I stayed at the Farimont with two girlfriends for three nights. We decided to splurge on a bungalow, and it turned out to be worth every cent. The only complaint involved the bottle of champagne we had pre-ordered and was supposed to be waiting in our room when we arrived. We were REALLY looking forward to it, and were extremely disappointed when we arrived to nothing, except a letter welcoming a Ms. X (someone we had never heard of ) to the room. When we called the front desk, we were given the run-around, put through to in-room dining, who told us that it wasn't their fault - our room had been changed at the last minute, and the front desk had "screwed up". The next day, after getting no apology from anyone, we talked to the manager, who apologized and sent a complimentary bottle of champagne and appetizers to our room. We were happy.

Otherwise, the hotel and service were excellent. The bungalows with their gorgeous private patios are worth the price. We checked out most of the other hotels in Santa Monica, and if you are looking for a hotel that fees like a resort, the Fairmont is perfect. The pool is beautiful, the mango margaritas are delish, and the staff are very accommodating. It is not exactly on the beach, but is right across the street, and while it doesn't have much of a view from the bungalows, it takes two minutes to get to the surf.

Unlike some of the edgy and trendy hotels in Santa Monica, the Fairmont is lush, tropical and comfortable. Drinks and food are not exactly cheap, but always good. We all agreed, when we go back to Santa Monica, we will book into the Fairmont.

I had the pleasure of staying at the Fairmont Miramar for a 3 day work conference, and I was so very pleased with the hotel choice! First off, the location is fabulous for Santa Monica - as others have said, Ocean and Wilshire cannot be beat. You're close to the beach, the pier, the promanade, etc. Staff were exceptionally courteous and attentive. Our room was very well appointed - great big bathroom, nice comfortable bed. The pool area is a bit small, but it was a pleasant environment nonetheless. As I was at a conference, all the food was catered by the hotel, and the meals were delicious! Ditto to the reviewer who said having Hertz on site was very convenient. If I'm ever back in Santa Monica, I would definitely stay here again!

Don't get me wrong. If it was for the location quality of the hotel I would blindly return. The rooms are very good, the beds are really comfortable (IMHO), the garden you pass through before entering the lobby is really nice... and some of the staff is nice, particularly a man whose name I cannot remember now. He was really kind and hepful with literally everything.

Now here's what I found really disrespectful, ugly and disgusting: I returned one night in a private shuttle to the hotel after having been working all day. I arrived there after midnight and paid the driver with a credit card. I was looking forward to get a good 8-hour sleep or so, as I had nothing to do the following morning and I was really exhausted. Absurdly enough, my wish didn't come true.

For some reason the card wasn't accepted (I still don't know why, because the following day I went shopping and paid around $600 using that card without any issue). Obviously something went wrong at that moment with the transaction system or with who knows what. The following morning, AT 6 A.M, a very bad mannered lady from the staff decided to call my room number in order to get another credit card number for the payment. Yes, my friends, AT 6 A.M. It seemed that her brain wasn't smart enough to infer that there wasn't any problem in waiting two or three hours and, besides, avoiding such surrealist nuisance and inconvenience.

I obviously gave her another credit card number and the payment was made, but this lady's attitude was extremely disrespectful, rude and intolerable. I was very tired and I had my returning flight to Spain the following afternoon, so I wanted to rest a bit. I obviously wasn't going to run away from the hotel without paying everything, so she could have waited a bit more. I don't think that would have been asking for too much.

Such disrespectful behaviour should never happen. A customer never ever should be disturbed with such annoying attitudes and even less in a place where the room rates are around 350$ or so, which is not exactly a bargain. But that lady obviously lacks any politeness. The job is too big for her.

On the other hand, as I said at the beginning, for the hotel itself, the quality was very high in general terms, and the location was the very best for Santa Monica: Wilshire and Ocean. That was obviously unbeatable.

The hotel is in a great location, with a wonderful pool and concierge service. But be careful when booking your room. In March of 2006, I reserved a less-expensive room in the new tower for four nights and was disappointed. Not only was the room cramped, but paper-thin walls meant that we awoke to our neighbor's alarm every morning, then had to listen to his business phone calls which lasted for about an hour. We also heard the housekeeping staff as they worked along the narrow hallway. I believe that the non-tower rooms are older and therefore more soundproof.