Q. What is it supposed to be on the show?

A. A motel.

Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show?

A. The location isn't mentioned, but probably somewhere in Orange County.

Q. When did we see it on the show?

A. In Episode 4 (of the third season) "The Last Waltz", after recovering alcoholic Kirsten Cohen finally leaves the seemingly-friendly Charlotte (Jeri Ryan, who played the rehabilitated Borg, 'Seven of Nine', on Star Trek Voyager), a fellow recovering addict whom Kirsten met at the posh Suriak rehab center.

The scene cuts to the motel room at the Pacific Sands, where it is revealed that Charlotte is a con artist. We eavesdrop on a conversation between her and her boyfriend, as he complains that it was a bad idea to spend $30,000 just to go to the rehab clinic in hopes of finding some rich woman who's an easy mark. Charlotte reassures him that Kirsten is "the Princess of Orange County" and that she will "find some way to use her".

Q. What is it actually in real life?

A. A real motel, near the ocean (but not in the O.C.)

Q. Where can I find it in real life?

A. In this case, what you see is what you get.

It really is the Pacific Sands Motel, an economy motel located in the city of Santa Monica. The exact address is 1515 Ocean Blvd, Santa Monica, CA.

(As far as I know, this is the first time The O.C. has filmed at a location in Santa Monica...)

The location is on Ocean Blvd, the city's main coastal route, between Colorado & Broadway, just two blocks from the popular Third Street Promenade , one block west of the Santa Monica Place mall, and virtually across the street from the beach and the famous Santa Monica Pier.

Here is a map link to the motel's exact location. Here is an aerial shot of the motel.

Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

A. This was an extremely easy find. Both the name of the motel and the street number were visible in the scene.  All I had to do was look up the Pacific Sands Motel in Yellow Pages and confirm that it was at 1515 Ocean.