The hotel is on a quiet corner just south of Sunset Junction (that’s the intersection between Sunset Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard), in Silver Lake, LA’s achingly hip Eastside enclave.
Planes
You’ll likely land at LAX, the bustling aviation hub that’s served by direct flights from just about anywhere. It’s an hour or so’s drive, depending on traffic; the hotel can organise private transfers for US$100 each way.
Trains
Downtown’s elegant Union Station is a short cab ride away; from here you can jump on subway trains or take the Amtrak service further afield.
Automobiles
You’ll need wheels to get around town, but they don’t have to be your own; if you’re not a fan of driving in extreme traffic, it’s probably easier to grab cabs. Plus, Silver Lake’s a very walkable neighbourhood with plenty of shopping, eating and drinking in reach. If you do rent a car, there’s valet parking at the hotel for US$42 a night.
Worth getting out of bed for
Start mornings slowly with coffee and granola at Marco Polo and leisurely laps in that sigh-worthy swimming pool. Then, it’s time to get out and explore – though it’s rapidly gentrifying, Silver Lake still wears its layer of grunge with fierce pride and you’ll feel a palpable energy of creativity and innovation in the air. Leave plenty of time to get lost; unusually for LA, you don’t need a car to wander this walkable ’hood, so you can explore the secret staircases, boutiques, restaurants and street art to your heart’s content.
On Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, head to Sunset Triangle Plaza to scope out typical farmers’ market goods (produce, prepared foods and blooms) as well as Silver Lake-specific touches, like records, dried sage, second-hand books and crystals. Much-loved Mohawk General Store is a multi-brand haven of curation that stocks local design luminaries alongside international labels such as Lemaire, Dries Van Noten and Jacquemus, to name just a few; Francophiles should continue to Clare Vivier to shop her handbags, accessories and apparel designed with a French-girl twist.
Further afield, LA landmark the Griffith Observatory is steeped in almost as much Hollywood lore as the sign a little further along the hillside – it’s had a starring role alongside James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and forms the backdrop to La La Land's most romantic dance sequence. Fans of silver-screen classics should go for the history, would-be astronauts to look through the telescope, and everyone else for the sweeping views across the Los Angeles Basin, allowing you to see all the way to the beaches of Santa Monica and San Pedro Bay.
Continue downtown to the Broad, home to nearly 2,000 works of art and among the most prominent museums for postwar and contemporary art worldwide, with some of the most buzzed-about rotating exhibitions in the city.
Local restaurants
We hope you brought your appetite: the hotel is smack bang in the epicentre of LA’s food scene and almost all the hyped openings in the city now happen on the Eastside. Like Sqirl, for instance – any day of the week, there’s a queue at this petite café for salads, grain bowls, sweet and savoury porridges and the brioche topped with house-made ricotta. Take home some of the jam, which comes in flavours like raspberry and cardamom.
To go home with that LA glow, make a beeline to Botanica, a health-conscious eatery with Middle Eastern influences and organic wines. You’ll be glowing for another reason at Night & Market Song, a Thai street-food restaurant that goes heavy on the spices – the menu is as bold and bright as the neon-hued decor.
For more romance quotient, L & E Oyster Bar is a cosy spot with an emphasis on oysters (they’re shipped in daily), plus an assortment of small plates, chowder and fresh fish.
Local bars
At Bar Calo in Echo Park, you’ll find mezcal cocktails, Mexican wines and moreish sharing plates in a lively, low-lit setting.
