Name: Wyndham Santa Monica at the Pier
Address: 120 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, California, 90401, USA
Telephone: 310-451-0676
Price range: $$$

Fodor's Expert Review

Across the street from the Santa Monica Pier and only two blocks from the Downtown Santa Monica train station, this hotel is a good option for families on the weekends and business travelers during the week. The seven-floor tower boasts sweeping views and provides tourists with a location featuring endless options.

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Room

The rooms are surprisingly spacious and come with coffee makers and turndown service upon request. Some of the bigger rooms also have sofa beds that are perfect for small families. Request a higher floor for decent North/South views of Santa Monica and Venice.

You Should Know Even though the hotel is across the street from the ocean, the designers decided to build the tower without any ocean-facing rooms. Many of the rooms have partial ocean views, but it’s not nearly the same. I guess you can just keep repeating to yourself, "I am by the ocean even though I can't see it" when you're inside of the hotel.

Bathroom

There’s nothing fancy about the bathrooms, but they’re clean and well maintained. Also, they function. Guests will have use of Tranquility products and a brutally honest mirror.

Lobby

The lobby isn’t a major hub of activity, save for the breakfast area with street-side windows and the small bar off to one side. Modern touches dot the lobby with various brown hues among the wood-backed chairs and leather spiral couches.

Tip The hotel offers free Wi-Fi and there’s no fee for pets. So, that's nice.

Pool

While there is a salt water pool, it, unfortunately, sits against the freeway and is incredibly noisy. Guests who don’t mind the cars and trucks zooming by in the background can enjoy food and drinks poolside. They can also enjoy the freeway because they have no choice.

You Should Know Oddly, you need to walk through the hotel’s parking garage to access the pool from the lobby. There are stairs leading down from some of the rooms, though. We just wouldn’t advise walking barefoot.

Gym

The gym is small but does have Precor machines and free weights for a full workout.

Dining

The hotel restaurant is known for their breakfast with a wide array of healthy (and not-so-healthy) options. But the hotel takes pride in making sure they have cage-free eggs and as much as possible that’s locally sourced. Guests can grab dinner bites at the lobby bar or order in-room dining 24/7.

Tip The French Toast is really good. Please, do yourself a favor: have some French Toast here.

Drinking

The Lobby Bar offers a happy hour from 4-7pm and gives guests an opportunity for a less expensive start to a Santa Monica night.

What's Nearby

Getting Around

There’s a metro stop two blocks east of the hotel that can take you to Hollywood, Universal Studios, or even Downtown LA. This is a really great walking area though and most people hail Lyft or Uber rides for getting any further afield.

Restaurants

Endless options are all within walking distance of the hotel. On the expensive side is Del Frisco’s Grille (1-minute walk) for steak and seafood or Blue Plate Taco (3-minute walk) for modern Mexican. Joe’s Pizza (4-minute walk) is a great inexpensive option for New York style slices.

Bars

For swank nights, there’s 41 Ocean Club (1-minute walk) across the street from the hotel. For dive bar lovers, there’s Chez Jay (1-minute walk), which has been providing cheap drinks since 1959.