Hotel in Santa Monica, CA
 

Looking for a hotel in Santa Monica so can easily explore beaches and Hollywood with husband and teens. Any input on the Fairmont Miramar Hotel? Thank you.

What do you want to know? It's a nice hotel, one of the best in SM and a good location. Fairmont is a pretty reliable chain of luxury hotels. I think you'll find good reviews on it in any place you might look, it's not questionable. This brand runs the Savoy in London, the Frontenac in Quebec City, etc.

The Fairmont Miramar is a great hotel with a nice pool, spa and loaner bikes for the guests. Just be aware that it is not on the beach. Also, if you are there on a weekend there is an outdoor night club that operates and depending on where your room is you might hear the music. You can request a room away from the club.

If you are looking for a luxury hotel like that, Shutters on the Beach is gorgeous. And, "on the beach". Literally. Great restaurants there, too.

Otherwise, the Georgian is a classic older hotel, across the street from the ferris wheel.

We like the Jamaica Bay Inn. It's right on Marina del Rey.
http://www.pacificahotels.com/jamaicabayinn

Everything said so far is pretty much spot-on. The Miramar (old-timers like me know it as that) is great and historic, but not on the beach. Shutters on the Beach is, surprisingly, actually on the beach and is wonderful. Its sister property, Casa del Mar, is pretty fantastic too. Their prices reflects their location and quality, so be ready for a bit of sticker shock.

The Shore Hotel is brand-new and a half-block off of the Santa Monica Pier. It has a pool and a "hip" vibe that might appeal to the teenagers:

http://www.shorehotel.com/

The Jamaica Bay Inn is down in Marina del Rey and has a pretty good location, maybe a quarter-mile from Venice Beach (a not unpleasant walk). The hotel itself is new construction, replacing a surprisingly nice Best Western with an even nicer mid-level hotel. But you're even farther from Hollywood than the hotels in Santa Monica.

You <i>have</i> looked at a map of LA, haven't you? Just so you know, it's a huge city. Well, a huge collection of over 100 cities. Cross-town traffic is, at best, a challenge, and at worst a hellish nightmare of sitting in your car with your destination never getting closer. Pack your patience, and remember Elizabeth Taylor's standard advice to anyone asking how to "make it" in Hollywood: "Take Fountain."

Exploring Hollywood won't take all day; I've been able to show out-of-towners those sights along with a spin down the Sunset Strip and a drive through Beverly Hills looking at the stars' homes that are left (a majority of wonderful old stars' houses have been flattened to be replaced by gaudy, tastelessly ostentatious faux-Tuscan wedding-cake McMansions)-- all in a day.

What else do you have planned? There are literally thousands of cool things in this area, and literally thousands others that you'd think would be cool, but really aren't. Fill in a few more blanks and we can help build the appropriate itinerary.