Hey my TRAVELisms family! I just got home from the magical Loews Santa Monica Beach Resort that was truly the ultimate girls staycation weekend.
Walking in to the expansive, open concept beach-facing lobby, we were greeted with soothing live-music, some delicious bubbly upon check-in and a welcome gift that set the tone of peace, relaxation & tranquility that we were going for. In the welcome kit, came sage, a palo santo stick and a healing crystal to clear the energy and set the intention for our staycation.
Before heading up to the room, we took a peek around the lobby & pool deck which are on the fourth floor and provide picturesque views of the Santa Monica Pier & beach. After sipping some champagne and watching the waves roll in, we headed up to our room on the fifth floor.
We stayed in a beautiful Oceanside Fire Pit Suite with an oversized deck complete with two lounge pool chairs, two outdoor oversized chairs and our very own fire pit. This was perfect for mornings and at night when the ocean breeze rolled in, not to mention created the ultimate beach getaway vibes. Our room, 547, had sweeping views of the Santa Monica Pier and ocean. We watched all the legendary beach activities unfolding, from athletes swinging through the beach rings and the talented acro-yogis practicing on the green. We also loved that the room was a corner unit, had a retractable sun awning and really felt private, like we were in our own little getaway.
The first night we went to downtown Santa Monica to try out a restaurant Courtney had been eyeing for a while, Massilia. Massilia’s food and ambiance gave us Marseille vibes with french, spanish, italian and moroccan cuisine. After dinner, we spent the night curled up on the deck with the fireplace on, in our bathrobes, listening to the soothing ocean sounds and watching the lights of the Pacific Park ferris wheel.
Day two we woke up early to take a ride on the iconic Strand just footsteps from Loews Santa Monica Beach Resort. Loews offers complimentary beach cruisers on the fourth floor at the concierge desk. The Strand is a 22 mile (44 mile round trip) paved bike path running along the coast from Santa Monica and ending in Torrance Beach. I still have yet to ride the entire Strand but it is on my bucket list of things to do. There are multiple points to pull over along the path and stops along the way or you can cruise for a little while and turn around once you have gotten your daily exercise.
After our Santa Monica bike cruise, we headed back to Loews with quite the appetite. We headed to the pool deck to get a little sun and grabbed some pool side cocktails & delicious bites.
After getting our sun on, we took a quick walk to the Santa Monica Pier. The pier is open although beach access was currently restricted, so unless your looking to get some extra steps, stay on the main road until you get to the pier to access the fun & rides. Since we ate not too long before we opted to ride the giant ferris wheel that provides sweeping views of the ocean & pier and the carousel which is located indoors near the front of the park.
Feeling like a kid again, we headed back to Loews to get ready for dinner at Blue Streak. I highly recommend this spot. Blue Streak has seating on the fourth floor overlooking all of the pier & ocean. We opted for an outdoor private fire pit dinner at sunset. Executive Chef Chris O’Connell wowed us with a Californian culinary delight from the fresh Roasted Beet Burrata with imported burrata from Italy, farm-fresh arugula, mustard frills, fennel, golden and purple beets drizzled with flavorful oils, sea salt & fresh cracked pepper, to our main course of 6oz C.A.B. Beef Filet, parsley potatoes and herbed garlic butter. The food, fire and picturesque views made memories for a lifetime. After dinner, we headed back to our room for round two of bathrobes, fire pit & girls talk while listening to the soothing sounds of the ocean.
Our last day in Santa Monica, we headed 15 minutes down the road to take on 4 mile hike on the Temescal Canyon Trail. Parking is available right at the trail head for $12 for the day. The hike is easy enough for beginners but also provides a great workout. Depending on the season, you may see some of the beautiful waterfalls but you will always get the stunning sights from the top with views from Malibu to Venice.
For our last meal, we ordered from the expansive and online room service menu complete with fresh juices that was set up right on our private deck. We toasted with our juices to the magic of our staycation and can’t wait to visit Loews Santa Monica Beach again soon!
xoxo Heidiisms 💋