TRAVEL west along America’s world-famous Route 66 and you’ll reach Santa Monica. The locals will tell you the end of the route is actually the foot of the pier and it only ended because the ocean stood in its way.
Just north of quirky Venice and down the road from celeb-ville, Malibu, Santa Monica has retained its identity as a historic resort-town, while giving home to some of the most progressive thinking inside of America.
The neighbourhood has a vast sandy beach, as well as a plethora of bars and eateries. Many of the restaurants operate a farm to fork ethos, sourcing their ingredients from the esteemed famer’s market on Arizona Avenue, every Wednesday morning.
The Ambrose Hotel Lobby
Just a few blocks back from the beachfront, The Ambrose is a spacious boutique hotel, championing local businesses. The exterior is inspired by California-craftmanship, while the interior is incumbent of a more European chicness.
Elegant walnut furniture is accompanied by luxury brass lighting, white marble surfaces and sophisticated muted fabrics.
The Ambrose Hotel Rooms
Those who are eco-conscious can take advantage of the hotel’s complimentary bikes, exploring Santa Monica via its sprawling network of cycle lanes. While those of a lazier disposition (but still eco-conscious), can take advantage of the chauffer service in one the hotel’s Teslas.
The Ambrose Hotel Breakfast
The breakfasts at The Ambrose are generous … and free! Free smoked salmon, free pastries, free exotic fruit, you name it, it’s all there, right alongside free coffee from local roasters, Groundworks. In the evenings, wine is available from Californian vineyards and beer can be enjoyed from Santa Monica Brew Works, brewed just two blocks down the road. Again, all of this is complimentary, so don’t be shy, the Tesla will happily oblige as your taxi for the night.
The Ambrose Hotel Library
You might think LA is scotching hot, all day, every day, for the whole year. This is certainly true for some neighbourhoods, but the mornings in Santa Monica are actually very cool, providing a moment for activities before the sun completely takes over. Some will spend this time sculpting their six-packs on the beach, but for those with six-packs already formed, check out the walking architecture tour from the Santa Monica Conservancy.
The Ambrose Hotel Patio
Our tour focuses on the downtown, a fascinating mish-mash of buildings, somewhat aided by architectural conservation only gaining popularity in recent times. Ask for a tour from Margi. She’s a lifelong resident, who as you’d expect is au fait with each of the building’s factual properties.
However, what’s more engrossing is her fascinating personal stories about many of them … giving a lucid insight into Santa Monica though the decades.
It’s tough to single out a restaurant from the amazing selection Santa Monica has to offer, but by mentioning Cassia, it enables a fleeting mention of Esters.
The Ambrose Hotel Gym
Tip – book a table at Cassia and then book a table at Esters for 45 minutes before. The walking time between the two is … three seconds. Esters is a smart wine bar, filled with bottles from smaller producers, from all over the world. It’s not a snobbish place, so don’t worry if you don’t know much about wine, you just have to enjoy drinking it. The staff are friendly and unsurprisingly experts, so you’re in good hands. If you’re not heading to Cassia after (which you should be) you can stay here all night with a selection of snacks, meats, cheeses and even some sweet dishes!
Head over to Cassia and the interior has a brutalist feel. Lots of concrete, dark wood furniture and intriguing industrial lighting in cages. Being there on a Friday feels like the place to be. Without advocating excessive drinking, the wine list is expansive, but a highlight from my notes (which can prove very important if you are drinking) is the Teddy Roosevelt from the cocktail menu.
The cuisine at Cassia is southeast Asian. But it’s not fast and cheap like Vietnamese street-food, its upscale and likened to the renowned Indochine in New York’s Noho. The menu is described as a sharing one and upon first glance there’s lots of meat and fish … raw oysters, roasted black cod, spicy lamb breast and crayfish noodles.
Santa Monica View
All the poultry and dairy is organic, while all meat is antibiotic free. We choose the beef rendang, a creamy peanut infused curry. Grilled sea bass. Vietnamese Prawns “sunbathing” in a garlic hot sauce, and the real highlight Kaya Toast. A seriously indulgent version of eggy bread, complete with coconut Jam.
That probably doesn’t do it justice. But the waiter can’t stress enough how popular the Kaya Toast is, and if you need one more line of assurance, it would be included in a compilation menu of the best food I’ve eaten in America. God bless Santa Monica.
by Samuel Eccles
Organised by Santa Monica Tourism Board