The Bay Area-based Joie de Vivre Group's first entry in the Los Angeles market is an eye-catching, custom-built circular tower overlooking I-405 (happily, there's no traffic...

Located on the sand, Casa Malibu is the only hotel on this stretch that has its own beach for exclusive use of guests. Malibu Colony is within walking distance; so is Malibu...

Hotelier Gregory Peck (no relation) and designer du jour Dodd Mitchell reworked this handsome 1926 building into a boutique hotel in 2003. Its best feature is Boé: it's a...

You can't miss this new arrival as you drive up from LAX or Marina del Rey: topped with a glowing neon sign announcing its name, it's the only all-black building on the...

Paradise Pier has a rooftop pool, fitness centre, Japanese restaurant - and is considerably smaller than its counterpart Disneyland hotels Disneyland Hotel. However, service is...

The Disneyland Hotel is the original, classic property adjacent to the Disney Downtown entrance. It's very big and very Disney. The huge pool with a water slide is great for...

The simplicity of the Élan's unabashedly modernist architecture, especially its concrete and plate glass façade, continues inside the 50-room property: the lobby area is crisp...

You can tell instantly that this was once a basic motel. It's a credit to the new owners of the gingham-giddy Farmer's Daughter that it feels pretty fresh. The rooms have been...

Built in 1933 during the peak period of California coastal expansion, the Georgian Hotel is a finely conceived amalgamation of Romanesque revival and art deco styles, and a...

Formerly a speakeasy and then a rather seedy hotel, the Grafton was given a huge makeover prior to its reopening in 2000. It's now pretty modern, but its four suites pay homage...

After a 2003 restoration by designer Dodd Mitchell, this 1927 landmark, a beautiful example of Spanish colonial design, once more welcomed the A-listers who frequented it...

It might be just next to the Loews, but this jaunty motel offers its guests a different type of Californian experience. Surfboards hanging from the façade underline the...

Just a couple of years after the successful Joie de Vivre hotel group brought its Bay Area sensibility south to LA for the first time, San Francisco rivals Kimpton Hotels...

Scheduled for completion in late 2008, a $25-million renovation at this Santa Monica favourite will thankfully preserve the streamline moderne exterior that has been delighting...