California Girls

This past spring, I took a girls trip to Santa Monica with three other lovelies. Fortunately for us, we all had the same itenerary in mind when we booked this trip: Stay somewhere hip, relax by the pool, and soak in the Santa Monica SoCal vibe for four wondrous days. Oh, did we ever! My pre-trip planning consisted of scouring the internet for A: the cheapest rate at B: the hotel with the best-looking pool. I found both on 1-800hotels.com and bingo, there enters Viceroy Santa Monica. Designed by famed interior decorator to the stars, Kelly Wearstler, this joint oozed with California sophistication but in a relaxed way. When we strutted in for the first time looking like the four Sex In The City characters, the lobby was popping off (yes, I just used that phrase..). Young, stylish, jet-set people everywhere mingling with cocktails over techno music. Needless to say, we could not wait to freshen up in the room and rejoin the party..

Here are pics of the hotel:

Here's a pic of the pool from our room:

And the cabana, which we fully helped ourselves to one afternoon.

The hotel was across the street from Shutters On The Beach and within walking distance to many, many, MANY great restaurants, shops, and art galleries. I was hoping to catch a surfing lesson on this trip but the ocean was a tad bit too cold for me, even in a wetsuit. Of all the different parts of L.A. that I've visited, I've enjoyed Santa Monica the most! You just can't beat being so close to the ocean. On our bike ride, we passed underneath amazing condos with breath-taking views of the Pacific--I could imagine waking up to that everyday after hosting a sunset cocktail party.


Our girls weekend was a complete success--we lounged around the pool, rode bikes along the beach, did a lot of walking and shopping, and of course, eating, drinking, and laughing.

The final verdict: Swanky hotel for a girls weekend? CHECK.

Best of all, with a direct flight from XNA, our trip cost for airfare and hotel was less than $400 per girl for a 4-day weekend. This fits in just about anyone's budget!

Be adventurous!


Betsy