Casa del Mar

Character and identity

Casa del Mar plants you directly on the Santa Monica sand in a red-brick, Italian Renaissance Revival pile that opened in 1926 as a private beach club and was restored to its Jazz Age form in 1999. The eight-story building holds 145 rooms across a residential, pastel-toned design language: four-poster beds, Italian linens, wicker and rattan in the airy lobby, mosaic tile and rich woods throughout. Three venues anchor the day: ocean-view Terrazza, alfresco Patio del Mar at the sand's edge, and a Lobby Lounge with nightly live music. A Kerstin Florian-led eco-spa, oceanfront pool and hot tub, and beach concierge round it out.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The pull here is the address and the romance of the rooms, not culinary ambition: a sand-front 1920s landmark with four-poster beds, marble baths and whirlpool tubs that feels more like a coastal home than a hotel. Book a Palm Terrace Room for the private patio, or stretch to one of the three two-story Penthouse Suites if you want villa-scale space. Spring and early fall bring the cleanest light.