LAYOVERS AND LUXURY don’t usually go together. Too often, we forfeit comfort for convenience. But the next time you fly through Los Angeles, or take a cruise from that southern California city, consider that you can have both at Oceana Santa Monica.

Overlooking the biggest beach you might ever lay eyes on, Oceana is about a 20-to- 30-minute drive from LAX and a 35-to 40-minute drive from the Port of Los Angeles World Cruise Center. It’s independently owned but part of LXR – one of Hilton’s luxury brands – which means guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a digital key and check out, all from their smartphone using the Hilton Honors app.

That’s the convenience part.

The luxury is evident when you walk into your suite. SoCal’s laid-back elegance shines through in the modern furnishings, bold colours, dramatic artwork, and most especially, in the range of textures. Wrap yourself in a soft cotton bathrobe, feel the cool marble tiles under your bare feet in the bathroom, slip into plush slippers, and come bedtime, luxuriate in crisp linen sheets.

Oceana’s 70 suites are each one-of-a-kind, but all feature works of art commissioned by LA artists, hand-tufted rugs from Nepal, tiled bathrooms in a palette of natural colours, some with tubs as well as showers, and modern vessel sinks resting on marble countertops.

In the spacious living area you’ll find functional features including 65” Smart TVs, Bluetooth-enabled sound systems, mood lighting and – I really liked this – small, curated libraries.

One morning when my husband was cycling on a hotel bike, I scanned our library and found “The Change Your Biology Diet” which I read in our king-size bed. Speaking of cooking, some suites come with kitchenettes.

But kitchen or not, you’ll never have to leave the property to eat well. Enjoy breakfast on a chaise lounge by the heart-shaped pool and lunch or dinner at Sandpiper. The Sunset Terrace is the spot for sushi. Of course, there’s always room service if your stomach is in a different time-zone than the rest of your body.

Written by Suzanne Morphet for Cruise & Travel Lifestyles (Summer 2022). Photos courtesy of Oceana Santa Monica.