Staying by the beach for less?

A cheap beach getaway in summer? Snow in Malibu is more likely.

But just last December, snow did fall on Malibu. And although affordable summer coastal stays are scarce, they happen.

To increase your chances, stay on weeknights, slip in on a Sunday, grab extras or a free night, bid online or (yes) lower your sights. Get a last-minute deal at the front desk? Maybe.

Here's a closer look at these strategies. (All rates quoted are without taxes and may change at any time.)

1. Stay on weeknights. Rooms that are booked every weekend and holiday often sit vacant after vacationers head home. So hoteliers may cut prices.

Your best bet for weekday discounts is a small bed-and-breakfast or inn that caters to leisure travelers. Big hotels that also attract business travelers may keep rates constant or even increase them on weekdays.

2. Slip in on a Sunday. Can't afford two nights? Take one.

Arrive at your destination early Sunday, enjoy a full day and night, check out and then explore the area until evening before returning home. Many hotels will store your bags free or for a small fee. You'll avoid the two-night minimums and higher weekend rates.

"Sunday night is usually the slowest night of the week," said John A. Fox, New York-based senior vice president of PKF Consulting, international consultants in the tourism industry.

3. Grab extras or a free night. With room rates of $300 or more, some upscale coastal resorts show few signs of recession. But they are not unaffected by the downturn, which has reduced hotel occupancy by 12% nationwide in the last year, said Bruce Baltin, Los Angeles-based senior vice president of PKF Consulting.

"In some cases, the hotels are not necessarily lowering the rates that much, but they're offering extras with real value, such as meals and spa treatments," he said.

Or even free nights. Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, Calif., and Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore Santa Barbara recently offered three nights for the price of two.

4. Take a chance. Bidding for a room on Priceline.com or booking on Hotwire.com, where you don't know the name of the hotel until after you book it, can chop $50 or more off the rate. The trade-off: no refunds.

"If you're willing to take that gamble, it's absolutely worth it," Fox said of Priceline. Hotel searches can be targeted by class, site or other criteria.

5. Lower your sights. If you insist on staying in an ocean-view suite on the sand on a high-demand summer weekend, "there's no way you're going to get a deal," Fox said.

But move across the street and you might.

6. Get a walk-up deal. I struck out in a mini-test of this tactic on a recent Thursday visit to three upscale Santa Monica hotels. Even after 6 p.m., none of the hotels, which are near but not on the beach, would cut its rates for empty rooms for that night, even when I made it clear that I was shopping around. (See chart.)

Had I insisted on seeing a manager, I might have gotten a lower price or extras such as a free breakfast, said Alan X. Reay, president of Atlas Hospitality Group, a hotel consulting and brokerage company in Irvine.

"A good front-desk manager is not going to let you walk away," he said.

Next time, I'll try that.

jane.engle@latimes.com