Los Angeles, the sun drenched home of Hollywood and all its eclectic energy, is a magnet for go-getters and cinephiles, and also a surprisingly romantic destination. There’s a lot of romance to the old glamour of Hollywood, and to a palm-fringed coastline. There’s romance to film-locations, where you can recreate cinematic moments, and L.A. has loads and loads of great places to eat, drink, shop, enjoy art and theatre, and listen to live music. We've scoured the city and come up with a list of what we think are the best hotels in Los Angeles for couples, whether you're looking for a romantic hideaway or a grown-up property offering the best of everything.
For the Album
- The Beverly Hills Hotel is an icon, from its 1950s era sign and green and white canopied, red-carpet entrance, to its fine dining restaurant and tropical grounds. Of course changes and updates have been made over the years, but things are still as stylish as ever, and these 208 rooms and suites are the same ones to have housed a who’s who of famous faces. Guests who stay in the main building have private balconies or terraces, while bungalow guests get more privacy still, and guests staying in the suites are offered something quite palatial! Heaven for anyone who loves Hollywood, and for anyone who loves a great hotel experience.
For a Special Occasion
- The Maybourne Beverly Hills is large and luxurious, a many pillared, Spanish-mission-wedding-cake of a resort hotel in pale peach. Within are more than 200 rooms, suites and apartments, decorated with un-fussily regal style in pastel shades and dark wood. Plus you'll find an impressive spa and gym, a beauty salon, a choice of places to drink and dine and one of the most elegant indoor hotel pools our Gurus have ever seen. There’s a pool on the roof too. If you have kids they’ll accommodate them beautifully, without spoiling the romance.
- The Hotel Bel-Air is a five-star oasis of peace — a whole 18 acres of grounds, gardens and villa in luxurious Bel Air. Built in the 1940s in the style of a Mediterranean villa, the Bel-Air has been known for its impressive spa facilities, its famous clientele, and for its European fusion restaurant — some of McCarthy’s favourite dishes still grace the menu. There are 103 rooms and suites, with suites offering plenty of privacy and seclusion. Rooms at both ends of the scale have luxurious, marble-clad bathrooms and plenty of white-on-white style. A long time favourite of honeymooners and old time romantics.
For Minimalist Cool
- The Cara Hotel is a sleek, boutique-style pick on the edge of Los Feliz. Its 59 white-on-white rooms and suites have private balconies or terraces, and open out onto a Moorish-style courtyard and long, slim pool, complete with palm and olive trees, day beds, lanterns and plenty of white marble. The restaurant and bar are part of the courtyard too, and are both popular with a trendy, local crowd.
For L.A. Cool
- The Sunset Marquis is tucked behind Sunset Boulevard, a chic bar and hangout, atop a 150 room hotel. Known as a celebrity hangout, the hotel is exclusive but not un-affordable, and gives guests access to the cool 1200 Bar on the roof. The restaurant is cool too, priding itself on locally sourced ingredients and it's popular with L.A. locals. The Marquis has its own gym, of course, and its own recording studio.
For Hollywood Glamour
- The Prospect Hollywood is a wonderfully retro Hollywood experience, from its opulently decorative bar — think brass palm trees, chequer board tiles and malachite — to the glamorous star headshots in the 24 elegant rooms and suites. The Prospect is arranged around a central courtyard, with balcony access and live palm trees. There’s no restaurant, but you’re surrounded by places to dine, and there’s a super cool bar with luxury snacks and fabulous cocktails, and they offer breakfast.
- Gold-Diggers is a chic pad close to Melrose Avenue, with 11 rooms and suites, which are dressed like mini-apartments. If you like parquet, white walls, contemporary art, luxurious bathrooms and velvety accents, then come on down. One of the things our Gurus like most about Gold-Diggers is their love affair with this area’s love affair with music: here they invite you to create your own playlists for your room, using the hotel’s vinyl collection and cassettes. There’s no restaurant, but they do offer breakfast, and you’re surrounded by places to eat, drink, dance and listen to live music.
- The Chamberlain West Hollywood is a strikingly stylish suite-only hotel in West Hollywood, with a 1960s era vibe and a chic bar and bistro. As well as offering guests a bit more space, the Chamberlain’s suites are well laid out, and feature cool room dividers and private balconies. The pool on the roof has fantastic, panoramic views. Two blocks from Santa Monica Boulevard and Sunset Strip.
For City Views
- The Pendry West Hollywood is a chic pick in the Hollywood Hills, with a glamorous 1950s style pool and roof terrace with an incredible view of Hollywood and the city. It’s relatively newly-built, but has a Hollywood golden age feel, with plenty of marble, shiny brass, mirrors, and velvet in colours loved by fancy interiors magazines. The 149 rooms and suites are all spacious and comfortable, with big, marble bathrooms. Wolfgang Puck has had his hand in all the dining options, and the spa and wellness centre are world-class.
- L'Ermitage, Los Angeles is a super sophisticated suite-only hotel in Beverly Hills, within a stylish stroll of Rodeo Drive. Its 119 suites are decorated with a faintly Asian take on pastel luxury, with beautiful silken fabrics shot with gold, and the bathrooms are impressively large. The rooftop pool and terrace are a big draw.
For Fun!
- The Hotel June is a big, boutique-style hotel in West L.A., with chicly tropical Bajan style, and a huge pool and terrace. The pool is this property’s hub, a place to be, day and night; for alfresco terrace dining, cool cabana drinks, and fire pits of an evening. The hotel’s 250 rooms and suites are simple and stylish too, with noise-cancelling windows, custom-fit beds and smart-TVs. Some of their suites are great for families, and they have some family friendly dining options. And you’re only five minutes from LAX.
For a Spa Escape
- The Langham Huntington is a large, sophisticated five-star hotel on a secluded, but very spacious Pasadena plot. With 379 rooms, suites, apartments and villas, you know there’s going to be a configuration to suit everyone, and the old world charm of the decor, with its Persian rugs and dark-wood antiques is perennially stylish. The Langham’s spa is a destination in its own right, with an impressive range of facilities and treatments inspired by traditional Chinese medicine.
L.A. Like a Local
- The Paramour Estate is a fantastical Hollywood mansion in the Silver Lake postcode, with nine brightly coloured, art-packed suites. This is an opportunity to live like a star, surrounded by interesting objets, antiques and designer furniture. There’s a pool and courtyard, rose gardens, statues, private terraces, and self-catering facilities in some of the suites.
- The Plaza La Reina is a Spanish mission-style villa complex, with a collection of 33 suites, lofts and studios in an off-centre spot between Los Angeles and Santa Monica. The interiors match the exterior in their Spanish style, with dark wood, ironwork and white walls, and most open out onto a leafy central courtyard. All rooms are spacious, with self-catering facilities, but the larger ones have private terraces and double height windows too. A great set up if you want to feel a bit more like a local.
- The Hotel Covell is a small boutique hotel in Los Feliz, its nine rooms set above a popular wine bar by the same owners. Each of the rooms has its own theme and design highlights, and self-catering facilities, and some are spacious enough to feel like a proper L.A. pad in a cool arty neighbourhood. This is a great neighbourhood for dining, but the bar downstairs serves a pizza worth trialling, and fantastic cocktails.
For Great Value
- The Hotel Beverly Terrace has a 90210 address without the usual price tag. This boutique-stye hotel occupies a white, mid-century block, surrounding a stylish courtyard with plants and seating, which most of its 39 rooms and suites overlook (the other rooms look over the city). The roof terrace is another super social communal space, with a great bar and Italian restaurant. Rooms are spacious, for the price, and decorated with plenty of white, and mid-century retro and design pieces.
- The Crescent Hotel is an art-filled Beverley Hills villa built in 1926, and just a few blocks from Rodeo Drive. It doesn’t look big enough from the outside, but it has 35 rooms and suites inside, plus a spa and gym, a cool restaurant and bar, and an elegant courtyard.
For Something Different
- The Hotel 850 SVB is really a B&B, but one designed by one of L.A.’s renowned interior designers, Rita Konig, and run by hotelier Jeff Klein. Its 23 rooms wouldn’t be out of place in an interior magazine, offering working fireplaces, hardwood floors and spacious marble bathrooms. Plus bamboo furniture, hessian walls, contemporary art, Pastries and coffee are served in the morning, and mezze and wine of an evening on the roof terrace.
- The Bel Air Treehouse is a welcoming and memorable B&B in Bel Air, with just four rooms, which offer of a peaceful place to retreat to. The colourful, eclectic decor gives the impression that this is a real home that you’re a guest in, and the focus here is very much on your comfort and wellbeing — think epsom salts in the generously proportioned bathrooms, and scented candles. In-room extras include coffee machines and herbal teas.
Still not sure where to book?
