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I was looking to burn the Hilton Free Weekend Night Reward set to expire soon. I happened to be in the Santa Monica area, so I decided to check out the Oceana Santa Monica hotel, part of Hilton’s LXR luxury brand.
In my full honesty, the rate at Oceana Santa Monica is constantly above $900 per night, and I truly do not think it’s worth the price tag. So using the Hilton Free Weekend Night Reward for a free night redemption is the way. Here’s my review of the property:
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| Oceana Santa Monica, LXR Hotels & Resorts |
| Table of Contents [show/hide] |
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Location
The Oceana Santa Monica is located a little bit away from the Santa Monica pier, but that’s what makes it more relaxing and enjoyable from all the hustles and bustles of Santa Monica and Venice beach. On a nice day, it could be a nice stroll to the pier, and if you prefer, Oceana Santa Monica also offers complimentary bicycles to all guests. More below.
I like that Oceana Santa Monica is far away from the busy Santa Monica pier, and there’s also a nice walking path in the park across from the hotel that you can enjoy.
Diamond Room Upgrades
As a Hilton Honors Diamond elite member, we received an upgrade to the next category room from the standard Oceana King Room to a One-Bedroom Lanai Suite. Below is the review of the suite room in detail.
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| One-Bedroom Lanai Suite at Oceana Santa Monica |
One-Bedroom Lanai Suite Review
When I looked up the reservation before arrival, it said that our room had been upgraded to the One Bedroom Suite with a Lanai. However, although it’s a suite, it didn’t have a lanai when we got into the room. But truthfully, the lanai is nothing special. It’s just a small patio in front of your suite with a hanging swing, and it does not offer any views other than the handrails overlooking the pool area. See the photo below.
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| Lanai at the One-Bedroom Suite Rooms |
The one-bedroom suite room doesn’t have any good view either, and the assigned suite looks at the other neighbor’s building and alley. The view was very disappointing, to say the least. It’s worth noting that the property does have suites that come with ocean views, but unfortunately, we did not get upgraded to one.
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| Disappointing Alley View |
The suite room itself is beautiful with a boutique-style design. The living area is large with a comfortable sofa and a huge flat-screen TV.
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| Living Room |
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| Living Area Leads to Bedroom |
Continuing on, you’ll find the bedroom full of decorative pillows. The bed is super comfortable, and I noticed that all their bedding amenities are Frette brand that St. Regis Boutique uses.
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| Bedroom |
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| Bedroom |
There are a lot of alcoholic drinks and snacks on the TV stand, but those are not complimentary! They are mini-bar that comes with a heavy price tag. To give you an idea, a coke costs $8, and a bottle of beer costs $12.
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| Not Complimentary |
The bathroom is also nice with a beautiful design. It does not have a bathtub, but it has a stand-up shower with two bathrobes.
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| Bathroom |
Executive Lounge
Oceana Santa Monica is an LXR brand part of Hilton, and this specific brand does not offer any executive lounge for Hilton Honors Diamond members.
Welcome Amenity
There’s no welcome amenity at Oceana Santa Monica, LXR Hotels & Resorts. The property, however, offers the $50 food and beverage credit mentioned below.
$50 Food & Beverage Credits
Hilton got rid of breakfast for the elite members in 2022 in place of a complimentary breakfast benefit in the United States market. Now all is food and beverage credit.
When you stay at an LXR brand property, you get a $50 food and beverage credit per day that can be used for any food and drink expenses at the hotel. It does not matter if you pay for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or alcoholic drinks at the on-site bar.
I honestly prefer food and beverage credit over complimentary breakfast because it offers more flexibility regarding what I’d like to use the credit for. Before you get too excited, food and drinks at Oceana Santa Monica are not cheap, but a $50 credit certainly helps!
Complimentary Breakfast
Please see above. The on-site restaurant Sandpiper does serve breakfast, and you can use the $50 credit towards the breakfast bill if you’d like. The credit is part of the Hilton Honors Diamond elite benefit when staying at the LXR brand.
You can check out the breakfast menu at Sandpiper here.
Complimentary Coffee & Snacks
You can find complimentary coffee and snacks inside the lobby. I do not recall seeing that during the day, but I saw them on the table by the receptionist’s desk in the morning.
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Oceana Santa Monica Restaurant & Menu
Oceana Santa Monica only has one restaurant on-site called Sandpiper. The restaurant is also a bar, and all check has a 20% gratuity added already. There’s another tip line on the bill if you want to tip more, and that’s completely up to you.
You can see the menu at Sandpiper here on the Hilton website.
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| Sandpiper Dinning |
Sunset Terrace
Oceana Santa Monica also offers evening social hours at the Sunset Terrace. The event is from 3 to 9 P.M. They have beers and wine for sale, and you can order a couple beers and enjoy the ocean view and sunset. There’s also a heater above the seats if you feel cold.
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| Sunset Terrace |
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| Sunset Terrace Beers & Wines |
Complimentary Bike Rentals
Oceana Santa Monica offers complimentary bicycles to all guests as part of the resort fee. You can take the bike ride to California street and go down the ramp and ride the bike path along the beach and ocean to the Santa Monica pier, and all the way to Venice beach if you’d like.
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| Oceana Hotel’s Complimentary Bicycle |
Oceana Santa Monica Resort Fee
Oceana Santa Monica does have a $45 resort fee per room per night. The resort fee is waived if you stay at Oceana using Hilton Honors points or Hilton Free Weekend Night Reward.
Oceana Hotel Parking
Oceana Santa Monica only has a valet parking service. The rates before taxes are:
- First 2 hours: $20
- Each additional hour: $7
- Overnight: $55
Housekeeping
Yes, available. We did not use it because we only stayed one night.
Internet/Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi at Oceana Santa Monica is complimentary to all guests. You must have a password to access the Wi-Fi, and the password is OceanaHotel.
Bottled Water
Yes. Inside the suite room, there were two water bottles on the bedside table, and they were complimentary.
Late Check-out
We didn’t request late check out as we had to leave early to catch our sleeper Amtrak train from LA to Seattle. However, as the Hilton Honors Diamond elite member, you can get a late check-out, subject to availability.
Spa & Salon
Yes, there’s a spa and salon service at Oceana Santa Monica.
You can learn more about Wellness at Oceana here.
Fitness Center
Yes, there’s a fitness center located on the floor below the pool area.
Swimming Pool
Oceana Santa Monica has a heated outdoor swimming pool and a lot of comfortable padded pool chairs. The heart-shaped pool is really small through.
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| Swimming Pool |
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| Oceana Hotel Santa Monica Pool |
Free Night Booking
Oceana Santa Monica is an LXR Hotels and Resorts part of the Hilton Honors program. You can use Hilton Honors points to redeem for a free night’s stay. Moreover, you can also use the Hilton Free Weekend Night Reward to redeem for a free night’s stay as long as there’s a standard award room available for booking using points.
I used Hilton Free Weekend Night Reward to redeem for one night’s stay at the Oceana Santa Monica with no resort fees, and I feel that is the way to do it. In my honest opinion, I would not pay the cash price for the stay there as I do not think it’s worth over the standard $900 nightly rate. I also receive perks such as a $50 food and beverage credit, suite upgrades, and more for being a Hilton Honors Diamond elite member.
I am a dedicated travel enthusiast with a deep passion for miles and points. Always willing to share my expertise, I possess a wealth of knowledge on miles and points, extensively researching and staying up-to-date with the latest strategies for maximizing travel rewards through credit cards and loyalty program promotions.
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Thanks for the review seems pretty underwhelming but I have a couple certs may end up going to the Huntington Beach htkn instead.
I have not been to the Huntington Beach property, let me know how it goes. I would like to go and check it out one day!