REST HAVEN MOTEL

I think this Motel deserves great ratings. It was the least expensive option we could find that was within walking distance of the beach, and we weren't expecting it to be great, but it was clean and the bed was very comfortable, and they even had an A/C, which we weren't expecting after reading the reviews! They let us check it at 10am, well before the 3pm stated check-in time, and we even got to meet the owner, who recommended some good places to eat.

It's an old building and it's not as sleek as the modern hotels in the area, but if you want a comfortable, clean place to sleep after walking around Santa Monica all day, it's perfect. I liked the building design and the patio out back, too. It was all very pretty with flowers and tile everywhere. There's even free parking right outside your front door! That's worth quite a lot in the area if you want a place to park a rental car.

Honestly, it's a nice area. I don't understand Katherine's review at all. She gave the hotel two stars because she saw a few homeless people in a big city. First of all, the Motel has nothing to do with homeless people. You should know what to expect when traveling to a place. Second, it's not like the streets were crawling with unwashed masses of people begging for money. I think we saw, like, two or three people who looked like they might be homeless on our whole trip and none of them bothered us or even asked for anything. I don't think you would be able to go to any city and not spot at least a few people who look a bit rough or seem to be talking to an imaginary friend. I felt completely safe and unbothered the whole time we were there. We were able to walk to Santa Monica Pier and Venice beach, and there must be about 100 great restaurants in that area. You really can't get a better spot for the price.

The owners and staff are extremely good people and went above and beyond to ensure their guests have a good stay - even moving us rooms so our kids didn’t need to share a bed. This is why I feel bad about not putting a glowing review.

There are lots of homeless very close by and if you haven’t experienced this before it can take time to get used to. This is a major issue in Santa Monica, not specific to this motel.

The location - easy walk to the beach and quick food options (Starbucks, Thai, Japanese, Mexican all within 2 mins walk). If you can get a room in the courtyard and off the street entrance, then I’d recommend that.

The room had good aircon and while very small, had a good shower and decent linen, a fridge, great tv, a desk plus good wifi. The bed was old but fine.

Clean, great service, friendly.

Past by this motel 1000 times. Finally stayed. It’s a small, pretty motel, where the manager lives on site. She takes a personal interest in how the property looks. The rooms are all redone with new furniture. I had a large, walk-in shower; nice. Manager is very nice n accommodating. There are beautiful healthy flowers all around the property. There’s even a private garden area behind the motel; with some special rooms back there for rent. I definitely recommend this place.

Great motel: retro, clean, cozy, delightful garden courtyard. Excellent service; our one issue was addressed and corrected quickly and happily. The location is ideal as Pico and Lincoln are right there! We shall be returning every time we are in the Santa Monica area. Starbucks 1 1/2 blocks away ????
Very clean with amenities I use: fridge, safe, large TV, lots of drawer space. Excellent Wi-Fi service too. Our room had an extra single bed with a door that closed between that bed and the main room.