Stayed here four nights in February. Free parking was a bonus, but car was a must as it was a long walk to the beach or shopping areas or food. Nice, relaxing rooms and buffet style breakfast was good standard. Staff were OK.

We stayed at the Ambrose for a few nights (we also stayed downtown for a couple of nights) as we have relatives in Santa Monica and wanted to be close by to see them as well as enjoying all the restaurants/shops in the area and down the coast. We knew that hotels in SM would be expensive but were surprised by quite how expensive they were - even with the favourable exchange rate - and seemingly of unreliable quality. We had some reservations about the location of the Ambrose but as we had hired a car anyway it looked like the best bet.

We were not disappointed. I wouldn't stay anywhere else in Santa Monica. Our room on the ground floor was very large and beautifully furnished - the feel is very luxurious. Breakfasts were a high point. We had read about the need to get in there early but I must say that even on the last day when we were a bit late there was still a lot available (and it really was delicious). Car parking was easy with the secure parking under the hotel and we did use the hotel taxi one evening, which was also simple enough. Otherwise we just drove ourselves. It's true that it's not a location where you can just walk everywhere but we were driving around LA in any case so it made no difference to us. What did make a difference, however, was the quality of the accommodation - lovely decor, comfortable beds, large room, immaculate bathroom. Definitely recommended for guaranteed comfort!

This was the end point for a long road trip down the coast. LA was a bit of a shock after the serenity of Big Sur and other coastal towns, but The Ambrose was perfect base for exploring Santa Monica, Venice Beach and the Getty Centre.

Great oriental design, all relatively new looking, well appointed comfortable rooms with Aveda amenities in the bathroom, big comfortable bed, the healthiest breakfast on offer during our trip - great fresh strawberry/raspberry/blueberry fruit salad in the morning, (as well as killer pecan toffee danish pastries for the less healthy days!).

Most of all though the staff were brilliant. A restaurant recommendation for a birthday meal was spot on and they got us a table on the day itself in one of the top restaurants in Venice Beach.

Convenient and free parking under the hotel added to the convenience.

The only thing I would change is that there's no tea/coffee making facility in the room, but they were happy to make tea (for a charge) down in the reception lounge.

Also, great little japnese garden out front.

I stayed here sept 26-29th at the end of a week of touring California with a family member. I booked this hotel after reading the positive reviews here, but several minor problems added up to an overall bad experience. (Just FYI, I have traveled domestic and international extensively, and I am pretty easy to please.)

Room: We stayed on first floor with 2 beds (were very comfortable). The room was nicely appointed, but seemed "worn" - wood floor damaged in several spots, area carpets very worn looking, curtains frayed in places, and the room also had a bad odor (NOTE TO STAFF: THERE ARE SEVERAL NATURAL EARTH FRIENDLY CLEANING PRODUCTS THAT SMELL GOOD!) Bathroom would have been beautiful, but there was a giant crack that went through entire width of vanity that ruined overall appearance.( +did like the recycle bin in bathroom- great idea!) Woke up first morning with ants in my bed (closest to window), ants on me, ants in my suitcase, ants on the curtains.

Service: After telling staff about ants, they changed all the bedding and I'm not sure what else they did. Ants were back the next am,(a few in the bed again) but not as bad (I guess it's the price you pay to stay green!) The dvd player/surround sound system was not set up properly to TV. I was highly looking forward to this feature as we were trying to relax the last few days of our trip. Two different staff members tried to fix and couldn't (after 10pm at night), said they would fix it the next day - was never fixed. Breakfast was good, but don't sleep in and go later, hardly anything left - also very few places to sit in lobby/outside. We had to sit on concrete wall outside. Stayed up late Wednesday night and wanted to sleep in late for at least one morning of vacation - Thursday morning was a bad choice - very loud fire alarm testing for at least 15 minutes!!! The best feature of the hotel was the free parking!

Little things like these don't usually bother me when I travel, but all of them added up together made a bad impression and tells me not to stay there again. And when I compare it to all of the hotels I stayed at in California on this trip (4), this was the most expensive and had the most problems. (and yes I know this area is expensive, but quality control was better at the $90/night hotel I stayed at earlier)

If you like Thai food, you MUST eat at the Orchid (Thai fusion restaurant in 3rd street promenade). The red curry lobster bisque and thai chowder were to die for!!! I ate there twice in two days!