General: California > Reviews > Santa Monica Beach resort

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
Family Friendly

Advantages:	all year round climate {except for this year 2005}
Disadvantages:	first impressions were a bit iffy to say the least

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

We stayed in Santa Monica for the first few days of January 2005,
using it as a last stop before heading to LAX {Los Angeles Airport} its about a thirty minute car journey away.
We travelled up to Santa Monica from San Diego and this coast had suffered some of the worst winter rain storms for quite along time.
So when we arrived in Santa Monica it all looked a bit wind-strewn with lots of palm debris on the prom and a lot of liquid in the street.
Luckily it dried up for the first afternoon exploration of the resort.
What can I say we headed for the beach,having to cross a busy road you first come to a strip {we would call it a promonade} which looks like a park,however the place is full of tramps {bums-americanism} either camping on the grass or occupying whatever public seating there is.
Its all a bit intimidating although they appear to cause no problem,infact many seem to be artists of some sort selling their pictures on make do easels.
Not overly impressed,we were not expecting this,we headed off to the world famous Santa Monica pier which has featured in many tv/movies.
Again I stress they had suffered some severe weather {it rained}
and the place looked a bit weather beaten and in need of a lick of paint.
The pier itself was not unlike many other piers I have seen,lots of cafes,fast food outlets,cotton- candy sellers, a smell of fish.
The pier boasts a large amusement park a very fine Mexican restaurant and its own police station. A lot of iffy charecters selling allsorts physics,palm-readers,acrobats and Michael
Jackson inpersonators.
We walked to the end of the pier and were amazed to see so many anglers with quite large catch's.
Agian not quite what we expected to see but it had its charm.
We staiyed at the "Hotel California" a surfing motel and just a stone-throw from the beach and pier and highly recommended .
If was with a little trepidation we headed out that evening,we had decided to head downtown for a meal in a resturant my daughter had spotted.
We walked from the motel towards downtown and had to pass "bum park" as we had nicknamed it,no problems at all infact it was a little bit perverse passing all these make do shelters, yet across the road in the swanky restaurants flash american cars were being valet-parked.
We arrived at out chosen Italian Restaurant and there was a small queue {always a good sign} we left our name with the attendant and were shown to out table 10 minutes later.
This restaurant was unlike any other I had visited before
{I will try and remember its name and post it later}
First on our way to our table we walked through the kitchen and proudly shown all the food preparation and the chefs in full action.
Unusual huh
We were led to the rear of the resturant and were warned by the waiter not to over order as the portions were huge.
I am glad we were told {1 meatball weight 1 pound I kid you not}
We had an excellent meal washed down with copious ammounts of wine and headed back to the Hotel California for a good nights sleep {burp}
The following day the sun shone every thing looked so much better,we walked into town and had breakfast then hoofed it around spending any spare holiday money we had left
All in All Santa Monica is well "strange" bit compelling

post note
the name of this splendid Italian resturant is Buca di Beppo
on 2nd street no.1442