The Pierside Santa Monica

First-time visitors to Santa Monica may occasionally be surprised to find it a bit less laid-back and bohemian than they expect. The Pierside Santa Monica sets out to fix all that. This isn’t just the first luxury boutique hotel to open in Santa Monica in quite some time, but its address on Colorado Avenue at Ocean Avenue makes it the closest one to the iconic Santa Monica pier — a victory for anyone who’s a stickler for truth in hotel names.

What’s inside is a hotel that’s modern and visually surprising, but true to its Southern California inspiration, incorporating a wide range of influences from Arts & Crafts and surf culture to mid-century Modernism and some handsome custom-designed contemporary furniture. The most impressive rooms are perhaps the ones with views of the pier and the Pacific Ocean, though there isn’t a substandard one in the house.

The Board Shop is what it sounds like and more: a place to rent a surfboard, some beach chairs, or even a ukulele or a Nintendo Switch. Meanwhile the Surfing Fox is the Pierside Santa Monica’s coastal Californian restaurant and bar.