Los Angeles - Venice Beach or Santa Monica

Hi all

I'm looking to spend 3 nights by the beach in LA in late June with my wife and can't tell if Venice Beach or Santa Monica would be better for us.

Santa Monica ( where I've been once) has some nice hotels and the walking center would be great for dinners also. Never been to Venice Beach but found some nice B&B's here.

Accomodation can be a hotel or a B&B, something clean and quiet preferably.

We are expecting to spend the 2 days by the beach, maybe visit Hollywood or something else not so far away, and then have dinner in a nice place hopefully near the beach.

We'll have a car and will be parking it. I believe whichever way we go parking will be about 20-30$/day anyway.

Me and the wife are professionals in our 30's and getting a break from child care so aren't really expecting to party all night but are looking more for a rest and relaxation. We are heading to Vegas after this so I'm sure we can satisfy our needs for night clubs there.

I'd be grateful for any advice you could provide me with!

I stayed at the Loews in Santa Monica last October and LOVED it. Great property. Easy walk up to the downtown, too.

i'd recommend santa monica. you can leave your car at the hotel and walk to 3rd street pier, 3rd street promenade, the remodeled mall at the end of the promenade, and all around the area since it's compact. if you want a nice beachside dinner there are the restaurants on the side of the road up the PCH highway towards and into malibu. the lobster at 3rd street pier and gladstones on the PCH are common recommendations.

venice, marina del rey and the surrounding area are a little more sprawled. there are pockets of restaurants and bars but you'll end up hopping in the car to go a mile down the street. just take the car and head down to venice for a half day if you want to walk along the boardwalk.

I'd favor Santa Monica over Venice Beach also. You can always walk, bike, or drive and park down at Venice Beach and people watch/stroll around for a bit.

If you want to splurge a little try to find a deal at Shutter's on the Beach. You could also see if this place is to your liking http://www.channelroadinn.com. Or http://www.hoteloceanasantamonica.com/.

The Channel Road Inn and Hotel Oceana are slightly off of the beaten tourist path but the beach is easy to get to from either. The Hotel Oceana is closer to the trendy Montana Ave. area with some good restaurants and boutiques. It's across from Palisades Park which is the bluff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. There should be a set of stairs that crosses over Pacific Coast Hwy and would allow you to walk over to the quiet northern part of Santa Monica Beach.

I concur with all prior comments. Santa Monica seems to be a better fit for your trip agenda. If you want to check out Venice, you can make a 1/2 day trip to Venice by bicycle and cover the area from Santa Monica in a leisurely pace. You can rent a bike all day for few bucks and ride along the beach all the way down to Marina del Rey.

I will also agree with everyone here. Santa Monica is the better place to spend your nights. Spending some time in Venice may be nice during the day, but at night, especially around the beach area, it's probably safer if you're walking in the Santa Monica side. In addition, you can probably walk around nicely in the Santa Monica area at night to restaurants; sidewalks are nicer.

One more vote for staying in Santa Monica. And I echo bzcat's idea about biking along the beach. Just make sure you get some sort of bike lock and you can cruise the boardwalk stopping to eat, shop, people watch, and really experience the beach atmosphere. When I lived in that area I did it every chance I got for a relaxing Saturday. Plus you get a bit of exercise. ^

Santa Monica is, along with West Hollywood, one of the best places to stay in the area for a tourist.

I stayed at the Loews in Santa Monica last October and LOVED it. Great property. Easy walk up to the downtown, too.

That is well located. Both to the Third Street area as well as Main Street.

i'd recommend santa monica. you can leave your car at the hotel and walk to 3rd street pier, 3rd street promenade, the remodeled mall at the end of the promenade, and all around the area since it's compact. if you want a nice beachside dinner there are the restaurants on the side of the road up the PCH highway towards and into malibu. the lobster at 3rd street pier and gladstones on the PCH are common recommendations.

venice, marina del rey and the surrounding area are a little more sprawled. there are pockets of restaurants and bars but you'll end up hopping in the car to go a mile down the street. just take the car and head down to venice for a half day if you want to walk along the boardwalk.

Gladstones is highly overrated. If you want excellent local fish, head just up PCH from Gladstones to The Reel Inn.

BTW, the Pier is not on Third Street and is not called the Third Street Pier. Its the Santa Monica Pier and is on Ocean (which would be numbered First if it had a number).

Staying in the area near Loews, Le Merigot JW Marriott, Shutters, Casa del Mar, and Viceroy is the ideal place. Easy beach access, very close to the pier and downtown Santa Monica, and walkable to the beach part of Venice beach during the day.

Also great road access to drive up the coast to Malibu/grab dinner along PCH or explore the restaurants along Abbot Kinney (Venice) or Main St. (Santa Monica) at night - both worth checking out in addition to all the main stuff downtown near the 3rd St. Promenade.

Thanks everybody for you advice - based on your feedback I think we'll do the Loews.

We like to get a good breakfast to start the day. Any feedback on the breakfast offered at Loews and what the general price level is? don't feel like paying 50€ for breakfast for two like we did once - feels like a waste of money and thats not a good way to start your day on vacation.

Depending on which day you are staying (Wed, Sat, or Sun), there are farmers markets in various area of Santa Monica. You can get great breakfast at reasonable prices that feature chefs from local eateries. It's a great way for tourists to get familiar with the area and checkout dining options for later on in your stay.

http://www01.smgov.net/farmers_market/

There are many great breakfast places around the area. For example, Cora's Coffee Shop (http://www.corascoffee.com/) is right there at the end of the block down from the Loews. Many more options like Urth Cafe, Ocean Park Omelette Parlor, and Rose Cafe on Main Street (long walk/short drive).

Thanks again. I found the Loews breakfast menu on the net and it was not too expensive but will probably also try the other options.

It's going to be great - will do a circuit from LA-Las Vegas-Death Valley ( might be too hot this time of year) - Sequoia National Park - Santa Barbara. No time for San Francisco now but will do it some other year.

Death Valley is not too hot now. It will be in July/August. Glad we were able to help. Please enjoy your trip!

My vote would be for Santa Monica, too. Lots to do, and if you're just tired of going and doing, you can go to a movie since there are quite a few movie houses on or near Third Street Promenade.

I March I stayed at the Shangri-la hotel on Ocean Avenue at Arizona. Nice art deco place and well-located. http://www.shangrila-hotel.com/

The loews in Santa Monica is a great choice. Parts of Venice are ghetto. For breakfast, I like M St. Cafe, or going to the Victoria house on Sunday mornings at the Main St. Farmer's market. If you go to the farmer's market, it is best to get there before 9:30 am unless you don't mind sitting on the ground to eat.
You can look at Yelp.com to find other restaurant choices.
This is the link to M. St. Cafe's website: http://www.lagrandeorangesm.com/