A weekend in Santa Monica

About a week ago I got to spend an entire weekend in Santa Monica and you bet we tried to cram as much humanly possible. Well, because its beautiful Santa Monica. Here is a little recap of where to stay, where to eat and what to do.

Where we stayed:

We got to stay in at the beautifully renovated Oceana Santa Monica and let me tell you it could have not been in the most perfect location. The hotel is right of Ocean Avenue. It consist of 70 suites all luxuriously decorated while still maintaining a very welcoming coastal vibe to them. You can pretty much bike to the Santa Monica Pier, the Promenade (the hotel has the cutest complimentary bikes) and walk to the beach.

The hotel offers in house dinning room which is exclusive to hotel guest – We ordered drinks and room service our first day. I cannot tell you how obsessed I was over the decor here.

• 

• 

What to eat?

There is really no shortage of restaurants in Santa Monica. But some of my favorites we visited were:

1. Socalo – Its a the new kid in town offering Mexican fare by  chef/owners Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken. I recommend their “Buenos Dias Bowl” and “El picante” cocktail. I loved that their ingredients are local, organic and sustainable.
2. We stopped by True Food Kitchen at the Santa Monica Promenade to try their seasonal winter menu and it was delicious. I left there feeling healthy and recharged. Food that does that is a yes for me.

• 

• 

What to do?

We were lucky with good almost ‘summer like’ weather so we opted for walking everywhere.

1. Walk to Third street Promenade for equal parts shopping and dinning. We walked for 3 hours getting lost in so many stores. Its also a good way to burn some calories.
2. The iconic Santa Monica Pier is a must. We got there early to avoid the crowds. You can eat there, do rides but my favorite is people watch.
3. The beach – I don’t know what it is but Santa Monica beach sunsets are one of a kind.

• 

• 

• 

Thank you to Oceana Santa Monica for such a great stay!