Welcome to Los Angeles! We get asked often for hotel recommendations in LA and best area to stay as there is a lot to choose from. If you are a beach person, if you are into fitness, wellness, healthy eating, surf, beautiful people Santa Monica is the best place to call home while exploring LA.

And our hotel of choice in Santa Monica is Fairmont Resort & Bungalows. Hotel’s unique selling points are – beachside location, great service, good food and wonderful (and unique) bungalow accommodation. Bungalows feel like your own beach house in Santa Monica with all the services of the exclusive resort.

We stayed in a very luxurious two-level bungalow number 11 with spacious living room downstairs with fold out sofa and full bathroom and beautiful bedroom with a high bed, another bathroom and two outdoor terraces, one of them facing onto the sea. This exquisite accommodation is stylish, homey and very welcoming. Both bathrooms have separate showers and big baths, beautiful amenities and kids toys and books. Kids size bathrooms and slippers are also provided for families and sofa bed get set up at night time and packed away in the morning so you could enjoy your luxurious space.

Check In

Check is swift, but good to know that rooms are ready from 4pm. If you are on an early morning flight and would like a room straight away, you might have to book from the night before. We were in no rush, but had to wait till after 4pm.

Facilities

Fairmont has a lovely heated swimming pool in the centre of the resort with plenty of comfortable deckchairs. But if beach is more your thing, beach butler is there to help – he’ll drive you to the beach and set you up with towels, chairs and umbrellas. For those who like to stay active on holidays there is a fantastic fitness studio with multiple yoga and barre classes every day or another option is to get hotel’s bike and got for a long ride along Santa Monica and to Venice Beach. That’s a beautiful outing – bike ride along the sea, swim at the beach, lunch in a local café and ride back when you are ready. Again, there is no charge for bikes for hotel guests.

Fairmont Miramar also has a little spa with a nail salon and a few treatment rooms. It might be not the most modern spa in town but it has excellent therapists. While in-house, try one of the massages. I had an excellent deep tissue massage that helped soothe the tight muscles after a long haul flight.

Dining

The Bungalow, hotel’s main restaurant, serves a la carte breakfast, lunch and dinner either al fresco, looking over the swimming pool, or indoors in what looks like ‘very LA’ cosmopolitan setting. Menu uses a lot of seasonal ingredients and the atmosphere is chic.

Breakfast is fantastic– it starts with a glass of freshly squeezed juice and has a lot of healthy options – eggs, yogurt, fresh berries and all the kids favourites – waffles, pancakes and French toast.

Hotel’s terrace is a great place for a pre-dinner drink. It’s always buzzing; on a colder night grab a seat at the fire pit table – they are the most popular. Even on summer evenings Santa Monica could ne chilly and a dash of fire adds a little romance to an already beautiful setting.

The Lux Traveller Loves

Bungalows – unique accommodation designed for those who love a beach house feel in Santa Monica

Excellent restaurant

Yoga and Barre studio in-house

Excellent friendly service

Splitting Hairs

The spa could benefit from an update.

All In All

Fairmont Miramar has become our favourite hotel in Santa Monica and in LA. Highly recommend, especially the bungalows, to all families and romantic couples. I’ve stayed in a number of hotels in LA itself (Beverly Hills and West Hollywood) and nothing compares to the bungalow we had in Santa Monica.