The 100-year-old Santa Monica Pier

DID YOU enjoy numerous city breaks, such as shopping weekends in New York, on top of your annual sun holiday, during the boom? Has the recession hit you hard and now you find you have to make a choice between city break and beach holiday?


Well, maybe you can have your cake and eat it. In Santa Monica, Los Angeles, you can enjoy one of the most iconic beaches in America while just being two minutes' walking distance from a vibrant shopping area and close to some of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.


With over 300 guaranteed days of sunshine per year, this is a destination that is perfect to visit at any time.


When you book into one of the hotels along the Santa Monica coastline you are getting the keys to one of the most sought-after addresses in Los Angeles. The palm-tree-lined Ocean Avenue is laced with hotels such as the Oceania, which offers guests rooms that are akin to individual luxury apartments with exceptional service. The Oceania offers a view of one of California's most stunning beaches that stretches from Malibu in the north to Venice Beach in the south.


A quick glance will quickly cast your mind back to the hit 1990s TV series Baywatch – the beach is dotted with the lifeguard towers and yellow lifeguard vehicles that were trademark symbols of what was once the most viewed TV programme on the planet.


Santa Monica has been the setting for hundreds of Hollywood movies and any visit to the area gives the tourist the surreal feeling of being on a film set. That feeling is perhaps best experienced on the area's main tourist attraction ? the world-famous 100-year-old Santa Monica Pier ? which was used in the filming of Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump, amongst others.


Overlooking the ocean and surrounded by sand and blistering sun, the pier is home to a solar-powered family amusement park, the Pacific Park, and a number of restaurants including the glass-panelled Lobster restaurant and bar. It is also the perfect place to watch the amazing sunset. And if you fancy exploring more of LA's 50km of beach, it is highly recommended that you rent a bike from Blazing Saddles bike hire shop on the pier and cycle along the beaches' cycle lanes.


If you would rather lounge around on the beach, Santa Monica even boasts its own 'beach butler service' where you will be wined and dined in the comfort of your sun lounger by your own personal butler.


But Santa Monica is much more than a beach resort, and the vibrant pedestrianised Third Street Promenade, which is just two minutes' walk from the pier, provides hundreds of shops which offer great value to the Irish visitor given the weak position of the US dollar. Pause awhile, too, at the host of street performers.


For the more discerning tourist, the nearby Montana Avenue offers more high-end independent boutiques and eateries and is a great place to spot dressed-down celebrities grabbing coffees or walking their dogs.


Santa Monica is an area that has worked hard to enrich its arts and culture scene in recent years. The newly opened state-of-the-art Broad Stage Theatre boasts none other than globally-renowned actor Dustin Hoffman as the chair of its board.


While the Broad Stage is the perfect way to spend an evening after a meal in one of Santa Monica's award-winning restaurants such as local favourite Jiraffe, there is much more culture to be sampled during the day at the Bergamot Station, an old bus depot on an eight-acre site that has been converted into an expansive complex of contemporary art galleries and design firms.


No visit to LA would be complete without a trip to the Beverly Hills area and this can be accessed by a hop-on hop-off Star Line city sightseeing bus which departs Santa Monica regularly.


The 40-minute Beverly Hills trolley tour introduces you to the art, architecture and history of the most affluent suburb of any city in the world. The Luxe Hotel on Rodeo Drive is an excellent place to sit outside, and enjoy lunch as you spot stars shopping in the designer outlets along the street. Misconceptions that Beverly Hills is a place where only the stars (and their money!) are welcome are dispelled instantly upon meeting the locals, who are extremely warm, friendly and full of self-deprecating humour.


From Beverly Hills, the Star Line bus takes you towards Hollywood and along a route that takes in Melrose Avenue, which is home to hundreds of internationally recognised fashion houses as well as Paramount Studios.


Nearby is the iconic section of the 35km Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood. The 'Sunset Strip' – the famed mile-and-a-half stretch of the boulevard – is best seen at night.


The options here are endless when it comes to nightlife. Drinks in the Cindy Crawford-owned Sky Bar overlooking the whole city are a good way of mingling with the hip crowd in LA, but you can also opt for one of the world-famous clubs such as Whisky a Go Go, where bands such as the Doors once played; the Viper Rooms, outside which the actor River Phoenix died; the Roxy or the House of Blues.


During the day you can get a guided 'Tour of the Stars' Homes' through the hills ? where you can get your picture taken beneath the iconic Hollywood sign. You'll be given a good impression of Bel Air and Beverly Hills, where you can see where stars such as the Beckhams and Tom Cruise live, the Playboy mansion and the late Michael Jackson's house.


While no trip to Los Angeles would be complete without a trip to West Hollywood, it is perhaps best to base yourself in the more laid-back Santa Monica and visit Hollywood, rather than staying in high-octane Tinseltown.


lowdown on santa monica


British Airways offers return flights from London Heathrow to Los Angeles from £388.30 per person (based on February 2010 departures). For reservations visit ba.com or call 0044 844 493 0787


For news, events, offers and accommodation options for Santa Monica, visit www.santamonica.com


Starting rates for a double room, double occupancy, for various hotels is as follows:


Oceana ($330) www.hoteloceanasantamonica.com


Le Merigot ($279) www.lemerigothotel.com


The Georgian Hotel ($220) www.georgianhotel.com