12 Best places to stay in Los Angeles

If your California dream is a vision of thong-wearing skaters and muscle-bound men doing their thing by the beach, then you’d do well to check into the Hotel Erwin.

The 119-room surfside property embodies all the funky charm of Venice Beach – the quirky, slightly gritty beach community where it’s located, right down to the graffitied bedroom doors.

Set in an amazing location just steps from the Pacific Ocean, the hotel is right in the heart of the neighbourhood close to Venice’s top sights.

After a day playing in the sand, there’s a rooftop bar (The High Rooftop Lounge) to retire to for catching the ocean sunset.

Opened in 1929 in the style of a Loire Valley chateau, no other hotel has provided more tabloid fodder than this legendary Hollywood spot right on Sunset. But it’s not just the scandals that account for its fame.

The 63 individually-designed rooms and cottages come with style to spare (Hollywood regency here, minimal chic there) – not to mention hedges high enough to shield guests from nosey paparazzi.

Sunset is Hollywood’s main artery, and you’re in one of the Strip’s most iconic spots. Chateau Marmont perches on a hill overlooking the boulevard, and it has been a defining image for the area since it opened in 1929.

Expect plenty of urban buzz, from car-filled streets and traffic jams to pedestrians gawking as they wander by. Luckily, though, once you slip behind the hotel’s high green wall, you’re in your own little world.

Stay here if you want to feel like a star. There’s probably one staying right next to you…

There are outposts of this quirky – and marginally more affordable – hotel group all over the city, from West Hollywood and Culver City to Silver Lake, but it’s their Santa Monica spot that’s touted as the pick of the bunch.

Housed in an elegant 1927 Spanish Colonial Revival Mansion, walking into the property feels like stepping back in time, with tranquil courtyards lining the entranceway and high wood-beamed ceilings giving the air of a country estate.

Inside you’ll find plenty of whimsical touches, including mismatched vintage furnishings, paintings propped on easels and antlers hanging above bedheads.

Locations don’t come much better than this, with the hotel set just three blocks from the beach and a few minutes’ walk to Third Street Promenade, which is filled with shops and restaurants.

In spite of its central location, the hotel remains an oasis of calm, tucked away on a quiet street that’s mercilessly free from the hordes of tourists.

It may not be as legendary as Chateau Marmont, but this Hollywood hotspot still has pedigree – the first Academy Awards were held here in 1929. Head here if you’re into celeb-fuelled nightlife: the hotel is home to the loungey Spare Room and the poolside Tropicana Bar, two of the glitterati’s favourite watering holes.

It’s in a great location in the heart of Hollywood. Hollywood’s hustle and bustle is right outside your door, from the area’s vast theatres (the Kodak Theatre – home to the Academy Awards – is a few steps away) to the iconic intersection of Hollywood and Vine, home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a ten-minute walk away.

There’s no hotel more woven into 90210’s DNA than the legendary Pink Palace. The 110-year-old property has come to embody all that’s glam about classic LA, right down to the plush room decor and cabana-fronted pool, where you can picture Marilyn Monroe lounging back in the day.

It’s vintage glam, from the classic Hollywood interiors to the cosseting service. The pool area, with its cabanas and green-striped loungers, is magical, and the 12 acres of gardens are gorgeous – as are the neighbouring mansions. The vibe here is hush-hush though – if you want a party, look elsewhere.

It may not be as swish as the Bel-Air, but it’s still the go-to hotel if you want to feel part of Beverly Hills royalty. It’s also in the best address in Beverly Hills, right at the heart of Sunset.

If ever there was a hotel for the cool kids, it’s this West Hollywood retreat. Originally dressed up by Philippe Starck, and recently redone by Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz, it has plenty of panache with wonderful tongue-in-cheek details – the mirrors look like something out of Alice in Wonderland. And then there’s the rooftop.

By day, it’s an oh-so-sexy pool deck. At night, it becomes the Skybar, an outdoor lounge overrun by LA’s Pretty Young Things. It may not be much of a looker from the outside, but it’s undoubtedly one of LA’s sexiest hotels, with one of the city’s hippest rooftop party scenes.

It’s also in a great West Hollywood location, right on Sunset. The hotel is perfect for scenesters – West Hollywood is one of LA’s most vibrant districts, with great dining and nightlife options close at hand.

Housed in a grand French Beaux Arts building, once the HQ of LA Railway, the West Coast offering from this hip European hotel chain offers a first-rate example of the eye-catching architecture that the city’s Downtown area is known for.

With interiors designed by designed by AIME in collaboration with Soho House, the hotel has a distinctly clubby feel, with a living room-style lobby filled with reclaimed vintage furniture and creative types tapping away on laptops.

Its location in the Fashion District, among the city’s oldest theatres and movie palaces, makes it an ideal spot for exploring Downtown’s numerous art galleries and must-visit restaurants.

The coolest new addition to the Sunset Strip has become one of LA’s hottest hangouts, with Hollywood starlets, avant-garde artists and punk rockers alike coming to rub shoulders on the roof terrace.

Ian Schrager’s first spot on the West Coast impresses from the moment you step through the enormous wooden doors and into the triple height lobby, made from glistening Italian travertine and red cedar wood panelling.

There’s a rooftop pool for doing laps in as well as a destination restaurant, Ardor, a basement nightclub, Sunset– home to some of LA’s most raucous parties – and a zen spa offering CBD treatments.

The hotel is right in the heart of the bustling Sunset Strip, home to some of LA’s most infamous nightclubs, so you can expect to be right in the thick of things as soon as you walk out the door. That’s why you come to the Edition, though – to see and be seen.

You’ll find many of the city’s most sought-after bars on your doorstep, including Whisky a Go Go, the first ever music venue to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Viceroy has been around a few years now, but she’s still got what it takes. Located a few blocks from Santa Monica beach, the hotel offers a rigorously stylish update on Hollywood regency courtesy of design doyenne Kelly Wearstler.

The hotel manages to be hip and laid-back at the same time. The pool deck, with its stylish cabanas, is one of LA’s most attractive.

The beauty of the Viceroy is its ability to blend the SoCal beach experience with a high-style attitude, and it’s perfect for those in search of the best of both worlds.

Tucked away among the sprawling estates of Bel Air, this 103-room property has long been a standby for the well-heeled, thanks to its smart interiors by celebrity designers Alexandra Champalimaud and David Rockwell.

Nestled among 12 acres of peaceful gardens that also include a swan-filled lake, guests flock to these elegant Spanish Mission Revival-style buildings to enjoy the hotel’s chi-chi amenities, which include a Valmont spa and a Wolfgang Puck restaurant.

The hotel is located in a quiet, residential neighbourhood surrounded by mansions in the shadows of a canyon wall. This central but secluded setting offers travellers the best of both worlds. You can enjoy the privacy of staying in one of LA’s ritziest gated residential areas, tucked into the hills above Beverly Hills, while still being just a five-minute drive from some of the West Side’s best restaurants and bars.

Situated just across the road from charming Palisades Park and Santa Monica Beach, with the sparkling Pacific Ocean beyond, Oceana has the feel of a classic 1950s California beach hotel, just made for soaking up the sun and surf.

Centred around a kidney-shaped swimming pool lined with loungers usually occupied by well-heeled couples, it’s a tranquil escape with mid-century modern rooms that come with plenty of extra touches – fragrant sprigs of dried lavender, say, or a playful porch swing outside.

The hotel is located right on Ocean Avenue, which can be a busy thoroughfare, but as soon as you enter the peaceful courtyard the gridlocked traffic outside seems a million miles away. Around the property is a quiet residential area of pretty avenues lined with palm trees and smart apartment blocks.

The beach is across the road, or it’s a pleasant ocean-front walk, around 20 minutes, along the promenade to Santa Monica’s main attractions, including its delightfully gaudy pier, Muscle Beach and Third Street shopping promenade.

Grey-shingled Shutters might have been built to resemble the grand inns of Martha’s Vineyard, but it has come to embody the ideals of SoCal barefoot luxury. Set right on Santa Monica’s sands, the hotel feels like one giant beach house, from the living room-style lobby to the beach-chic rooms by White House designer Michael Smith.

The location is truly hard to beat. You’re right on the beach, a short walk from Santa Monica Pier and the promenade. Beaches in California are all public, and there’s quite a bit of activity just beyond Shutters’ gates. As soon as you step outside, you’re confronted by a bike path. A few steps beyond lies the sand, full of sun loungers, beach volleyball players and children running wild.

Days here are spent enjoying the seaside setting – think yoga on the sand, beachfront bike rides and Pacific surf lessons.

This is one for all comers – there’s a welcoming attitude, whether you’re a couple or family.