3 Best Hotels in Venice, Los Angeles

Walking distance to Venice Beach and Abbot Kinney's artsy commercial strip, this playful hotel catering to younger budget travelers announces itself boldly with wall murals by Melissa Scrivner before you even enter the lobby. Guests love the laid-back Cali vibe; enjoy the cozy outdoor space with free Wi-Fi, or curl up in the lobby with a book and listen to the tunes spun on the house record player. Compact, newly refreshed rooms feature comic book–inspired tables, futuristic art, sublime beds, 55" HDTVs, and table tennis trophies on display. The second floor courtyard known as the Quad has a pool, loungers, Jacuzzi bar, firepit, and Ping-Pong area, which all make for a fun spot to chill before dinner.

A boutique hotel a block off the Venice Beach Boardwalk, the Erwin will make you feel like a hipper version of yourself. It has spacious, modern, airy rooms (somewhat of a rarity in Venice) and a local-favorite rooftop bar and lounge (appropriately named High). Splashes of orange, yellow, and green add playfulness to the clean white guest rooms, and on the sixth level, rooms have tiled floors and higher ceilings than elsewhere. Guests here enjoy a free California-style breakfast. Otherwise, you can enjoy the Barlo Kitchen + Cocktails or viral Pizza Girl restaurant on-site, or the freshly revamped rooftop bar's small-bites selections; the dining options here emphasize fresh ingredients and dishes made from scratch. Guests have free use of the hotel's bicycles as well as a range of sports and beach equipment.

A vestige of Venice's founding days, the newly renovated, circa-1911 Venice Beach House and its nine rooms drip with beachy cottage chic and California history; think piles of fluffy Parachute linens, dark leather Chesterfield sofas, and nubby rugs. It was one of the seaside enclave's first mansions, and many Craftsman-era details remain—dark woods, a glass-enclosed breakfast nook, a lattice-framed portico, and a fleet of stairs. Each of the nine rooms is individually decorated and fully appointed. Historic charm radiates from this bungalow and the location, steps from the beach and boardwalk, is what Southern California is all about.