Before I write down my many words of praise about the Venice Suites, let me begin by pointing out a few very minor complaints.
First, the parking is about 5 or 6 blocks from the hotel. But, it is free so I feel a little spoiled for complaining about that. Second, late night check-ins must get their key from a lock box located just outside the front door. While it only took a minute and the instructions provided in advance were specifically clear, it was mildly nerve-wracking to have to get the combination correct late at night - with homeless people and shady characters everywhere. Third, the wifi (again, free) can only be accessed through an ethernet cable. Which is normally fine, but the cable that was provided us was about 1 1/2 feet long so the computer was confined to the one chair. Again, not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
Aside from these minor quibbles, this hotel was awesome. We loved it. It was simple, clean, spacious and located directly on the beach. You literally step out the front door and you are on the beach promenade. It is just a stone's throw from the famous Muscle Beach and a nice, though maybe long for some, walk to Santa Monica. The owner of this place is so sweet, so helpful and he seemed genuinely grateful towards us for staying there. Our room had a small kitchen with a large refrigerator, a small bathroom, a little TV, a table with 2 chairs and a nice comfy queen bed. We had a partial ocean view, which was just that: a view of a little portion of the beach.
The hotel is not exactly quiet - you will hear the occasional loud, drunk person staggering by but, since we were on the 3rd floor, it wasn't preventing us from sleeping and, besides, that's part of the charm of Venice Beach. The sounds of the ocean are much more pleasant so we focused on that.
The hotel has a fantastic roof deck. This was the highlight of our stay. We sat up there one night for an hour and a half, listening to the ocean waves and the sounds of LA life around us, gazing at the airplanes and the stars that we could see and nobody else was there. Maybe we got lucky. Venice is a really fun place with lots of characters around. During the day it is wild, energetic and fun - great for people watching. There are artists, musicians and merchants everywhere and the active street life gives it an "east coast" vibe. At night, the area is a little shady and I wouldn't recommend walking around by one's self after dark. There are plenty of dining options in the area - I recommend Rose Cafe for brunch.
I would definitely stay here again. In fact, if I ever go to LA again, this is where I want to stay.
