I love Doubletree hotels for two key reasons: 1) you get that extra bit of space (in this case, a bedroom, bathroom, and living room/kitchen area) and 2) the beds are the comfiest I have ever had the pleasure to sleep in. The Doubletree in Santa Monica certainly measured up in that department.
Location is great, easily walkable to the beach and many shops/restaurants. It is also easy to drive to other tourist areas eg Hollywood/Malibu.
The smallish pool area is OK (there's also a sauna and a small selection of workout machines) but - if you're being really picky - the view isn't up to much. A balcony would also have been nice - maybe they're reserved for the top of the range rooms here.
Overall, would definitely recommend for a short break in Santa Monica.

My husband, nine month old baby and I stayed at the Double Tree in June for four nights and were really impressed with the staff. The room was clean, bed was extremely comfortable and chocolate chip cookies didn't stop!!
We had one hiccup with the drainage in the sinks but this was fixed within half an hour of reporting it and the late checkout granted on request. The staff couldn't do enough to make our stay enjoyable.
Fabulous location for the price - only a ten minute walk to the promenade, stores and beach. We could have stayed even closer but would have paid many more $$$.
I would have no hesitation in recommending it.

We booked this hotel via Priceline and paid about $100/night. What a great deal! The suite was large and very nice. The location excellent about a 10 minute walk to the pedestrian area of Santa Monica. Parking was a bit expensive, but overall, I can not complain. Highly recommended.

My wife and I stayed for two nights and found the hotel wonderful. We didn't use the pool or jacuzzi, bu the exercise room was fine. The suite was spacious, the bed very comfortable. The walk to the pier took 10 minutes and even though it wasn't a scenic 10 minutes, walking late at night we felt very safe. As for price, we called ahead and got a $169 special as long as we agreed to a no-cancellation policy. We didn't expect a scenic view so we weren't disappointed....it was of a municipal garage during construction. The only drawback was that we we're loudly wakened at 7:18 am saturday morning by the noise from the construction site. The manager was good about it, apologizing, explaining the situation, and giving us complimentary parking & buffet breakfasts. The buffet was fantastic! I'd recommend staying there for $169. Just make sure you ask for a room away from the construction site.