This is exactly what you need. Trust me. If you haven’t done it, you must stop reading this now, and book a staycation immediately. As much as I love the four walls surrounding me in Brentwood, I was definitely starting to feel like Princess Leia in the garbage incinerator with Han and Chewy – these walls were a comin’ in! So to take hold of my destiny, and sanity, off we went… a whopping 3.5 miles to the beach. And there we decided to indulge one of the best of the best resorts Santa Monica has to offer… Casa Del Mar.
We ended up staying one night at Casa Del Mar and one night at Shutters (article to come) because I always like to do a sampler platter of the best resorts I can find, so why not start in my own ‘hood? Santa Monica is the land of the amusement park pier, the end of route 66 and, most importantly, where Jack tripper fell off his bike while ogling girls (Three’s Company reference, sorry for insulting you, like you didn’t know that:). So here we go…
Casa Del Mar
Right off the bat, pulling up to the gorgeous sister hotel of Shutters is so regal and elegant, you really feel like a princess. It’s hard to say which hotel is prettier (don’t fight girls, mommy loves you both equally), but Casa has this flair of luxury and elegance that makes you feel a little weird about entering the lobby in flip flops. So bring me my LV rollie bag, Gucci sunglasses and Tory Burch espadrilles! Nope, just my Fit Flops will do, it’s Santa Monica after all.
The lobby is absolutely exquisite: double sweeping staricases made me feel Norma Desmond might be coming down for her close up any minute. You seriously cannot take a bad picture of the lobby entrance. Gorgeous.
The staff was unbelievably warm, welcoming and fun! So helpful and accommodating at every turn, especially a fabulous front desk clerk named Angel – aptly named because, well, he was one.
Our room had an amazing view of the pier – which to my delight stayed lit all night! It was so cool to wake up at 3am and the lights on the ferris wheel were still popping off! Love it! The room itself was like a lovely, beachy, airy, library. Unfortunately, there was no balcony but the view made up for it, as did the glorious bathtub (baths are my favorite thing, btw;). But, most of all, my favorite thing about this hotel, was this guy…
I will say the pool was definitely on the small side ( I was pretty shocked actually, well done photo angles), but it had beautiful views and it was very peaceful, quiet, and, again, had amazing service.
The outdoor restaurant, Terrazza, was such a treat – we sat right on the beach walkway and had the best Hawaiin poke ever (I actually ordered it again for room service dinner! Aloha, indeed!). It was my actual first meal out after quarantine in months, so just like a freed prisoner breathing for the first time, it was spectacular and exactly what I needed. Wine and poke… the perfect marriage!
We rented adorable bikes (free for one hour for hotel guests) toodled down the boardwalk. I’ll be honest, Santa Monica pier sure does look pretty in a picture but, man, oh man, she needs a bath. She stanks something serious. So just hold your nose, grab that picture and head on out – just a friendly tip form me to you.
Unfortunately the lobby bar and gorgeous restaurant, Cath, were closed because of you know what, but it really didn’t matter. I got to saddle up to the empty bar and order a fake drink from the invisible bartender just like Jack Torrance.
Overall, this trip was very relaxing and met all the staycation expectations I had: lots of room service, bubble baths, tv and one fabulous ducky.
Xoxo,
Alex
