"The antithesis of its cool moniker, Shade is a sun-drenched sleepery in one of the habitual hot spots along the Southern California coast. Back in the days when The Beach Boys were still surfing the local waves, the corner of 13th and Valley in Manhattan Beach was occupied by a ceramic factory that churned out those cute little Disney figurines. Forty years later Mickey is gone, replaced by the hip Metlox pedestrian precinct and the best beach hotel to hit LA in more than a decade. Shade is refreshingly edgy but never over the top, an ambience that blends bygone beach scene and the daring West Coast design aesthetic. The 43 suites and rooms are both ultra-comfy (thanks to the goose-down duvets and Tempur-Pedic beds) and thoroughly distracting. New Age “toys” include flat-screen TV with jpeg and mp3 capability, iPod docking station, two-person hydrotherapy bathtub, state-of-the-art margarita blender, and tubular fireplace for those chilly winter nights beside the beach. The lobby and adjacent Zinc lounge offer a modern take on traditional maritime décor – hardwood floors, porthole lighting, blue-green “seafoam” fabrics, and chandeliers fashioned from sea urchin shells. There is no restaurant per se, but the Shade kitchen turns out a long list of tasty tapas (like brie and artichoke fondue, ahi tuna tartare with wasabe cream cones, and marinated lamb chops) that can be munched at Zinc, on the adjacent outside terrace or in your room. Guests can also order room service from The Kettle, a legendary MB eatery with a menu as long as the nearby pier. In-room spa treatments (like the Ginger Body Butter Escape) are also on tap. Segways and cruiser-style bikes are available for beach area exploration. Or you can slink up to the rooftop Skydeck, where a petite pool affords views that run all the way from Catalina Island to the Malibu mountains."
