The Georgian is an Art Deco paradise. Built in 1933 and lovingly restored since then so you have all the usual expected mod -cons, some real style and some history. Clark Gable (and the rest) stayed here when Hollywood summers got too hot.

Breakfast on the verandha overlooking the ocean is well worth getting out of bed for. Their baked French toast is pretty good too.

I have stayed there three times so far and, whilst they have never upgraded me yet to an ocean view, they always remember me!

The Georgian is a wonderful place to spend time and visit Southern California. The rooms are exquisite, the view breath-taking and the service is just what you would expect when paying $300 per night or so.

But--I was nickle and dimmed! For example:

1- There is internet in the rooms, but if you are traveling with your spouse or anyone else who also needs to be online at the same time--well--you can't! According to the front desk, this is to limit Internet usage- Only after I told them that this is just unacceptable, I was given an alternate way to access the net.

2- I opted for the bed and breakfast package deal when I booked my ocean front room. So I went down for my breakfast and asked for orange juice--it turns out that if you have a "coupon" then you are only entitled to the small glass of juice and not the regular glass! So I raised a stink and was given the correct juice size.

Now there are some other examples--but given the great service, great rooms, very friendly staff--these things were just annoying and very unbecoming.

I would have given a 4 star (above average) rating, but the nickle and dimming just took the shine out of the experience.

Just to preface, I was prepared to really love this place. From all of the TripAdvisor reviews it has some of the attributes we really love in a hotel: smaller (boutique), not part of a big chain, personal service, good location, nice view, etc.

We were well treated during our stay but the service is not up to Ritz Carlton standards or anywhere near the best we have had at stays in many smaller hotels. Just about average for that hotel class, I would say.

We booked an "ocean view" room for $275 / night + tax, which worked out to well over $300 when the $21 parking charge is taken into account. Valet service was wonderful, prompt, courteous and convenient. $21 allows unlimited in/out privileges.

We were put on the 4th floor and it was after dark so we didn't really look out the window. What really hit us on entry to the room, was a foul smell, a mixture of old/musty and mold. We immediately had to open the window. This is when we noticed the main problem with this hotel: it sits right on top of Ocean Ave., which runs buses all night long. We were prepared to have a nice, romantic evening of it all. But instead, we got the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus rumbling right down the middle of our room. It was terrible. Not only was it not romantic, my wife got very little sleep. Even worse, Metro runs single and double length buses down this street. Since the hotel is just soutfh of Santa Monica Boulevard, every one of these buses stops at the light and then starts up again, ensuring maximum noise. My wife remarked that the places we have stayed at in Waikiki were all uniformly quieter than this property. It seems to be specially cursed in the road noise department. See photos for a picture of one of those really loud buses and how really close it is to the hotel/rooms.

After this, we were in no mood to eat on the veranda, bordering as it does, the same infamous Ocean Ave., described in the previous paragraph. We had simply had it with the buses and wanted no part of them anymore.

I used to live in West L.A. and have driven down Ocean Ave., many times late at night. From inside my car, the street appears calm and quiet. But, from our 4th floor "ocean view" venue, the noise was positively sleep destroying.

Oh, and "ocean view"? Nooooh. From the 4th floor, what you get is a view of the palm trees, with a small peek of the ocean. See picture for an actual view from our room. The side view we had from the Lowes hotel was better than this (and much quieter because it is on the "better" side of Ocean Ave, i.e. the ocean side).

My advice: avoid this hotel, or make absolutely sure that you stay in the back of the hotel, away from Ocean Ave. and hopefully pay a much reduced rate. For us, we want a nice view and we will spend our hard-earned vacation dollars somewhere else.

I struggled between a rating of 1 and 2 for this property. There were some aspects of it that were truly terrible but the staff did try hard to make our stay wonderful. But, no amount of care and attention can make up for the inherent defects in this property.

We chose the Georgian because it was reasonably priced compared to some hotels opposite or on the beach. We were pleasantly surprised to find it so lovely. The lobby is light and airy and comfortable, with the large verandah an option for breakfast, lunch or drinks. The room was not huge, but we fitted in comfortably - and we had the bonus of a water view, despite not being in a front room! Everything was clean, well kept and reminiscent of the days it was built - even the lifts, with their old fittings (but modern workings). Charming. The staff are very friendly and helpful, and there is one computer available free for guest use on a time-limited basis. Close to shopping, too. We will definitely visit again.