This particular Palihotel is in Culver City in the westside of Los Angeles, near Sony Pictures Studio.
Planes
LAX airport, the busiest airport on the West Coast, is around 30 minutes' drive from the hotel. Direct flights are available from throughout the country and the world. Contact Smith24 to book your flights and arrange transfers.
Trains
Train travel isn’t the most efficient way to explore California, but it is at least quite scenic. Union Station in downtown Los Angeles is 45 minutes’ drive from the hotel, and connects to San Diego and Northern California.
Automobiles
Though Culver City is a pretty walkable community, Los Angeles is best explored by car. The hotel is handily near the 405 and 10 freeways, which will send you in any direction you plan to travel, including easy access to the beach and downtown. Valet parking is available for $40 a day.
Worth getting out of bed for
Home to the movie lot where The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind and the original King Kong were filmed, Culver City is one of the most storied Los Angeles neighborhoods. Grab pastries from Palihotel's café Simonette, then explore the studio tour at the Sony lot, which was once home to MGM. Weekday studio tours can be arranged in advance, and include visits to classic movie sound stages and sets for current television shows. Palihotel is nicely situated by two major Los Angeles freeways, making it easy to get around town: hop on the 10 heading west, which becomes the beachfront Pacific Coast Highway, and head all the way to swish beachy Malibu or stop in at the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica (it’s open to the public and has a pool and views of the Pacific).
For more things to do in Los Angeles, check-out our private, insider-led
SideStory experiences.
Local restaurants
Plan brunch at The Wallace, around the corner on Main Street, where a mini skillet of cinnamon rolls are the best way to kick off a meal of savory breakfast bowls, chicken-topped chilaquiles or a breakfast burger. For a formal and futuristic meal, book seats at Vespertine, once named the number-one restaurant in town by legendary Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold. Each dish plays with texture, aromatics and presentation, creating an edible odyssey less than a mile from the hotel. Brace yourself for a chilli bonanza at the colourful Night + Market Sahm on Lincoln Boulevard. The chef specialises in spicy Thai salads, curries and noodles, with an exceptional list of white wines to cool fiery tongues. Plan a beach picnic with salads and sandwiches from Gjusta in Venice, a tantalisingly packed food emporium that excels at California cuisine for eat-in or takeaway, and lures a magazine-spread-ready crowd for lazy hangs over nut-milk lattes, chermoulah-baked eggs and pastries prepared with farmers’ market produce. When in Los Angeles, tacos are practically mandatory, and one of the city’s best spots is a few miles from the hotel. Tito’s Tacos is beloved for it’s LA-style crispy tacos, ideally filled with shredded beef and topped with a cascade of shredded cheese and lettuce. Order a few with a side of guacamole, and eat them at one of the tables out front.
Local bars
Drink like an in-the-know local at Blind Barber on Washington Avenue, which hides its cool cocktail lounge behind a barbershop storefront. In the retro Helms Bakery District — a 1930s-era shopping space home to design warehouses, cafés and boutiques — is Father’s Office, a cheeky beer bar and casual hang that also serves one of the city’s best burgers (and they know it – no substitutions allowed).
