Ramada Limited in Redondo Beach, California is A-OK

All of my four children live in different states, so any journey from Sweden to the USA to visit becomes a reservations nightmare. I'm fairly easy to please on these trips though, when it comes to hotels at least. I just need a bed in a smoking room with Internet access. When I hit the leg of my trip to visit my son in the Los Angeles area I also wanted to be close enough to walk to a beach. I was quite pleased to find the Ramada Limited at 435 S. Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo Beach had rooms that fit my needs completely... and it was only $330 USD for 5 nights! Thank you, Orbitz!

The Ramada Limited in Redondo Beach is located in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, just south of Hermosa & Manhattan Beaches. After landing at LAX, my son picked me up and drove me to the hotel. It was only about 15 minutes away from the airport. Well, depending on traffic it could be an hour... we got lucky and PCH was pretty clear sailing that day.

Now, when booking hotels online I have had my share of horror stories, so I always go in prepared for battle, print out of the pre-paid reservations in hand. It turns out this Ramada Limited was right on top of it and had everything ready for me. The only mild issue was when they handed me this paper to sign swearing to not smoke in the room or agree to a hefty fine. I pointed out the part of the reservation that clearly stated 'Smoking Room' and that was that. No problems at all.

My room was on the ground floor not far from the office and vending machines. In the mornings, breakfast was supplied in the lobby. It was not extravagant, nor was it skimpy. It was much more than I would expect from a Ramada Limited given that the Limited part of the Ramada chain means no extras. Yet they had all sort of breakfast cereal and pastries, fresh fruits galore, numerous beverages, and a waffle maker. Not bad at all, and it was included in the room rate.

The room itself was not fancy, but it was very clean and comfortable. I had a king bed with a table for eating or computing, and the usual TV inside the armoire complete with a nice range of cable channels. Also, to my surprise, my room came with a small refrigerator and microwave. Usually those cost extra and have to be reserved. Nice perk, that.

When I booked the room, the website said that they had free Internet access in the Lobby. I thought that would be a bit annoying, but I would deal with it given the price. It turns out that I actually had free wireless in my room. A good, strong signal at that. Just call the front desk for the password. I am not sure why they don't state that on their site. I imagine they have lost potential customers because of it. That's a shame really. They absolutely do have free wireless in the rooms.

The back end of my room had sliding glass doors leading to a palm tree'd patio. I left my curtains open to that when in the room. Nice little view. Upon further exploration one morning, I discovered there was actually a rather nice Hot Tub back there also. Wasn't expecting that at all from a Ramada Limited. Another score!

The most important thing to me above all else is location when booking a room. I used to live in this area about 20-some odd years ago, so I had a pretty good idea from the address that this was going to be excellent for my needs. I was correct. This Ramada Limited is just 3 short blocks away from the wonderful Redondo Beach Pier & Boardwalk, as well as the beautiful sandy beach. Just go north from the hotel up to Torrance Blvd and hang a left. You will see the entrance to the Pier immediately.

Also withing walking distance of the Redondo Ramada Limited you can find a grocery store, liquor store, CVS Pharmacy, and numerous places to eat. I use a walker and had no problem getting to whatever I needed from this hotel. The hotel staff is very nice and happy to point you in the right directions for wherever it is you wish to go, or whatever you are in need of.

The only drawback I had was very minor, and will not likely effect your stay at all. I have severe Rheumatism so I like to soak in a nice deep hot bath at the end of a full day playing tourist. Unfortunately, the bath was very shallow, and something was wrong with my drain plug. The bath would not fill. It was such a small issue though that I did not bother the staff with it. The shower had plenty of hot water and great pressure. Also, the shampoo & conditioner supplied by this Ramada Limited was outstanding. I usually don't use that stuff past the first time for review purposes, but I used this all up and asked for more. Awesome!

I absolutely recommend the Ramada Limited in Redondo Beach if you are planning a visit to the south Los Angeles area. The price is fantastic given the location and quality of the rooms & Staff. I just could not be happier with this selection, and will book there again on my next trip across the pond.