Our decision to stay at The Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica was an emotional one. I should say, emotional on my part.
On two previous visits to Santa Monica, without the kids, I had dined at The Georgian Hotel. I love the hotel’s connection with old Hollywood glamour. You know, the days before social media (yes, there was a time without social media), where the ladies and gentlemen of the movie world still had an air of mystery about them. Not every detail of their life was exposed via twitter, Facebook and instagram. In other words, a lost era.
Staying at the hotel was fulfilling a dream for me so I was prepared for the additional effort required to stay in an older hotel with a wheelchair.
Due to the historic nature of the hotel there is adapted access with a small lift outside to enter the hotel foyer and another in the foyer to access the elevator to the rooms.
I absolutely loved our room which was elegant and functional for our family.
The main bedroom could be closed off from the lounge room with a curtained glass door. The lounge converted into a double bed for BJ and AJ chose to sleep on the chaise lounge which housekeeping made up into a bed.
We stayed in a non-accessible suite for our stay. I would have loved to inspect one of the accessible suites but they were booked for the duration of our stay. The Georgian’s website describes the accessible rooms as having a roll-in shower, hand rails, accessible sink and at least 36 inches of accessible clearance on at least one side of the bed for transferring from a wheelchair or walking frame.
Turn-down service in hotels seems to be dying but not at the Georgian Hotel. Not only did we return to our room prepared for the evening with turn down service but a weather report for the next day and chocolates. Gotta love a goodnight chocolate on the bed stand.
The staff at the hotel were extremely helpful and the valet staff were friendly and great at disguising what I am sure would have been disbelief, at the number of shopping bags we returned with after a day’s shopping at Manhattan Beach. They also enjoyed a joke and had a good try at photo bombing the picture below.
The Veranda Restaurant was undergoing renovations during our stay last year but I know from previous experience that there is no better way to start the day than breakfast on the verandah. It is a great spot to watch the Santa Monica buzz unfold. In the evening it is a good place to watch the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.
The central location of this hotel is perfect for anyone but it is ideal for wheelchair users because it is so level. It is only a couple of blocks from the hotel to Third Street Promenade which is an outdoor shopping mall filled with all the main US stores like Banana Republic, GAP and Old Navy, plus smaller boutique stores. Third Street Promenade also has a fabulous range of dining options and comes alive on Friday and Saturday nights with buskers. The whole area has a fantastic vibe about it and it is very family friendly. The Santa Monica Pier area is a favourite with AJ and BJ but the wide wooden boardwalk with large gaps is a pain with the wheelchair, though BJ still thinks it is worth clunking all the way to the end.
My tip – if travelling with children be warned that The Georgian’s mini bar is weight sensitive. Leaving Pringles within reach is extremely tempting, children banned from the mini bar will still want to pick up and admire said Pringles. Keep an eye out for this and alert the hotel if anything has been lifted up otherwise you will pay.
If you would like more information about The Georgian Hotel head to their website.
You can read about our ride with John from Awesome Pedicabs here.
Disclaimer – As we planned to write a blog about our stay at The Georgian Hotel we received a small discount for our stay and free valet parking.
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