Shutters On The Beach Rating: 5.0 Pearls

Beaches - Santa Monica and Venice, Los Angeles, California

The lobby

Along with its competitors, Shutters faces the straightforward task of providing all the top-notch service, design, and amenities suitable to high-powered Angelenos, while at the same time creating a calm, relaxed beachside getaway from the pressures and pace of Hollywood. For the most part, it succeeds, meeting most expectations for a luxury lodging.

One of Shutters' greatest advantages is its stellar beachfront location. Only two of Santa Monica's hotels are right on the beach -- this one, and its stiffest competition, next-door sister property, Casa Del Mar. While many nearby hotels have beautiful rooms and high-design lobbies, Shutters one-ups them with design by Michael Smith, whose portfolio includes the Obama White House. White-wood trimmings and gray shingles make the whole place look like a giant East Coast summer home, and all of its luxury components -- a well-regarded spa, a pool, and two popular restaurants -- put it near the top of the town's high-end hotel heap. Celebrities regularly head here -- I ran into comedian Dave Chappelle on the way to my room and HBO's Entourage recently filmed a scene at Coast, the on-site restaurant.

Still, you'll pay top-dollar to stay at Shutters, and it's missing one key ingredient of a true getaway: an intimate setting. With 198 rooms and a buzzing atmosphere, it can't replicate the laid-back coziness one finds at smaller spots like the charming, off-beach 63-room Oceana or even the next-door,128-room Casa Del Mar. With three buildings, its guests often have to walk outdoors between two elevators to get to their rooms. And while the public spaces have sumptuous seating, beautiful fireplaces, and artwork by David Hockney and Roy Lichtenstein, they can get busy and feel cramped. Frequent private events and densely arranged lounge chairs bring crowds to what ought to be a serene pool area. Cars zip in and out of the circular driveway at the entrance as people shuttle between power lunches and meet-and-greets. And while it's hard to beat staying so close to the sand, in the summer the beach swarms with Angelinos escaping the stifling inland heat, and the Strand bike path and former muscle beach area in front of the hotel tend to attract homeless and runaways.

For those who find entertainment business bustle alluring, Shutters is a great choice. Its large rooms belong in a billionaire's beach house and the doting staff remembers guests by name. But a more intimate beachfront hideaway experience with similar amenities exists at Casa del Mar for less, while the high-end boutique Oceana, though off the beach, is an even cozier respite.

Service at Shutters is as extensive as it comes in Santa Monica, and the staff executes efficiently. Bellmen rush to guests' cars as valets drive them away, helping with bags. Two doormen wait by the entrance with towels and water bottles for patrons returning from jogs on the beach. The check-in clerk addressed me by name, gave her name, and told me to call if I needed anything. Later, when I passed the front desk, she remembered my name and asked how I was doing. Beyond those details, though, higher guest volume means less personal attention than one can get at the more intimate Oceana.

• Dedicated concierge open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; 24-hour bell desk
• 24-hour room service from One Pico restaurant
• Poolside drink service
• Free shoe-shine service
• Free hotel car for guests staying in suites or oceanfront rooms
• iPods available for free use by guests
• In-room iPads for suite guests
• Free yoga and meditation lessons twice weekly, reserve through concierge
• Bike rentals -- $13 an hour -- available through the concierge
• Same-day laundry service Monday through Saturday

View on a Larger Map

As its name suggests, Shutters sits on the beach, toward Santa Monica's southern border. Farther north on Ocean Avenue, the nearest main road, locals run, walk their dogs, and do boot-camp exercises with personal trainers along the seaside cliffs in Palisades Park. Only one other Santa Monica hotel, Casa Del Mar, is actually on the beach, and most others are about 15 to 20 minutes away from the sand.

• Directly on the beach -- walk out the door, cross the bike path, and you're on the sand
• Bicycle nirvana! The Strand bike path runs 22 miles from Temescal Canyon to Redondo Beach
• 20-minute walk from famous Third Street Promenade, a pedestrian-only outdoor mall with shopping, a movie theater, and national chain restaurants
• 10- to15-minute walk from iconic Santa Monica Pier, with Ferris wheel, video game arcade, and assorted carnival-style amusements
• Five- to 10-minute drive to popular Venice Beach, with skateboarders, surfers, and hip restaurants
• 25- to 30-minute drive to Rodeo Drive/Beverly Hills, with high-end shopping and swanky mansions
• 30- to 45-minute drive to Universal Studios Hollywood theme park
• 30- to 45-minute drive to Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame, and Grauman's Chinese Theatre
• 30- to 45-minute drive to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Baths with windows that open to bedrooms

Decorated by renowned designer Michael Smith, whose recent work includes the interiors of the Obama White House, the rooms at Shutters feel like the digs at a swank cottage in the Hamptons -- airy, with lots of blues and whites. Sliding doors with white wooden shutters (the hotel's namesakes) open up to balconies (these are Juliet balconies in the lowest-level standards). Over-the-top, in-room amenities (TVs in the bathroom, every guest gets a copy of a Hemingway novel) and a generous size (400 square feet) make these some of Santa Monica's best hotel rooms, though the slightly larger rooms at Casa del Mar next door are just as well designed, and less expensive. For even more space, standards at the intimate Oceana are a whopping 550 square feet, but you'll walk 15 minutes to the beach.

• Standard rooms have four-poster beds (one king or two doubles) with custom-made Fili D'oro 100 percent cotton sheets and plush Sealy pillow-top mattresses; all rooms have balconies but lowest-level rooms have no views.
• You'll have to fork over $70 or so extra above the standard rate to get a partial ocean view, which isn't breathtaking enough to justify the price.
• Great furnishings and accents -- walnut desks and night stands, coffee table books, porcelain bowls
• 32-inch flat-screen TV in the bedroom with cable, in-room movies, and on-demand video games; 10-inch flat-screen in the bathroom; DVD player but no DVD library
• iHome iPod docking stations; iPods available on request
• In-room Wi-Fi costs $12 a day; same as the area's other luxury properties, though it's free at Oceana.
• Large bathrooms with three-nozzle showers and separate bathtubs, whale bath toys, stocked medicine cabinet (guests pay as they would for minibar items; pretty unique for L.A., but sister property Casa del Mar has this as well), SkyBlue toiletries
• Suites are 800 square feet, a bit smaller than the 850-square-foot suites at Oceana, but feature Bang & Olufsen stereos, games, and personal laptops.
• Guests staying in suites and oceanfront rooms get access to free hotel car.
• Large whirlpool bathtubs

Shutters' pool offers food and drink service.

Guests here can find the same assortment of facilities at other Santa Monica hotels, but others do individual ones better. Shangri-La's pool, for instance, has a better party scene, and Fairmont Miramar's is more relaxing. The spa, business center, and fitness center at the Fairmont Miramar are likewise better than those at Shutters. Still, what you get here overall is still quite good.

• Pool is average size for Santa Monica (short laps possible); poolside drink service available; deck area regularly hosts weddings and other celebrations, which can disrupt relaxation.
• ONE the spa open 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., decorated by Obama White House designer Michael Smith; personal trainer available ($110 for a 50-minute session)
• Fitness center has full array of TechnoGym machines and weights, but is small, dimly lit, and below ground.
• Small, fairly standard 24-hour business center with free Internet and printing
• In-room Wi-Fi costs $12 a day (fairly standard, although in-room it's free at Oceana).
• Bike rentals -- $13 an hour -- available through concierge; Oceana goes one better, offering the first two hours free and $10 for each additional hour.
• Lots of artwork throughout, by artists such as David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Motherwell, William Wegman, Richard Diebenkorn, and Claes Oldenburg

Shutters is a few steps from the beach.

Although the water at Santa Monica's beach sometimes smells acrid as a result of L.A.'s enormous pollution, the waves are a magnet for surfers.

• Sand extends gradually into the water -- good for swimming or boogie-boarding
• Hotel provides beach chairs, umbrellas, and boogie boards in the summer, and rents bicycles all year round
• The city of L.A. provides lifeguards in the summer and early fall only
• A 22-mile bike path runs along the beach, drawing cyclists and rollerbladers.
• Multiple shops near the bike path, independent of the hotel, rent beach gear.
• Beachside snack shops serve fast food; there are public-use volleyball nets
• During rainy winter months, trash runoff from the streets force periodic beach closures
• Summer crowds leave lots of trash
• Surf cast fishing is popular, but eating fish from the area is not recommended.
• Santa Monica Pier a few steps away; great for pier fishing

Celebrity sightings are common at Shutters, particularly because its dining venues are power-meeting spots. I passed comedian Dave Chappelle on the way to my room. High Fidelity and Must Love Dogs star John Cusack and Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar have also recently turned up at the hotel. The HBO series Entourage filmed a scene at on-site restaurant Coast.

Kid-friendly fare at Coast restaurant

Families will do fine at Shutters, thanks to large rooms with fun touches like bath toys and on-demand video games, plus a beachfront location that's convenient when you have tots. But travelers will find all of these things at nearby Casa del Mar -- plus they'll get arcade amusements in the lobby and wind-up toys and kaleidoscopes in the rooms, which are slightly larger than Shutters' at 420 square feet.

• Directly on the beach, but L.A. provides lifeguards only in summer and early fall
• Beach toys -- shovel and pail -- available on request
• Bicycle rentals -- $13 an hour -- available through concierge (Oceana goes one better, offering the first two hours free and $10 for each additional hour)
• Free cribs and rollaways (Oceana and Casa charge $50 for rollaways, the Fairmont Miramar charges $25)
• Babysitting services from We Sit Better arranged through concierge with six hours' notice; $25 an hour for one child (four-hour minimum), plus $15 travel fee
• Outdoor pool doesn't stand out from others in the area; it's mainly a spot for adults to sunbathe.
• 24-hour room service offers kids' menu; on-site restaurants have kid-friendly options.
• Muscle Beach jungle gym and swing set on the beach in front of the hotel attracts a mixed crowd of families and boardwalk loonies

Oceanfront One Pico serves seasonal Italian.

The hotel hosts two highly regarded oceanfront restaurants that attract power lunchers: One Pico, designed by decorator Michael Smith, and the less formal Coast, the setting for a lunch-meeting scene in HBO's Entourage, in which Friends star David Schwimmer made a cameo. The Living Room, another oceanfront dinery, offers light meals and beverages throughout the day. Guests may come and go as they please, whether to mingle over cocktails or drink morning coffee and read a newspaper.

• One Pico has one of only 96 U.S. master sommeliers on staff (Peter Neptune); won a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2009; open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, Sunday brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; entrees from $24 to $39
• Coast, a beachside cafe and bar, serves steak, sandwiches, and seafood; open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m; brunch on Saturday and Sunday; entrees range from $17 to $29.
• 24-hour room service with selected items from One Pico and a kids' menu

Every area of the hotel is spotless.