1436 2nd St, Santa Monica, California, United States | (541) 362-3741
Third Street Promenade and beach within a five-minute walk
One-fourth the price of any other
accommodation in the vicinity
Way more style than most hostels
Clean and modern dorms with
fresh sheets and towels
Private double rooms are available
Guest kitchen, library, and laundry available
Continental breakfast included in the rate
Nice indoor and outdoor lounge
areas
Fun, staff-led events, including museum visits, pub crawls, and hikes
Great atmosphere for meeting people from around the world
Free Wi-Fi access
No in-room air-conditioning
No bar and alcohol isn't allowed on the property
Use of computers requires a fee
This Hostelling International outpost has an enviable location, just a block away from Third Street Promenade and a five-minute walk from Santa Monica's beach. Interiors are bright and modern, with attractive design elements like a stacked-stone fireplace and contemporary art on the walls. There are 43 six- or 10-person mixed or gender-separated dormitories plus a communal kitchen, library, laundry, and free Wi-Fi. Private
double rooms exist, but they're tough to score. With a free continental breakfast included in the rate, this hostel is by far the most
economical choice in the Los Angeles area. For traditional hotel rooms with a nice dose of style, travelers can investigate the nearby budget-friendly Seaview Hotel, though rates will surely be higher.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
Bright hostel with contemporary style and youthful vibe
Like other properties in the
Hostelling International chain, this location is clean, bright, and modern, with lounge spaces reminiscent of a university student center. The entrance is all glass, and there
are benches outside in front of a red-brick wall, where guests are typically
milling around, drinking coffee, and hanging out. There's a lively vibe throughout the property, with people constantly coming and going. The breakfast area is bright and welcoming, with a surf-scene
mural painted on one wall and tall, solid-wood tables. A huge kitchen is connected to it, and groups of friends have been known to use the kitchen to make elaborate meals.
There are a few rooms for lounging and reading, including a computer room where guests can be found checking email or printing out airline tickets.
Guests hail from all over the world, and the majority fall into the 20- to
30-year-old age bracket.
Location
Five-minute walk to Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade and the beach
The hostel lies one block west
of the Third Street Promenade, the pedestrian epicenter of Santa Monica that's home to several hip restaurants, bars, and boutique shops. The area is frequented by
street performersand dance crews, and is a fun place to spend an evening.The hostel itself is
located on a busy road across from a cafe, surrounded by apartment buildings
and a small, abandoned theater. The closest beach access is only five minutes away on foot, while the Santa Monica Pier and Aquarium are both less
than a 10-minute walk away. The No. 1 bus runs along the coast, and the nearest stop is about a
five-minute walk from the hostel. Venice Beach and its famous boardwalk are 30 minutes away by bus. Los Angeles International Airport is about 25
minutes away by car or 40 minutes by bus.
Rooms
Dorms with bunk beds and shared bathrooms; some private rooms available
The majority of beds at this hostel are available in six- to 10-bed dormitories arranges in either co-ed or gender-separated configurations. Rooms are clean and fresh, with on-trend paint jobs in bright yellow or slate gray, as well as attractive patterns in soft furnishings. The dorms are compact, though, and narrow beds are packed closely together, with just enough space between them to stand with arms extended. Every bed gets a locker, as well as clean sheets and towels. There are a
couple of chairs in the dorms, as well as a small sink. While each room has a fan, there's no air-conditioning, and they can get hot on summer nights (made worse by the traffic noise outside when windows are thrown open). Gender-separated bathrooms with toilets
and showers are located down the hall, and are cleaned every morning. There are a few private rooms available, including a Double Executive Suite with a double bed and TV and a couple with private bathrooms, but these can require bookings well in advance and are difficult to score.
Features
Free breakfast and Wi-Fi plus communal kitchen and lounge
This hostel offers a free
continental breakfast of fruit, yogurt, and bagels -- it's a nice perk, though the options are limited. A number of group
activities are hosted by hostel staff at discounted rates, including museum tours, pub crawls, hikes, and more. There's a guest laundry area and a huge kitchen available for preparing meals -- it has all of the requisite for cooking dinners.
There are TVs in the lounge areas as well as snack and drink vending machines, but guests should keep in mind that alcohol is not allowed on the premises. Wi-Fi is free but there's a fee to use the computers and printer.
