The Pacific from almost every balcony, or a town on the doorstep. Malibu Beach Inn, from about $755, for 47 rooms on Carbon Beach and a fireplace in most; Santa Monica Proper Hotel, from about $585, for a rooftop pool, a spa and the Promenade seven minutes' walk away.
Forty-seven rooms on Carbon Beach, each with a balcony, all but a handful facing straight out to the Pacific, most with a fireplace.
$$$$From about $755 a night
Choose Malibu Beach Inn if
Anniversaries and proposals
Two quiet nights with nothing planned
Sunrise coffee on a sea-facing balcony
Couples who have a car
The catch
Pacific Coast Highway runs directly behind the building, and some guests mention hearing traffic over the surf; the King Pier View Rooms have the highway in view. Ask for a sea-facing room on the third floor, away from the street entrance.
Kelly Wearstler interiors across a 1928 city landmark and a new building, with a rooftop pool in downtown Santa Monica.
$$$From about $585 a night
Choose Santa Monica Proper Hotel if
Design lovers
A first stay in Santa Monica
Rooftop sunsets
Walkable city days
The catch
A $55 nightly destination fee plus tax is added to every stay, and valet parking is $90.27 per vehicle with tax, so the room rate is not the nightly cost, least of all for a guest with a car.
The Pacific from almost every balcony, or a town on the doorstep. Malibu Beach Inn, from about $755, for 47 rooms on Carbon Beach and a fireplace in most; Santa Monica Proper Hotel, from about $585, for a rooftop pool, a spa and the Promenade seven minutes' walk away.
Good questions about Malibu Beach Inn vs Santa Monica Proper Hotel
Malibu Beach Inn or Santa Monica Proper Hotel?
The Pacific from almost every balcony, or a town on the doorstep. Malibu Beach Inn, from about $755, for 47 rooms on Carbon Beach and a fireplace in most; Santa Monica Proper Hotel, from about $585, for a rooftop pool, a spa and the Promenade seven minutes' walk away.
Is Malibu Beach Inn worth it?
Book Malibu Beach Inn for the balcony over the Pacific, the fireplace and the 34 steps down to the sand, and accept that the highway is behind you. Pay the step up to a King Premier Ocean Front Room, ask for the third floor and treat the rest of Los Angeles as a day out by car. A small, polished beach hotel where the room, the balcony and the sand are the offer, and the rest of Los Angeles is a long drive away. A couple's hotel with a highway at its back.
Does Malibu Beach Inn have a pool or a beach?
There is no pool. A public beach is within walking distance.
Is Santa Monica Proper Hotel worth it?
Book Santa Monica Proper to sleep inside a Kelly Wearstler interior in walkable downtown Santa Monica, with a rooftop pool for the afternoon. Pay the step up to a Landmark Garden Terrace for private outdoor space in the 1928 building, and budget for the $55 fee and valet. A design-first hotel in two buildings, with a public rooftop and a walkable downtown address, rather than a beach hotel or a quiet retreat. Expect a lively roof, interiors you will photograph and a walk of 17 to 19 minutes to the sand.
Does Santa Monica Proper Hotel have a pool or a beach?
It has a rooftop pool. A public beach is within walking distance.
The romantic one