Ventura Beach Marriott

Ventura Beach Marriott is a large blocky hotel with a central courtyard. The courtyard is filled with the pool deck and a tropical garden of palm trees, a pond, and a patio area with seating and umbrellas for shade. As for the interior, it’s all about light. Skylights allow sunshine to fill the central atrium and wall-to-wall windows light the lobby and restaurant areas. The lobby is large with plush couches and chairs next to a stucco-style wall. Tiled floors transition to dated floral blue carpet in the restaurant. It’s a lively area with colorful mosaic columns and a waterfall beneath the staircase, however, the carpet and some of the booths speak to a dated style that still appears throughout the property. A nice touch is the small gallery featuring rotating exhibits of photography by students and faculty of a local school; during our visit, the gallery had images of Cuba. The hotel caters to all types of guests with its mix of features, though during our visit we noted that families tend to congregate in the pool area following a day at the beach. 

Ventura Beach Marriott is situated right off of the 101 Freeway and next to San Buenaventura State Beach. Despite the hotel’s name, it’s a seven-minute walk from the beach. A drive to Santa Barbara Beach is a quick 30 minutes, while it takes a little over an hour to reach Los Angeles (without traffic). As for exploring Ventura, it takes eight minutes on foot to reach Seaward Avenue, a street filled with shops and restaurants. Downtown Ventura is a five-minute drive away. Pacific View mall, five minutes by car, has popular department stores. Ventura Harbor Village -- a five-minute drive -- is a row of shops (and restaurants) that sell ocean and beach-themed products. There’s a few quick bites right near the hotel, mainly fast food. Burbank Bob Hope Airport is an hour’s drive away, while Los Angeles International Airport takes an hour to two hours, depending on traffic. 

Rooms at this hotel are homey in style but modern in amenities. King or Double Rooms are available, though the Double Rooms are outfitted with full-size beds rather than two queen-size beds. Flat-screen TVs and coffeemakers are provided in all rooms, while mini-fridges and microwaves are available on request. Decor includes white linens, old-fashioned wooden headboards, and patterned carpet. The carpet, wooden furniture, and country-style armchairs are cozy but also fairly dated. Rooms facing the inner courtyard have lovely views of the pool and garden. The bottled water provided and in-room Wi-Fi both cost a fee. Some of the white-tiled bathrooms are a touch more contemporary than the rooms with gray granite counter tops, gilded mirrors, waterfall showerheads in the shower/tub combos, and Thann toiletries. However, guests note that some bathrooms remain quite dated, with older toilets. 

The best features of Ventura Beach Marriott are the attractive pool and hot tub surrounded by lounge chairs and umbrellas. Guests don’t have to leave the pool deck for a snack as there’s an outdoor menu and phone to order poolside service. The hotel’s Pacifico Restaurant and Lounge serves Baja-inspired dishes and fresh California cuisine. Room service is available for most of the day. A breakfast buffet is offered, but some contend it's pricey for the food that’s provided. The on-site fitness center is much larger than typical, with free weights, weight machines, and a number of cardio machines with TVs. Free headphones and fruit are nice extras. Business travelers can make use of a full-service business center with two computers, a printer, and copy and fax services. Plus, there are 18 meeting rooms covering over 24,000 square feet, some of which have outdoor patios. Other convenient amenities are a coin-operated laundry room and a small gift shop for a late-night snack. There’s free Wi-Fi in the lobby only, and self and valet parking incur daily fees.