The Water Grill 1989

The Santa Monica Water Grill was one of our first stops when we arrived in Santa Monica. We had biked all the way from venice beach and we were looking for somewhere to sit down, enjoy the view, do some people watching and eat amazing seafood. We could not have found a better place.

Situated on Ocean Avenue facing the sea and the constant flow of people - both locals and tourists - it offers the best food you could wish for.

There also have a great restaurant - minus the view - in Downtown Los Angeles as well which is worth checking out.

Where
The Santa Monica Water Grill
1401 Ocean Avenue
Santa Monica 

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* All pictures were taken with the Olympus Pen E-PL7

The Sharing Economy

We decided that we would travel for one week solely using (bi)-products of the sharing economy. When you think about the sharing economy you think about Uber or Lyft, Airbnb, Foursquare, Service... I was keen to share with you a more modern way of travelling that allows for some more flexibility and independence that the more traditional car-rental and hotel holiday. 

We partnered up with Airbnb and found a little beach house on Venice beach which was just perfect. We spent the week wondering Venice beach, going to Santa Monica, Malibu and Beverly Hills. 

We either rented bikes or used Uberpool to get around. UberPool actually just launched in LA when we arrived which meant that there were loads of promotional codes and opportunities. The idea behind UberPool is one of convenience, cost efficiency and shareability.

The idea is that you share a ride and split the cost with another Uber customer who just happens to be requesting a ride along a similar route. You still get the on-demand convenience but at a smaller cost. The perfect solution for when we visited Beverly Hills, Malibu beaches or going to and from the airport ...

Forget guidebooks, we used Foursquare to decide where we would eat, drink and shop. Quite frankly, we were very rarely disappointed - just use common sense and you will be fine.

The most incredible thing with doing the whole sharing economy gig is the amount of people you meet along the way - Uber drivers and customers, Airbnb hosts, restaurant and shop owners all with incredible stories to share...

A big thank you to the Airbnb team for this experience and to Megan - our amazing host. We will be back very soon.

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* All pictures were taken with the Olympus Pen E-PL7

The Georgian Hotel

The boutique hotel is situated on Ocean Avenue facing the beach - in other words there is only on road separating you from the stunning and vibrant Santa Monica Beach. You are a five minute walk from Santa Monica pier and surrounded by restaurants, bars and shops. Location wise, it really doesn't get much better than this.

The hotel has an amazing story to tell and it shows with the ever-present art deco feel. Some say that it was possibly one of the first 'skyscrapers in Santa Monica. It was actually built more than 80 years ago and still today allows guests to get a sense of that classic hollywood ambiance. I truly loved this hotel because of just how different and historic it is. It's bright turquoise and yellow facade is hard to miss and definitely gives you a sense of what is to come.

A big thank you to the people at the Georgian for their warm welcome and amazing service.

Where
Georgian Hotel
1415 Ocean Avenue,
Santa Monica
CA 90401 

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* All pictures were taken with the Olympus Pen E-PL7

Venice Beach

I have been spending the last month in LA which has been just amazing. I am actually here because I have started a new job - which is obviously really exciting - and their HQ is in Downtown LA. 

Before starting this new job, my partner and I decided to take a week off and spend our time in Venice and Santa Monica. I partnered up with Airbnb to discover a whole new experience of travelling. We rented this amazing beach cottage just a couple of meters away from the beach in venice to get the true local experience. We were not disappointed - more to come but in the meantime I leave you with some pictures that truly embody the spirit and vibe of Venice beach.

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* All pictures were taken with the Olympus Pen E-PL7