Sherman's Travel

Los Angeles is such a sprawling patchwork of neighborhoods – from haute Beverly Hills to shabby-chic Venice Beach – that choosing where to stay during a leisure visit can be a bit perplexing. I like to suggest that couples consider Santa Monica, a beachside community that offers a bit of everything, from eclectic dining (such as The Misfit for a terrific small-plate menu and neighborhood happy hour ambiance) and shopping (along the pedestrian-only Third Street Promenade and in the new Santa Monica Place mall with its rooftop dining deck) to walking/jogging/biking (on the paved beachfront path that runs to neighboring Venice Beach) and even kitschy fun on the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel (at Pacific Park atop the historic Santa Monica Pier, shown above at left). Plus, the sunsets from the cliff-top park that spans Ocean Avenue are always spectacular. I recently toured four hotels in Santa Monica, each offering a very different style and all worthy of a stay during your next visit.

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