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I’m a Marriott girl. It’s the way I grew up and I have lifetime status – so can you blame me? But for a weekend in between two hectic weeks of travel, I decided to go off the beaten path by staying at the uber chic yet eccentric luxury hotel The Palihouse Santa Monica.
I had been traveling for a week so far in both San Francisco and LA. I had already stayed in 4 different Marriott properties (all great, btw). But when it came to the weekend with another week of traveling, I wanted something different. While I normally loved the modern decor and squeaky clean tile floors that dominated those properties, I craved something different. Something rustic, cozy, and a change from the standard rooms I had been constantly moving in and out of.
This led me to Palisociety. The hotel group behind the Palihouse Hotel chain. I had been wanting to stay in West Hollywood for the weekend, but it was Pride Weekend and all the hotels were ridiculously expensive. I had never stayed in Santa Monica before, and looking at Google Maps, the Palihouse Santa Monica had the perfect location. In one direction: it was blocks away from the shopping district. In the other direction: the beach. My two favorite past times. The hotel website has aerials of the hotel which looked like historic gated estate from the 1920s. I clicked ‘Reserve Now’ immediately.
Interior lobby/dining area with a view of the back patio. Note: this photo was NOT staged, it literally looked perfect the entire time.
The Hotel
Palihouse Santa Monica is branded as a ’boutique beach lodge’ with 38 rooms and suites with fully equipped kitchens. The hotel has been in continuous operation since 1927 and the architecture is ‘Moorish-influenced Revival’. Whatever that means – historians and architects, help me out!
The hotel has a gorgeous front courtyard (I enjoyed my morning coffee here and saw many humming birds!) with complementary bikes available. There is also a back patio that is quiet and serene and gorgeously furnished. The only other shared space is a large front dining room.
The interior of the hotel is so unique. I have been so used to the clean lines and sterile tile floors of contemporary hotels that I found the dimly-lit, dark wood, plush carpeted hallways and quirky decor a bit strange at first. I felt like I had traveled back in time. They also did not have any wheel-chair accessible ramps (or none that I could see), so the bell hop had to lift my bags up the few flights of stairs to the first floor. Hotel check-in is in a small room off to the left of the entrance complete with an antique wooden counter and mail shelves in the back. I was handed an actual key on a key ring with brass circle embossed with a simple ‘P.’.
Location
The Palihouse Santa Monica is located in the middle of residential Santa Monica. I loved this about the hotel. You step off the grounds in the morning and it’s quiet, refreshing, and only a handful of people up and walking around (usually with their dog). Most of all, it’s quiet and calming.
How amazing is this natural light?
Top: H&M // Sleeping leggings (literally obsessed with these – SO soft!): Target //
The Rooms
‘Wut?’ was the first word that went through my mind when I first opened the door to my room. The room was very odd. But after my first night, I grew to love the eclectic space.
You entered the room on top of a small wooden staircase and were able to take in the room from an aerial view. It reminded me of a studio basement apartment in a pre-war building. The sunken living room/bedroom had a king bed, a sitting area, and a large desk with a cute but uncomfortable stool. The ceiling was tall and along the opposite wall, two large windows provided a ton of natural light.
The gorgeously decorated bathroom – the rug was a personal fave.
Off to the right was a beautiful retro bathroom. It was equipped with a small shell-shaped sink and a large bathtub with curtains on each side so you parted them in the middle like those fancy bathrooms you see on Pinterest. The toilet also had a mint colored seat and cover that was both retro but adorable because it wasn’t that hideous retro-pink.
The beauty room
There was also a useless beauty room. (I tried it, but the lighting and uncomfortable retro chair didn’t work for me) Through the beauty room, there was a walk-in closet. On the opposite side of the room was a breakfast nook (my favorite area in the suite) and a full kitchen.
IMO, the greatest thing about the room was also its downfall. Everything was legit retro. Like sourced-from-an-antique-store or fully restored from the original fixtures (see photos of the tub and kitchen sink and counter. These are not from Home Depot). This was beyond charming.
However, when it came to things like the kitchen, there was a nice full size gas oven with burners and a toaster, but no microwave or dishwasher. There was a note that Microwaves were available upon request, but I was only staying two nights and just didn’t want to deal with the hassle. (Read: I am a Millennial and wanted to minimize my direct contact with other humans as much as possible). It just didn’t seem logical to me to have a full sized stove but no microwave, dishwasher, or really any counter space to cook.
There was also a picture of a dog on a composer stand in the middle of the living room that I kept tripping over, and a fake rotary phone with an iPad detailing the hotel dining and amenities. I found the room to be charming and quirky, but a little impractical for the typical ‘luxury hotel guest’.
Attention to detail is everything in this room. Gorgeous wallpaper lined each room. My favorites were the jewel-toned green in the bathroom and the red toile in the living/sleeping area. The bed was very comfortable and the sheets were soft. I did have the modern convenience of a thermostat (whoo-hoo!) and a flat screen TV positioned above the desk.
Jumpsuit: H&M // Shoes: Target // Necklace: Kendra Scott//
Hotel Activities
The largest activities that the hotel has are Rest & Relaxation.
As previously mentioned, the Palihouse Santa Monica has both a courtyard and a back patio where you can sit, read, relax, listen to music, whatever. They also have complimentary bikes that you can ride around the neighborhood (the neighborhood is super bike friendly, so I highly suggest this).
Dining
The hotel boasts a full restaurant with in-room dining available. You can peruse the menu via the iPad provided next to the rotary phone on the desk. I wish I could tell you how the food was, but I didn’t eat at the hotel. Instead, I bought prepared food from a gourmet grocery store and heated it up in the oven. I’m also a total sucker for regional food desserts so I wanted to make sure I tried all of the Urban Remedy desserts before I headed back East.
Shopping
Everything is mostly walkable. I loved going to the Promenade where you can shop your heart out and find something good and trendy to eat. They also have a good-sized Farmer’s Market on the weekends. If you walk far enough beyond the promenade you’ll also hit an open air mall aka Santa Monica Place.
There’s also a shopping area in the opposite direction from the Promenade called Montana Avenue. It was mostly salons that I’ve only seen the products of in Sephora (like Malin+Goetz) and small boutiques. There was also a Whole Foods in that area, but it was not a very good one and I wouldn’t recommend if you’re looking for the good ‘ole Whole Foods Hot Bar.
Beach
The other nearby attraction is the Beach and Santa Monica Pier. I only went to the beach once, but it was the easiest two blocks I’ve walked in a long time. The cliffs before you get to the beach are breathtaking.
Top: Vici Collection (old but similar here) // Shoes: Steve Madden // Skirt: Zara but similar here // Necklace: Kendra Scott //
Overall
If you’re looking for a quiet place with plenty of R&R, the Palihouse Santa Monica is it. Don’t come here looking to rage – you’ll be disappointed. While at first I was in shock of how different the Palihouse Santa Monica is from the conventional hotel, I quickly grew to love the space. Have I said the words ‘quirky’ and ‘eclectic’ too many times already? Alright, I’ll sum it up in another: homey.
I found my creative juices flowing as I sat in the breakfast nook drawing in my steaming morning coffee from an adorable Palihouse ‘P.’ branded mug. Unlike a conventional hotel, I had all the windows open (after I figured out how to use the steel crank-like device to open them) and heard the birds chirping. It was a calm I didn’t know that I needed after rushing around the previous week.
I recommend the Palihouse Santa Monica if you’re looking for something different than the cookie-cutter hotel chain. You’ll feel strangely at home in the spacious, albeit unusually decorated rooms. I don’t recommend if you’re looking for a full-on resort experience as the hotel doesn’t have many options. But if you’re looking to chill out from the buzz of the city, or feel pangs of ‘I need that solitary cabin in the woods’, the Palihouse Santa Monica is a great escape.
Have you stayed at a Palihouse property? What was your experience?
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