Le Merigot, Santa Monica, CA

[sell4u623]

I'm using Marriott Rewards points to stay at Le Merigot, a JW Marriott in Santa Monica next July. We plan to sightsee in and around the LA area. Any recommendations on places to see, restaurants, etc. would be appreciated.

Also, there is a charge of over $30/day for valet parking at the hotel. If anyone knows if there is more reasonable parking available close by with 24 hour access maybe you can save me a few $$$. Thanks!

 

[UWSurfer]

That's a very nice hotel in a fairly reasonable area of Santa Monica. You are maybe a 5 minute walk from the SM Pier. Third street prominade in SM and Venice is very close by and the entire area makes a great launching point to see a whole lot of LA. Malibu is 30 minutes up Pacific Coast Hwy from the hotel.

Overnight parking there is another story. The SM Civic auditorium is about a 5 minute walk due east from the hotel and features a large surface lot. However if you are planning on coming and going late in the evening or at night, you are better parking at the hotel. There is a large concentration of homeless in the general area and if you are not familiar with the area you are better of paying the $30 unfortunately. You might also consider renting a car for a day at a time and avoiding parking charges. There are a couple of car rental places nearby and alot of touristy SM you can see for a few days without a car. The "Big Blue Bus" is also a very good bus line in the region...http://www.bigbluebus.com which can take you to alot of LA as well if you have the time. They have a local shuttle for the nearby area called The Tide which is worth looking into.

July is a great time to visit the area...but also a busy and crowded time. Parking is at a premium then. I regularly swim, surf and run in that area and am a native of SM.