In mid-May, my wife and I traveled from Finland to spend 2 weeks in California visiting our son who had been studying at USC. We spent the first 4 nights at the Farmer’s Daughter, which we chose primarily because of its handiness for visiting the city sights and its good location near to the Grove and Farmers Market.

After a long weekend visiting friends near San Francisco, we spent our last 5 nights at the Inn at Venice Beach, which we chose because of (1) its attractive location on the coast; (2) its very competitive price; (3) the good reviews on TA.

The hotel more than met our expectations, and the price-quality ratio is extremely high for budget-conscious travelers.

Plus points: Splendid location, right next to the canals and a stone’s throw from the beach. Comfortable room. Free self-service buffet breakfasts. Very pleasant staff. Our son, who acted as our chauffeur and guide during our visit, was allowed to have a free breakfast when he came to collect us in the mornings, and received a “pass” to use the hotel car-parking area during the day-time. All three of us were lent beach towels on request.

Minor quibbles: No pool – but not surprising bearing in mind the price. On Saturday night – disturbing noise from adjacent restaurant until the early hours. Lack of a customer-accessible computer in the lobby. Disposable cutlery and plates in restaurant not very environment-friendly – but again a cost-saving feature. The outside appearance of the hotel is rather “plain” and does not do it justice.

For others spending 2 weeks in the LA area, I would recommend a similar combination – first sight-seeing in and around the city, then a spell on the coast.

We spent two wonderful days at the Inn at Venice Beach (a little bit of a misnomer, since it is really on the edge of Marina del Rey, which is a good thing). Our room was nicely laid out, quiet (we faced the back) and absolutely spotless. The entire staff was friendly and welcoming. Plenty of restaurants within walking distance, and the beach is only a couple of blocks away. Breakfast is fine, the inside courtyard/ patio is fabulous and peaceful. We recommend the Inn highly, and we will be back the next time we're in LA.

Easy to find, plenty of food and shopping within walking distance, and a very nice overall property.

I had a nice room overlooking the patio area. The room was bright and cheerful which went along with the hotel staff who were a nice change from some places I have stayed at in the LA area.

The breakfast offered was nice but would not call it "sumptuous" as noted on their web site.

My meetings were in Malibu, so staying in Venice Beach did add about 15 minutes to my drive, in rush hour vs staying in Santa Monica. The differance this grade of room would have been a minimum of $50.00 more not counting breakfast.

My only complaint is the $7.00 parking fee that's charged. Although this is $18.00 or so cheaper than any Santa Monica Hotel I still feel parking should be included in the cost of a room that costs north of $150.00 a night.

Stayed for 7 nights from the 10th to 17th of April. The hotel is in an excellent location for enjoying the beaches at Venice / Santa Monica or to use as a base for exploring LA.

The hotel is faultless, cheap parking, very clean, endless free coffee at reception, quality rooms etc.

The best aspect of the hotel is the staff, the friendliness and helpfulness of the reception staff is second to none.

Would recommend to anyone and would certainly return if / when I visit LA again.