Casa del Mar

The sister hotel to Shutters on the Beach offers an opulent, more sophisticated alternative on Santa Monica's beach.

• The grand lobby that has noteworthy artwork
• The corner suites which have beautiful views
• The attentive, pampering staff

Shutters on the Beach and Casa del Mar, managed by the same family, are located side by side along a choice stretch of Santa Monica State Beach. The historic Santa Monica Pier, with an arcade and a 1916 carousel by master amusement-ride builder Charles I.D. Looff, is only a short walk away. Guests have signing privileges at both hotels and can use both pools.

The more opulent, Renaissance Revival–style Casa del Mar was built in 1926 as a grand beach club and hotel but was converted into a military hotel during World War II, then put to various uses until it reopened as a hotel, in 1999. The large lobby maintains its '20s look, featuring leather club chairs and an inviting bar, and the small pool on the fifth-floor terrace offers a panoramic ocean view. The 145 rooms and suites, all of which were updated in 2016, are comfortable, with a sense of place and ocean-inspired accents, and the ocean-view rooms are particularly impressive. Catch, the hotel restaurant and NYC transport, offers fresh seafood and a sushi bar. The small, attractive spa, with sea-grass walls and chintz-covered chairs, offers treatments that use products by Dr. Howard Murad, who runs the Murad Medical Spa, in nearby El Segundo.

Those looking for a more lively atmosphere than Shutters, but also want to be in a 5-star oceanfront property in Santa Monica.