All
this is well and good except that now it has turned the once quiet passive beach
community of Santa Monica into a hustling bustling town of major moguls and outside
visitors from around the world, leaving places to stay in Santa Monica at a severe
shortage.
While
comfortably accommodating tourists to the area all year long, it seems that the
hotel industry has had difficulty keeping up with the increased business traffic,
leaving nearby town hotels at full capacity, especially during film festival weeks.
After all, Southern California is the motion picture capital of the world so such
events are frequent.
This
recent overflow has been especially good for the Bed & Breakfast community,
a once inconspicuous and silent breed of room and board providers. Now it seems
they’re everywhere and southern California is no different.
We
recently had the opportunity to stay at the Inn at Playa Del Rey on Culver Blvd.,
approximately 6 miles from Santa Monica. Built in 1995 by a woman business owner
and currently run by an all-female staff, the three-story building comes with
a wide variety of rooms and suites all decorated in a very down-home sort of way.
If you didn’t know better, you’d feel like you’re at grandma’s
house in Pennsylvania when visiting this property.
There’s
a fabulous sunshine yellow breakfast room that
no doubt cheers up even the grouchiest of night
owls in the morning hours. Breakfast includes
choices of fruit, cereal, muffins and juices.
And let’s not forget plenty of coffee.
An
adjoining archway connects the dining area to
a lovely living room full of overstuffed sofas
and chairs, a fireplace and plenty of windows
for sunset lighting. Speaking of which, this bed
& breakfast serves wine and cheese to its
guests, daily, creating its own little happy hour.
This
property is very accessible from the 405 freeway, hovering on the Culver City/Play
del Rey city lines, and only minutes from LAX. It’s also very close by to
Marina Del Rey and Santa Monica, making it a great place to stay if you’re
there on entertainment-related business.
And
while it’s only about a mile from the Play
del Rey beach, we strongly recommend beach-goers
to head north towards the Santa Monica, Venice
or Malibu beach areas especially if you’re
a people watcher. Playa del Rey is a one-street
town with little going on.
While
the location is easily accessible and there’s plenty of free parking, as
well as tight security for building entrance, the Inn at Playa del Rey doesn’t
have much of a view and can be pretty noisy during the day due to passing traffic.
We think it’s a great place for business travelers but not a first choice
for a romantic getaway. Unless of course, you plan to spend the entire time in
your room doing who knows what.
Rooms
run from $185 to suites at $385, which includes
free parking, breakfast, and wine and cheese at
dusk. If they are not fully booked, the management
staff will even allow you to see the rooms and
choose from what is available. An elevator is
available for those in need. But remember, it
is a B&B, not a hotel, so there’s limited
help with luggage and no room service. With that
in mind, the Inn at Playa del Rey is a great stopover
if you’re doing business in the area.
For
more information visit the Inn's website or call (310) 574-1920.
