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After first reserving a weekend retreat at the Montage Beverly Hills, I changed my plans when the Malibu Beach Inn (MBI) came up on a website flash sale. Having never actually stayed overnight in Malibu, this was a chance to get acquainted with the"rustic"--both real and faux--area, to try to get a grasp why so many billionaires find this town irresistible. By sheer coincidence, 2 articles about 2 of Malibu's most prolific property owners appeared in the Los Angeles Times between the time I reserved and the time I stayed at the MBI. The first was about software tycoon Larry Ellison's decade-long buying spree of Malibu properties mostly on Carbon Beach, where the MBI sits. He now owns almost 1/3 of these homes, as well as Casa Malibu Inn, an as-of-yet unrenovated inn near MBI, and the celebrity hot-spot Nobu Japanese restaurant. The second article was about the scarcity of public beach access to Carbon Beach and an app that can help you find them; it prominently mentioned media mogul and philanthropist David Geffen (the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA), alongside whose home an access point exists. Mr. Geffen also owns the MBI, which he purchased in 2005 and then put millions of dollars into an extensive remodel, reopening in 2007. The MBI is now a lovely, well-designed, chic inn with great service and a decent amount of amenities and thoughtful touches packed into its relatively small beachfront footprint, with little of its faded past as a rustic beach motel remaining.The hotel sits on the northwestern end of Carbon Beach, just south of the historic Malibu Pier. Valet parking is $27 a night, but if you arrive at the right time, you can find street parking right on PCH, which is has no time limits or meters. Even the red curb areas are so faded they are difficult to discern. I was fortunate to find a spot right in front of the inn and stayed put the whole visit. It was probably closer to the door that the far reaches of the valet lot, where my +10-year-old car surely would have been parked, next to the trash dumpsters.Between PCH and the valet drop-off area, there is a cute porte-cochere sitting area with a water feature and 2 sofas--this is the only area where smoking is allowed. Upon entering the inn, through dark wood louvered doors that open automatically, one passes some shelves with logo'd items and spa items for sale. There is a single elevator and a staircase. There is a table that has, as various times of the day, coffee and tea service, sliced muffins, fruit-infused ice water, a bowl of fruit, a jar of cookies. The counter that I first thought was the restaurant check-in area is actually the front desk. There is a small lounge and the Carbon Beach Club restaurant, with indoor and outdoor seating. Check-in was quick and friendly, with a staff member escorting you to your room and showing you its features. Somewhere on the property is the Cure Spa, which I did not see or use. There are bowls of fruit on each floor near the elevator.All rooms feature a balcony with 2 chairs and a small table. The least expensive rooms, called Pier View Kings, face north, with views, from left to right, of the shoreline, the pier, the pier parking lot, and noisy PCH. There are 6 of these rooms. The majority of rooms are called Ocean Front Queens, which face the ocean directly, with a queen bed situated perpendicular to the ocean, so one can simply lift one's head from the pillow and see the sea. These rooms are a bit too narrow to house a king bed, but they are long enough to also have a pull-out sofa bed and an easy chair/ottoman, as well as a desk and gas fireplace. This was the room type we booked. There are also Corner King and Premier King rooms and one-bedroom suites, which are mostly on the first floor. I had requested and received a third (top) floor room, north of the restaurant towards the pier. The top floor rooms have a vaulted, wood-beamed ceiling. I was impressed with the attention to de

Had very high expectations always a bad idea... however the room was lovely with a perfect view, the balcony was disappointing small and bare. The bed was SO comfy and the room ok but I wouldn't say luxurious. Bathroom was average. Turn down service they leave a little box of choc's on your pillow ...if you don't eat them they put them back the next night lol! that's cheap!Beach is not private the sunbeds etc quite worn and they don't partake in any clean up or preservation of the beach they use. I walked in Tar both days and its really hard to remove..I wasn't the only one as I noticed it was walked into the hotel. In other beach front hotel they have always cleaned up the rubbish etc washed up over night first thing in the morning before the guests use the beach...this one left a dead seal rotting in the sun right in front of the hotel until it was washed back out to sea in the evening tide. They offer complimentary coffee and cake in the lobby in the morning....they don't monitor this and we had to ask for it to be replenished even though it had another hour to run. The bar is tiny and not very accommodating for a pre dinner drink as there was only a small table with a couple of chairs and two bar stools they should remove some dining tables as everyone dines outside anyway. Valet parking is $27 a night but all the hotels in the states charge around this amount. Very few restaurants within walking distance but Giovanni's Italian is amazing. Its a lovely hotel but over rated small improvements would make it SO much better.

I live only 30 minutes away from the Malibu Beach Inn and frequent the place for lunch or dinner. My stay, albeit short, was very nice. The Inn makes for an outstanding few-day escape. The hotel is directly off of the PCH, but we barely noticed the traffic from the beach or restaurant and certainly not from our room.Being someone who spends very little time in my room on trips, room size is of little importance to me. Room layout, however, I feel is important. The rooms at the Inn are plenty big if you've traveled to Europe. I thought the layout was perfect. We could look out the window onto the ocean from our bed and we're greeted with a stunning sunrise each morning.The beach isn't private but it's nice to have personal service at a cost - roughly 15% is automatically included in the bill.The Carbon Beach Club (the restaurant on the property) is outstanding. When we dined at night the tide was high enough that the waves touched underneath the deck.I feel that the Inn would be limited for extended stays though. The property is tiny which definitely helps them maintain the amazing quality they do, but this is at the expense of a fitness center and a pool. If you're not an ocean person, you may have a hard time finding refreshment from the California heat.The location is incredible, but for an extended California stay, it's not an ideal launching-off point if you don't have a car. You're fairly limited in where you can walk. If you do have a car and have to park it there each night, the cost will add-up.Overall - the Malibu Beach Inn is an amazing experience for a short stay.

By a mile this is the best hotel I've stayed in. 5 star service from check in, room service to the cleaning staff! Everyone is friendly, you can tell this is a 5 star establishment And its worth every penny. Try and dine in the on site restaurant as the food is delicious and again the service is faultless, friendly yet authentic. The mini bar selection we had the champagne, which was reasonably price. They do daily free fruit, water and cookies :) if your thinking about staying here you will not regret it. If love to come back one day.

The bad: The rooms are small and the road noise large. For the amount I spent on my room, I would like not to hear a car alarm go off or the loud sound of the highway. The parking $27.00. (Try to find parking on the street, which is 20 feet outside the lobby of the hotel). I I also didn't like the time it took for someone to acknowledge us in the restaurant.. Moreover, the beach is small and deteriorating. The front desk guy couldn't answer a question about a charge on my bill, he had to call a manager, they kept me waiting which I didn't appreciate.The good: The rooms are decorated nicely, and the views of the ocean are stunning. Overall, I don't feel the price matches the quality. I am not a complainer, but I do hate feeling ripped off. But, that is just me.