SureStay Hotel by Best Western Santa Monica

Location is great with easy access to both Santa Monica seafront and Los Angeles. Parking is free and plentiful.breakfast not comprehensive but plenty of it, well stocked and enough variety. Rooms are decent sized and although a little dated are well equipped and maintained Good restaurants within walking distance and would recommend Brixton for dinner. Trader Joes is steps away and is a great supermarket if you are not familiar with the brand. 15 minutes walk to nearest metro, with public transport cheap, safe and easy to explore whole area via metro and bus.

The location is terrific. It is ten minutes from the beach and has easy freeway access but is in a calm, quiet neighborhood next to a Trader Joe's and not far from McD's, Starbucks, and other restaurants. I would *absolutely* stay here again if we returned to the area.

The room was very clean and well appointed. We were in the 3rd building, which had a charming courtyard. It was nice that there was a key card entry to get into the courtyard area. The room looked to have been painted recently. I liked that it had a small area with a table and fridge. The front desk employees were very nice and check in was quick.

Property entrance is gated and locked which adds security. Rooms are clean and bathroom and kitchen are separated from the sleeping area, plus there is a small eating space. Breakfast is fine, with pretty much everything you need for breakfast. Staff are very friendly and helpful.

The room was very clean and looked as if it was renovated not to long ago. We were surprised how quiet it was even though there is quiet some traffic in front of the hotel. Being so close to the "Interstate 10" was great because we were able to get to our destinations fairly quickly (for example Santa Monica 10 mins, Venice 15 mins, Getty Center 20 mins). A lot of comments/ reviews talk about the poor breakfast... However our expectations were exceeded. For American standards the breakfast buffet has a lot to offer: there are bagels, toasts, cereal, fruits (apples & bananas), juices, coffee, tea, boiled eggs, pancakes and yogurts. Parking is free. There are three parking lots. We never had any trouble finding a spot. Great value. Would go back there next year! PS: For European travellers on a budget, we can recommend Ralphs grocery store in the area. They have a great selection (good bread) and good prices. In addition, we were initially worried about parking around Santa Monica and Venice Beach. The prices vary depending were you park. However there is always enough space.