We were really looking forward to some relaxing beach time (for me) and for some surfing and surf lessons for William. When we arrived after a taxing, nearly 3-hour drive north, we were greeted at the door by a friendly valet. He took our car and wonderfully - we didn't need it again until we checked out.

The lobby of Casa del Mar is beautiful - and the sunset views are nothing but amazing! We had a lovely, large room with an ocean view. It had everything my son needed (i.e. - internet connection, gaming capability).

While we spent a lot of time at the hotel's amazing pool, we really liked how we could just walk out onto the beach boardwalk and rents bikes and go for sunset rides along the beach. We also rode to the Santa Monica pier daily (my son loved the roller coaster).

Perhaps best of all was not having to retrieve the car the whole time we were there. We could walk to the Santa Monica Promenade for shopping and movies, and the restaurants at the hotel were awesome for the hearty breakfasts we came to love.

This is a beautiful hotel, in one of the best locations on the beach in Santa Monica, and the service was stellar our entire time. I highly recommend Casa del Mar if you're looking for a hassle-free beach location.