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Shutters on the Beach

• World's Best Winner
• T+L 500 Winner

COST: $$$$

<p>This sprawling beach-house-style inn looks like it was airlifted from Nantucket and dropped on the Santa Monica shore. Inside, the common areas (like the fireside lounge with chairs and sofas upholstered in seashell colors) and the 198 rooms (all whitewashed wood and blue-and-white patterned upholstery, with wicker-furnished balconies) reinforce the laid-back, summer-house vibe. But there's real luxury here too: The on-site ONE spa offers decadent massages, facials, and body scrubs using Ole Henriksen products, and at the nautically-themed One Pico restaurant, chef Michael Reardon serves elegant seafood dishes like Petrale sole grilled whole with salt and bay leaves. </p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Ask the concierge for a tour of the hotel's "beach gallery," featuring pieces from artists like David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, and Claes Oldenburg. </p> <p><strong>Room to Book:</strong> The Presidential Suites have two balconies apiece—and with this location, they're actually worth the hefty $3,500 price tag per night. </p>

AS FEATURED IN...

From Food & Wine , JAN 2006

The concierge at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, California, will print boarding passes for guests....MORE>>

– Jen Murphy Travel Innovations - Hotels, Resorts, Airlines

From Travel + Leisure , JUN 2005

Celebrity decorator Michael Smith has taken on Santa Monica's star-studded Shutters on the Beach....MORE>>

– T+L Reports: Ready For Their Close-ups

From Food & Wine , OCT 2003

The best hotel minibars are also mini cellars. At the elegantly laid-back Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, CA, the minibars stock about 10 good half-bottles such as 1997 Franus Zinfandel and 2000 Laetitia Pinot Noir....MORE>>

– 125 Reasons We Love Wine

Last updated January 2008