Easy Living in Santa Monica

Santa Monica is young, lively, and carefree. A long weekend on the outskirts of Los Angeles is the perfect way to get into the California spirit.

Even before the highways of Los Angeles are engulfed in their first traffic jam, the morning in Santa Monica begins with a silvery glow. The sun hangs low over the Pacific, a light breeze carries a whiff of fresh sea air to your nose, and joggers make their way along the narrow strip of asphalt by the shore. Anyone arriving here quickly realizes: Santa Monica is more than just a suburb of Los Angeles. Santa Monica embodies the Californian lifestyle—friendly, open, and tolerant. Situated somewhere between the vastness of the ocean and urban coolness.



The tourist heart of the town is the legendary Santa Monica Pier. While the early morning hours are quiet, save for athletes and the occasional fisherman, the wooden structure with its performers, stalls, and eateries turns into a bustling fairground during the day and in the evening. Pure entertainment: the colorful lights of the Ferris wheel delight young and old alike, seagulls circle overhead screeching, and cell phones are pulled out: In front of the “End of the Trail” sign, Harley Davidson riders and tech geeks, couples in love, and entire school classes munching on cotton candy all remember that this is where historic Route 66 ends—and for many travelers, the feeling of having arrived in California begins. At Dogtown Coffee on Main Street in the former Z-Boys neighborhood, a hotspot for the surfing and skateboarding community, the air smells of freshly roasted espresso and salty sea breeze. Breakfast is served all day. Surfers in wetsuits grab a quick breakfast burrito or a healthy acai bowl before heading into the water.



On the other side of town, on the chic Montana Avenue, specialty restaurants, upscale boutiques, culinary discoveries, and small galleries line the street. Primo Passo Coffeeshop serves the best espresso in town; Andrew’s Cheese Shop boasts over 200 varieties of cheese—a gourmet empire in a tiny space. You can sample, buy, and take it to go—just like at the mouthwatering Downtown Farmers Market, where healthy and delicious treats find their way into shopping baskets twice a week. In Santa Monica, healthy and delicious means, above all, staying active. But without the pressure to perform. Yoga in the park or on the beach, cycling along the coast, running at any time of day or night, surfing in the morning light: if you’re not moving here, you’ve done something wrong. At historic Muscle Beach, an open-air fitness spot dating back to the 1930s, acrobats perform feats of skill, and on countless bars, benches, and pieces of equipment, people exercise, dance, and laugh a lot.

Here, exercise isn’t a chore, but an expression of joie de vivre.

Those who prefer a leisurely pace can stroll or rent an e-bike and follow the bike path to Venice Beach, passing street artists, musicians, and bon vivants of every stripe. Neighboring Venice is wilder, more eccentric, and vibrantly colorful. Santa Monica, on the other hand, cultivates a laid-back elegance. Here, luxury isn’t ostentatious. The art is in savoring the moment: because a sunset over the Pacific is worth more than stiff collars and fat wallets could ever buy.

As already mentioned, good, healthy food is part of this inner attitude and friendly hedonism. Hardly any place embodies this better than Michael’s on 3rd Street, a classic of “California Cuisine.” Under lemon trees in the courtyard, they serve oysters, the best pizzas in town, classics like roasted cauliflower with goat cheese and caramelized honey, or octopus, delicately paired with hearty Spanish sausage. Seasonal, light, creative: just a few steps away is the Blue Plate Oysterette, a small, maritime brasserie with a view of the ocean. The interior: white wood paneling, azure-blue tiles, an open kitchen—and a wonderful terrace overlooking bustling Ocean Avenue. The crowd: film producers at a lunch meeting alongside curious tourists, oyster connoisseurs
from the nearby metropolis, and foodies in casual attire. The specialty: oysters from Morro Bay, served on ice with lime and mint. Pair that with a chilled white wine from the mountains around Malibu—and you’ll understand why California loves to eat the way it lives: with sunshine, style, and substance.



In the evening, the chic crowd flocks to the elegant wine bar Wally’s. Over a thousand wines are available here; enjoy them by the bottle in the restaurant or simply take them home from one of the shelves lining the walls of the vast dining space. The menu offers a contemporary selection ranging from Wagyu tartare to truffle pasta. If you want to experience California’s wine country, neighboring Malibu is now almost as good a choice as the far more famous Napa Valley.



Just half an hour from Santa Monica lies Aja Vineyards, a family-run winery with ocean views. The vineyards nestle against the slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains, and winemaker Amanda Greenbaum serves the region’s finest wines in her wine boutique on 2nd Street. Greenbaum’s wine tastings are a go-to destination for wine connoisseurs from across the U.S.—the winemaker has become an important new voice in California winemaking. Her distinctive wines are the family’s hallmark. AJA Vineyards was founded by Todd and Heather Greenbaum, who began planting their first vines on the slopes above Malibu in 2007. The name AJA is a family acronym—composed of the first names of their children, Alec, Jack, and Amanda.



Warm, sunny days alternating with cool, sometimes foggy nights, and the barren, volcanic soils allowed the vines to mature, making one forget that while the region was famous for stars and beaches, it was not known for winemaking.
In her “Tasting Flight Estate”—though there are also other, smaller tastings available—the young winemaker serves five wines from the Malibu coast: a 2023 Sauvignon Blanc to start, a 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, her already well-known FIVE—a cuvée serving as the winemaker’s signature blend—a 2016 Syrah, and to finish, a 2012 Syrah. Greenbaum’s creation, FIVE, has a very special story: When a devastating fire ravaged large parts of the region in 2018, it spared the family’s estate. Since then, the vineyard has been named Miracle Vineyard—in memory of the miracle of having survived. Malibu’s vineyards are easily recognizable when dinner is served in the evening at The Penthouse, accompanied by a Hollywood-worthy sunset (see next page: The Huntley Hotel Santa Monica Beach). The journey continues at the city’s trendiest luxury restaurant, located on the hotel’s top floor. Easy living. Here, California is truly at home: with the luxury of serenity and without pretension.

Stylish and comfortable

THE HUNTLEY HOTEL SANTA MONICA BEACH OFFERS CASUAL LUXURY.

For high-end accommodations in one of the city’s quietest neighborhoods, an excellent hotel guarantees a memorable stay: The Huntley is a hub for creatives and design enthusiasts—not a classic beach hotel like the rather cold Regent or the charming but aging Shutters On The Beach, but an exciting, urban alternative, yet still just minutes from the coast. Built in the 1960s and extensively modernized into an understatedly beautiful design gem, the lobby of this “place to be” alone makes a statement: high ceilings, cool stone floors, walls of brushed metal and glass, interspersed with soft sofas in sandy tones.

Manju Raman, the charismatic General Manager of the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica, sees her hotel as an ambassador of modern luxury. Under her long-standing leadership, the Huntley Hotel has evolved into that iconic lifestyle destination where cosmopolitan travelers, locals, and creatives alike celebrate the ease of West Coast living.
The hotel’s best rooms, decorated in light, natural colors, offer views of the Pacific—outside the window, the sun dances on the water. The heart of the hotel beats at the very top: The Penthouse, a restaurant and rooftop lounge, is currently the hottest spot for connoisseurs. While the ambiance skillfully plays with light and color—lots of white, soft sand and ocean tones, plus subtle nautical details—The Penthouse serves as the grand stage for one of California’s greatest chefs: Chef Manny.

His plates feature not only perfectly prepared trendy dishes like seared scallops with cauliflower purée, filet mignon with truffle jus, or vegan bowls with quinoa and beets, but also a very special meat delicacy: Creekstone beef.

The Arkansas City-based company raises Black Angus and Duroc cattle, known for their quality and marbling. The animals come exclusively from family-run farms in the Midwest, where they are raised on open pastures and later fed a natural, plant-based grain mixture—guaranteed free of hormones and antibiotics. The feed is crucial: Creekstone uses only varieties that ensure unparalleled marbling—and thus serve as the key to juicy flavor and tender texture. Incidentally, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck has also noticed this, and he regularly shops at Creekstone.
www.thehuntleyhotel.com