Santa Monica, California

Only 40 years ago Santa Monica, California was a rather dull suburb of Los Angeles where the main attractions were the beach, a British pub and a shop selling Marmite to homesick expats.

But as LA’s creative types moved in, from the seventies, to join the Brits who always knew they were on to a good thing, Santa Monica’s shopping, dining and entertainment offerings improved dramatically. Now this pleasingly homely beach town is a fully-fledged tourist destination in its own right, especially when enjoyed in tandem with the surrounding neighbourhoods of Malibu, Venice and Westwood.

Santa Monica beaches

Santa Monica’s sandy beaches and clean ocean air are a major draw in a city bighted by smog and traffic. As is the strong walking culture (contrary to myth about nobody walking in LA, the pavements of Santa Monica, Westwood and Venice positively teem with pedestrians). All LA’s major attractions - Universal Studios, the Hollywood Bowl, Disney Hall and the art museums - are an easy freeway drive away. But what has really made Santa Monica viable as a holiday playground is vastly improved public transport which puts the whole city within the visitor’s grasp without total dependence on a car.

That’s for those who want to bother with side-trips at all. Santa Monica itself boasts a jolly pier (celebrating its centenary in 2009), which provides ever-changing live entertainment, and the sands are broad, clean and supervised - though the Pacific can be surprisingly cold for swimming. From this spring, bathers will find a significant new public asset in the form of the Annenberg Beach House, offering rentable chairs and parasols, a historic 1930’s swimming pool and a beach cafe.

Third Street Promenade and a vast range of restaurants

Santa Monica itself is packed with affordable eateries, ranging from The Lobster, which offers great sea view dining from the pier including plenty of permitted fish, the funky old celebrity haunt Chez Jay and the cheerful Enterprise Fish Company just off Main Street. A newer addition to the dining scene is the trendy but relaxed Rustic Canyon, with food sourced from local farms, wines from boutique vintners and a pleasing buzz.

Currently the hottest restaurant in town is the revamped Wilshire, which sits on the eponymous east-west drag, Wilshire Boulevard.

In the middle of town is the pedestrianised Third Street Promenade, lined with shops, casual restaurants and a cinema, plus nightly live entertainment, and for many visitors an even greater attraction than the beach. Santa Monica’s restaurants with patios facilitate people-watching; Locanda del Lago is a good choice for fans of Italian food.

Elsewhere in Santa Monica, Wednesday and Saturday mornings are enlivened by a pukka farmers’ market packed with fresh flowers, veggies, locally-produced honey, breads and cheeses. This market attracts all the “locavores” seeking to limit their food miles, and visitors will particularly enjoy the food tent which acts as a weekly showcase for local favourites like the wonderful Border Grill, the restaurant located on Fourth Street. Not to be missed by lovers of Mexican food, it’s a hugely buzzy, colourful place which serves a proper margarita (sadly rare in LA) and does really good and authentic south of the border fare. It’s one of several establishments participating in a new credit-crunch campaign to offer better value - go between 4 and 7pm for reduced rate drinks and delicious green corn tamales for just $2 apiece.

Shopping in Santa Monica

Santa Monica’s affluent singles make their home on Montana Avenue, which has some super, more sophisticated boutiques, of which Harari is one of the most beloved by local fashionistas. Citron, on the opposite side of the road, is worth a look for the same kind of loose, elegant silk clothes with a slightly ethnic vibe. There is a whole Montana dining scene, but the street is best enjoyed by day; check out the 17th Street Diner opposite Citron for a great breakfast and Peet’s for good coffee.

Santa Monica hotels

Offering easy access to Wilshire Boulevard, which is not an exciting shopping street but served by frequent fast buses to the beach and Promenade in one direction, Westwood and Beverly Hills in the other, is the Ambrose, one of Santa Monica’s newer boutique hotels. Apart from sumptuous decor, the hotel throws in continental breakfast and free parking for the majority who will probably opt for the convenience of a car.

Given that parking close to the beach is not so affordable or easy, families may prefer to stay within walking distance of Ocean Avenue, which runs parallel to the sea, fringed by a broad, grassy promenade with lots of benches.

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Nearby: Venice and the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)

The town becomes edgier and more interesting as it segues into neighbouring Venice to the south; the two are joined by Main Street, which has its own somewhat more bohemian and unique boutiques. Check out Eyes on Main for a hugely stylish selection of eyeglasses, and C.P. Shades across the road for affordable linen shirts and slacks.

Venice, named for the canals which punctuate its picturesque back streets, was once riddled by crime, but no longer; this is film-star territory. After spending the morning on Muscle Beach, where the body-builders strut their stuff and there’s a great morning vibe, devote the afternoon to gawping at the pretty canalside houses on a towpath stroll. A great street to repair to on a Venice evening is Abbot Kinney, which has two of LA’s most interesting restaurants in Joe’s (great food and sophisticated vibe, if slightly pricey) and Hal’s (noisy, good value local haunt with great art).

To the north of Santa Monica lies the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), one of California’s most exhilarating driving experiences. A major attraction is the Getty Museum, with fabulous clifftop views over the ocean and an acclaimed art collection. Topanga Canyon, an old 60s playground which has never lost its hippy vibe, offers a beautiful drive through the hills from the PCH and the charming Inn of the Seventh Ray, still a favourite for organic alfresco dining in the most romantic of settings.

It’s lovely to eat by the sea, too, and while there are many choices, it’s hard to improve on the original beach restaurant Moonshadows, where drinks can be taken onto an outside veranda dramatically perched on stilts above crashing waves.