private limos and luxury car services. The traveller chose limousine service Los Angeles to have the convenience of a luxury, high-end transfer to the main entrance of the hotel.
- By Walking/Bike: The city of Santa Monica is friendly to pedestrians and bicycles, and has broad walkways, bike lanes, and adjacent rental shops, which makes it easy to walk or ride a bicycle to the hotel in case you are visiting or staying in the nearby area.
Where to Eat & Drink at Santa Monica Proper Hotel?
Here are the three best eating places at the Santa Monica Proper Hotel:
- Calabria Rooftop Restaurant & Lounge: The hotel has a signature rooftop restaurant, Calabria, with an amazing ocean and city view, and a cosy high-end ambience. The menu is centred around fresh Mediterranean-style cuisine, including hummus, baba-ghannouj and labneh with warm bread, salads including watermelon feta and entrés including lemon-herb salmon, grilled chicken and their Calabra Burger that is always served with zaatar fries. It is also a great place to have a sunset and brunch at the pool with creative cocktails and light meals.
- Palma Lobby Lounge: Palma is situated on the ground floor, and it is more like a fancy living room where visitors relax, work, or socialise. It offers breakfast dishes like acai bowls, yoghurt parfaits, avocado toast, and smoked-salmon bagels and has later in the day dishes like the Palma Burger with gorgonzola and fig chutney, whole-grain pancakes, and eggs Benedict. The lounge also has a variety of beverages like fresh juices, artisan coffee, mocktails and signature cocktails.
- In-Room Dining: The in-room dining provides a combination of cosy and upscale foods to guests who want to eat in their rooms. It serves spicy rigatoni pasta, beef bolognese, grilled chicken Cobb salad, New York steak and mashed potatoes, burgers (including vegan), fritto misto and dipping sauces. It also serves desserts such as chocolate cake and tiramisu, kid favourites, pancakes and cheeseburgers. You are always spoilt for choice of what you want to have at any point in time throughout the day.
Is the Santa Monica Proper Hotel Worth Staying At?
The Santa Monica Proper Hotel is most certainly worth staying in due to its unique style, comfort, and wellness-based luxury experience. It is more than a sleeping venue, and its thought-out rooms, rooftop pool, spa, and rooftop restaurant all seem high and purposeful to make the atmosphere comforting and invigorating. The place is also a great advantage, being situated next to the beach, the pier, and the walkable streets of Santa Monica and visitors have an easy way to visit them without having to drive. It is not the most affordable if you are limited by your budget or simply require a convenient place to sleep. Its aesthetics and wellness activities turn your stay into a great experience with fun and care.
