the ambrose

When I travel to the Southland, I prefer to stay in West LA. It has great restaurants, and it is convenient to the places I am most likely to visit.

When cost is not an object, there are many excellent hotel options, ranging from the W in Westwood at the moderate end of the expensive range to Shutters on the Beach and the Peninsula Beverly Hills at the high end. But, this trip I was delighted to find a stylish and reasonably priced alternative: the Ambrose in Santa Monica.

The Ambrose is a 77 room hotel that opened in July of 2003. Constructed in the Craftsman architectural style, it is in mid-town close to Yahoo, Sony and Universal. It is 1.5 miles to the beach and a much shorter walk to the shops on Montana Ave.

Rooms at the Ambrose start in the high $100s and have unexpected amenities for that price point: Frette towels, Aveda products and free underground parking. They also include complimentary WiFi access and a delicious continental breakfast. We enjoyed the orange and grapefruit juices, the croissants and pastries, and the yogurt and fresh fruit.

The Ambrose does not have a pool and its gym is tiny, but it is minutes from the 10 and the 405 and it has charm missing from larger properties. More importantly, the beds are very comfortable and the hotel is quite quiet. The Ambrose proved to be a nice base for our LA operations, and I urge you to consider it for on your next trip.

The Ambrose Hotel: 1255 20th Street, Santa Monica, CA (310) 315-1555