Hotels in Los Angeles, CA

Best time to visit Los Angeles

LA is blessed with plenty of sunny days all year round. The peak tourist season is from June – August. Heavy smog and sweltering heat are common occurrences during this time of the year. With the huge influx of tourists, and a host of events and festivals that take place in these months, hotel prices tend to skyrocket. Try to book your accommodation in advance if you are planning a summer visit. To experience less crowds and explore the city in a more leisurely manner, consider visiting in the shoulder months of March – May or September – November. Average temperatures range from 15 – 20 degrees Celsius during this time. To get the most attractive bargains on travel and accommodation, visit LA in the winter months from December – February. Average temperatures hover around 10 – 12 degrees Celsius, but bring an umbrella to be prepared for the occasional rainfall.

Getting around Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a large and sprawling metropolis, and you will need transportation to get from one place to another. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority runs 6 colour-coded Metro lines, and approximately 170 Metro bus routes throughout the city. 1-ride fare starts at $1.75 USD. Invest in a TAP card for $1.00 USD and get a 1-Day Pass on the TAP card for $7.00 USD with unlimited use of all Metro services. To move around in Santa Monica and other oceanfront neighbourhoods, use the Big Blue Bus service. Single trip fare costs $1.25 USD, while a Day Pass for unlimited rides in 24 hours costs $4.00 USD. For a faster commute, rely on taxis and ride-share services such as Uber and Lyft. You may find that driving in LA is slightly intimidating, especially when you see heavy congestion along the 10 – 12 lane wide criss-crossing highways. However, if you want the flexibility to explore LA at your own pace, go ahead and rent a car with a GPS system to help you navigate these highways. You may find some attractive deals on car rentals with momondo.

Best places to stay in Los Angeles

The city of Los Angeles (LA) is an intoxicating mix of glitzy showbiz, never-ending sun and sand, rich art and architecture, and a vibrant nightlife. This is a large city made up of many unique neighbourhoods, and it may be somewhat challenging to decide where to stay. Here are a few areas you may want to consider.

Hollywood

A dramatically revitalized neighbourhood, present day Hollywood is home to landmarks such as TCL Chinese Theatre and Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as some of the hottest nightclubs and restaurants of LA. On Hollywood Boulevard, stay at the well-known Hollywood Bed and Breakfast, a quirky B&B set in a colourful 1912-dated house that is just steps away from all the attractions in the area. Another popular choice is the Magic Castle Hotel, just a 5-minute walk from Hollywood Boulevard. Here you can stay in modern, comfortable rooms and have 24-hour free access to soda, candy and cookies.

West LA

West LA is a hip and expensive neighbourhood that truly embodies the style and glamour of Los Angeles. Check out the luxurious Hotel Bel-Air, set on 12 acres of beautiful, landscaped gardens. Be treated like royalty when you stay in the chic mid-century inspired rooms of this hotel. Right across from the Original Farmers’ Market, consider the boutique-style accommodation at Farmer’s Daughter Hotel. The rooms are styled in country-chic, and furnished with denim duvets and gingham curtains.

Santa Monica, Venice, Malibu

The beach communities are interesting locations to consider when visiting LA. Santa Monica is the typical compact and relaxed beachside town with white sandy beaches, plenty of fine dining restaurants and easy access to the rest of the city. Venice Beach is the iconic birthplace of skate-culture where you’ll also experience a heady mix of buskers, vintage souvenir stalls and colourful graffiti walls. Malibu’s beautiful beaches and gorgeous sunsets have been immortalized in several Hollywood movies. In Santa Monica, stay at the Channel Road Inn, an award-winning bed and breakfast set in a restored 1910 Colonial Revival home, steps away from the beach. Enjoy Venice’s wonderfully weird world from the colourful, contemporary rooms of Hotel Erwin that overlooks the Venice Beach Boardwalk. Just a 5-minute walk from the Malibu Pier on Carbon Beach, stay at the Malibu Beach Inn, and enjoy spectacular sunsets from its posh rooms with private balconies.

Downtown Los Angeles

The historic heart of the city, Downtown LA’s biggest draw is the LA Live entertainment complex that features non-stop entertainment, and luxury hotels such as The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles, and the JW Marriott Los Angeles, amongst others. Downtown is also a hub of avant-garde art galleries, high-rise corporate towers, Mexican market stalls, and all modes of public transport. For mid-range budget accommodation, look at Jerry’s Motel, conveniently located amid all the popular attractions in this neighbourhood.

Cheap hotels in Los Angeles

Los Angeles caters to all types of travellers, and a varying range of budgets. Many of the hotel chains such as Holiday Inn Express, Howard Johnson, and Best Western Plus offer budget properties all over the city. If you’re looking for independent budget hotels, you have the Legend Hotel Hollywood, a simple motel with modern rooms, just a short walk from Hollywood Boulevard. In the same neighbourhood, you can also look at Dixie Hollywood, a simple Hollywood-themed hotel with colourful rooms and modern amenities. Near Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, enjoy the stylish rooms of The Orlando Hotel. In Santa Monica, stay at The Ambrose Hotel, or in Venice, you have Venice Breeze Suites, a modern beachfront apart-hotel.

Los Angeles, the Mecca of entertainment and showbiz, is every bit the magical tinsel town that you imagine it to be. But there is much more to the city than that. Glorious round-the-year sunshine, impressive ethnic diversity, unique arts, a long coastline and sandy beaches, ever-increasing celebrity chef-led restaurants, and an exciting music and nightlife scene are some of the other reasons to visit Los Angeles. For a well-rounded LA experience, include some of these activities in your itinerary.

• Be inspired with the magic of movies and movie-making at the Paramount Pictures Studio. Soak in the entertainment at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. Explore the sets of legendary Hollywood movies at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood.
• Board an open-top hop-on hop-off bus and view the popular sights of LA, including the pagoda-structured TCL Chinese Theatre, Dolby Theatre (the venue for the Academy Awards ceremonies), luxury houses and stately mansions of famous personalities on Beverly Hills, and the billboard-lined Sunset Boulevard (also called Sunset Strip).
• Admire big-budget masterpieces at The Getty Center which enjoys a beautiful hilltop location. Get your fill of modern art at the Museum of Contemporary Art, and The Broad. View interesting exhibits at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Watch the world’s only active urban ice age excavation site at the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum. Learn the fascinating history of the Grammy Awards through the years as you tour the Grammy Museum.
• Spend time on the splendid white sands in popular beach areas, such as Santa Monica and Venice, or the more exclusive and secluded beaches of Malibu. Surf, swim, people-watch or sunbathe, and then sample some delicious meals or enjoy a few drinks at the beach restaurants and bars.
• Watch a comedy show at one of the famous clubs, such as The Laugh Factory or The Comedy Store. Enjoy a Broadway show at the Hollywood Pantages theatre. Check out some experimental and indie theatre at several venues along the Santa Monica Boulevard, also known as Hollywood’s ‘Theatre Row’. Enjoy an outdoor concert at the Hollywood Bowl amphitheatre. Book tickets for an event at the LA Live entertainment complex. Score an invite to The Magic Castle, a private club for magicians, and get a generous dose of good, old-fashioned magic.
• Take Instagram-worthy pictures of the iconic ‘Hollywood’ sign from the Runyon Canyon Park. Enjoy a ‘fan’ moment as you pose with ‘stars’ of your favourite personalities along the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• Indulge in retail therapy across a wide range of options. You have the high-end designer boutiques on Rodeo Drive, popular shopping centres such as The Grove, or unique and trendy shops along Abbot Kinney Boulevard in the Venice Beach area.
• Sample ethnic cuisine in neighbourhoods such as Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Chinatown, Little Italy, and Little Ethiopia. You can also learn more about each community’s culture and festivals if you visit the small galleries, museums, and shops in each of these areas.