This was our second stay at the Le Merigot (7/19-7/21) and ironically we had the same room both times, 527.
I have seen mixed reviews posted about this hotel and I can tell you that I have had nothing less than excellent service both times. The staff is overly friendly and accommodating. Every person we dealt with from the valet, doorman, front desk, concierge, housekeeping, bar and restaurant could not have been nicer. In fact I would say that as a whole, the JW Le Merigot staff would get my highest marks overall on any hotel I’ve stayed at in the past five years. This includes other Marriott and JW properties, every major hotel in Vegas, Hyatt’s, Ritz-Carlton’s, etc.
The hotel itself is very clean and very comfortable. The rooms tend to be on the smaller side with small bathrooms. I would say that this hotel falls more into a boutique style hotel than a full size JW Marriott for comparison sake. The room we stayed in had furnishings and amenities you’d expect to find in a JW Marriott including a flat screen HD LCD television. The balcony in 527 (one of the few rooms in the hotel that has a balcony) was huge with a table, chairs, umbrella and chaises.
As far as being located on the beach, hotels located on Ocean Ave (despite its name) are one block off the beach, including the Lowe’s which is next door. As you can see by my pictures, the view from the 527 balcony does have an ocean view but is partially blocked by the building on the beach front. But most of the rooms at the Lowe’s or Shutters Hotel have the same kind of obstructions. In fact the majority of rooms at all of the hotels have no view at all.
The hotel has easy access to the beach through a secured backdoor located below the pool. The Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach and the Third Street Promenade are all within walking distance of the hotel. People who felt they did not feel safe due to the numbers of homeless people found in and around the beach and downtown areas must not get out much. I felt much safer walking around Santa Monica at night than I would in NY, DC or LA.
While the pool and gym areas are small and there is only one restaurant, they reflect the small boutique style of the hotel. I can’t image being disappointed staying at the Le Merigot and I look forward to my next stay there.
