We chose Shutters as our first stopover on a fly-drive holiday at the beginning of June, mainly because guidebooks advertised it as one of few Santa Monica hotels actually located on the beach (i.e. rather than a few streets/blocks away). As first time visitors to LA, we were slightly daunted by the prospect of having to cross a freeway to get to the ocean, so we chose Shutters as a sure bet. We were not disappointed! The hotel is adjacent to the broadwalk (promenade) and from our partial-ocean-view room we could see the Santa Monica pier with all its attractions.

The hotel itself is quite large and comprises several wings, many staircases and different elevators, which means getting to our room from the lobby took a while, but it was just part of the hotel's charm rather than a nuisance.

The place is architecturally curious - it is grand in size and quite old-style (and pretty) in structure, which implies former grandeur, and yet it has a modern, up-to-date feel which creates a very pleasant ambience.

The room itself had a huge bed, and was well equipped with all kinds of mod cons you would not find in other hotels (coffee and tea maker was our all time favourite, very helpful with the jetlag). Seeing the bath for the first time actually made me laugh - the tub could fit a small whale, and there was a TV with a remote next to the mirror!

Contrary to what other reviewers have recently said, when we stayed there there was no building work in progress, and the pool was fully operational. A couple of times we saw some people painting the woodwork, but nothing noisy!

But to be honest we did not even consider the pool, as the beach is just outside the back door. Due to jetlag we would wake up around 6 am, which gave us an ideal opportunity to jog along the broadwalk down to Muscle Beach and back, or to simply walk along the beautiful, wide sandy beach, watching seagulls and surfers, before the tourist rush hour. The promenade can also be explored by bike (rented from hotel or one of many rental shops along the beach), on rollerblades, skates or otherwise - as many people do throughout the day.

The 3rd street promenade with all the nice shops and pavement restaurants is also quite easily accessible on foot (about 10-15 minutes), but otherwise we were glad to have rented a car (20 mins to LAX, 40 mins to Downtown). A tip if you are renting your own means of transport - get a GPS device, it will save you a lot of time otherwise spent poring over inaccurate maps! Traffic in LA can be fast and furious, and what may look like an easy freeway drive from A to B on paper, is a different story in reality. However, driving is relatively easy once you get the hang of the short freeway ramps and "right lane must turn right" kind of rules. The valet charge at Shutters was around $33/day.

For breakfast we would always go to the hotel restaurant downstairs (I forget the name). The service was fast and excellent (maybe because it would always be after 10 am by the time we got there), and the food great.

And 2 final points - while wandering around we did spot several other hotels nearby - only one other on the beach, and several more within a short walking distance, so no need to cross freeways! Secondly, a minor flaw which didn't affect us, but which could be a problem if your room is inconveniently located above the back door leading to the beach - there was a large sewage drain leading to the sea just by the hotel which had an unpleasant smell. Luckily it was very localised. Also, while we were there we saw construction workers covering the pit with sand, so maybe it was just a temporary glitch.

This place is a joke. First of all, there is massive construction going on which has closed the pool and left dust everywhere. There is hammering and drilling at all hours of the day on every floor. Call and ask and they are duplicitous about the extent of renovations.

When I tried to check out, they tried to double-bill me for everything (two beers instead of one, two movies instead of one, etc.). They even tried to throw someone's bar tab on there. It literally took me 45 minutes to check out and I was late for a flight.

Shutters supposedly has these fancy taxis always on site and they said they'd call one to take me to the airport. When I walked outside, it was a plain-old yellow checker cab that charged me $15 more than what the woman at Shutters concierge said it would ($55 instead of $40 to LAX).

In short, I've never paid so much for so little. Stay at the Loews up the street but don't throw your money at this crappy, overrated dump. The positive reviews are from lifers who would stay here even if it was infested with rats.

In short....terrible hotel!!!! Sorry, but I really couldn't find anything redeeming to write about.

We first stayed here for for our 1st Wedding anniversary and if I'd have written my review then, I'd have given Shutters 10/10...

3 years on and I wanted to check out after the first night.

We were warned when we booked that the pool and restaurant were out of action due to some work... that should have sent alarm bells! It didn't.

1. We checked in and were not given out free upgrade as promised when we booked.
2. The room we were given overlooked the road and by the lift. NOISE all night!!! If I wanted noise, I'd have checked into a room that cost me $50 a night, not $400 a night! On the 3rd night, we did compain to the manager and we were upgraded to the room we should have had when we checked in.
3. There was a 30 minute wait every morning for breakfast. We skipped it everyday.
4. Another 30 minute wait if you wanted to eat between 1pm and 4pm. We ate on our laps in reception. Service was very very very slow.
5. The maid wasn't very careful when she was in and wrapped some of my belongings in with the sheets... I was passed from pillar to post, no one gave a damn in tracking them down. Eventually, after crying at reception, the deputy manager got involved. As 24 hours had passed, it was too late to find my things. Once I got back to the UK, my things were found and posted back.
6. Parking is a total rip off, especially with all the tipping.

I won't be staying at Shutters again which is a shame as it's a beautiful hotel.

The staff were all very friendly, but for the amount of money this hotel cost my husband and I, it is far too expensive for what you get to make the same mistake again.

Oh, one more thing... if you want an adult environment, go somewhere else, there were kids everywhere!

What a special place! The staff was friendly and helpful from the moment we stepped out of the car. Loved having a relaxing glass of wine at the bar as the sun set and then savoring the afterglow from the balcony of our room. Fabulous view of the beach and ocean-great location. What a treat!