8 Best Hotels in Westside, Los Angeles

Bordering the Strand (SoCal's famous bike path on the beach), Beach House looks like a New England sea cottage from a century ago but has contemporary amenities in its bright studio suites. Oceanfront rooms facing the Strand have terrific sunset views and small balconies. All rooms have two TVs, a fireplace, and a wet bar. Expect to pay more for ocean-view rooms and weekend and summer stays. Rent bikes nearby or stroll on the Hermosa Beach pier. A full continental breakfast with yummy muffins and coffee awaits you in the pleasant breakfast room each morning. Many guests book an in-room massage.

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.

Just across from the protected waters of the marina and a short jaunt to Venice, this hotel has across-the-board appeal for families, business travelers, couples, and more. Families like the heated pool and hot tub and proximity to the Venice boardwalk, while business types appreciate the three floors of meeting space. While it's a chain hotel, this Marriott still strives for unique touches. Sinder, the hotel's popular indoor-outdoor restaurant and lounge, hosts frequent themed events like taco nights or Sunday Fundays. Sleek rooms have a mix of contemporary furniture and pillow-top mattresses. Sliding glass doors lead to balconies; open them for salty sea breezes. Enjoy electronic bike use to the nearby beach. Ask for upper-floor rooms facing the marina for the best views.

Open your balcony door and listen to the calls of seabirds and sea lions from ocean- and channel-side rooms here (earplugs are provided for humbugs); marina-side rooms overlook sailboats and docks. Refreshed interiors adhere to a transitional beachy style—guest rooms are a mix of blues set off by crisp white bed linens. Long-term room and apartment rentals also are available. Compact, well-designed bathrooms are accented in stainless steel, with extra-plush towels and pleasing bath products. The Baleen restaurant has an open, airy tropical vibe and excellent craft cocktails; try the Chef's Table prix-fixe experience for groups of up to 10. The attached lounge offers live music on the weekends and there's an oceanfront heated pool and fitness center with Peloton bikes.

You might have a sense of déjà vu here—this resort, overlooking L.A.'s largest marina's boats, is a favorite location of dozens of TV and film productions. Traditionally styled rooms are decked out in warm gold tones with French doors, marble baths, and feather beds. Dine outside for a waterside view at Cast & Plow, the hotel's farm-to-table restaurant, or kick back in the clublike lobby lounge or the seasonal poolside Wave Bar and Grill. Families love the 24/7 pool's saline purification system as well as the welcome gifts and scavenger hunts for kids. Club-level rooms are worth the price as food and drinks are available throughout the day in the private lounge. Some rooms come equipped with their own Peloton. Be sure to check out the lovely Sisley Spa.

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.

This 1924 flatiron building smack in the center of Downtown contains a slice of Culver City's history—it was at one time owned by John Wayne, and also housed all 124 "munchkins" during the filming of The Wizard of Oz. The Grand Lobby restaurant, which doubles as a jazz venue, is decked out in wingback chairs and gilded paintings; gaze upward at the original murals and moulding along the ceiling. Rooms mimic the renaissance now occurring in Culver City, with antique furnishings set against modern artwork and flat-screen TVs. Rooms are airy with large windows and have rain-showers (but no tubs), Keurig coffeemakers, 24-hour room service, and free Wi-Fi. Splurge on the larger corner rooms, all of which are accented in purple and offer fun people-watching on Culver Boulevard.