Venice V Hotel

Worth getting out of bed for

From its early-20th-century days as a carnival-esque pleasure centre frequented by silent-film A-listers, to its time as a countercultural crucible through the 1960s and 1970s, when the Doors and Dennis Hopper moved in and Dogtown’s Z-Boys skated into the history books, Venice Beach has always embraced the freakier side of life. And just a stroll along the boardwalk (officially called Ocean Front Walk) that runs in front of the hotel, past fortune tellers, musicians and artists of varying lucidity, tumblers, fire-breathers and the odd skateboarding dog, and you’ll see that it’s still delightfully eccentric. But, that’s not the only notable street here; Abbot Kinney Boulevard has earnt the title of America’s coolest street for its 1.6 kilometres of vintage and niche-label boutiques, cult beauty (and even a handful of optometrists for all your hipster-glasses needs) and in-your-face street art, with pit stops for gourmet doughnuts, cold-pressed refreshments and plant-based eats along the way. Pick up Seventies-style puffas and rainbow surfboards at Aviator Nation, rummage around for Old Venice treasures in Bazar (1108C Abbot Kinney), invest in super-soft tees at Junk Food Clothing, then stop for a scoop at cult creamery Salt & Straw and a serious brew at Intelligentsia. After, pay tribute to the tobacco mogul and entrepreneur the street’s named after with a trip to what’s left of his vision of the Venice of America. Once there were piers with elegant cafes and auditoriums, colonnaded promenades and even gondolas, but all that remains is the canals, which are perfect for peaceful strolls away from the seafront’s madness. Or borrow a beach-cruiser bike free from the hotel to tackle 22 miles of coastal paths. Volleyball matches, yoga sessions and running clubs take place on the sand, or you can get seriously physical at Muscle Beach, an open-air workout space where no less than governator Arnold Schwarzennegger’s guns got pumped. And, you can’t really come to Dogtown without catching some air – the Skatepark’s rails, boxes, ramps, bowls and verts will get your heart pumping too, albeit in far more rad fashion. Tackle them in style with a wooden board from Arbor Skate.

Local restaurants

Along Abbot Kinney healthy eating is remarkably haute, with offerings such as Matthew Kenney’s Plant Food + Wine, where you sit in a verdant garden to dine on kimchi dumplings, blistered shishito with aioli and berries with olive-oil ice-cream. And the Butcher’s Daughter, where you’ll find not one lonely chop, but instead plant-based and vegetarian delicacies: kale Caesar salad, pad Thai, mushroom calamari and eggplant steak. Breakfast and brunch is especially good, swapping in impossible meats for a heartier start to your day. For the more carnivorous there’s the Tasting Kitchen, where you can get a hefty NY strip steak or ‘nduja-slathered pork chops, plus a Eurocentric cheeseboard with some leftfield picks. And Gjelina offers a flavourful thwack in the form of tasty Mediterranean fare, say saffron spaghetti with bottarga and Calabrian chilli, Japanese sweet potato with jalapeño yoghurt and scallions.

Local cafés

Along Rose Avenue, Café Gratitude asks you to search your feelings first before ordering – their menu is more a list of affirmations. So, if you’re feeling ‘exquisite’ that’ll be the coconut calamari with cocktail sauce, if you’re ‘blessed’ it’s butternut-squash bolognese, and if you’re ‘empowered’ it’s an adaptogenic raw-cacao protein shake (sure, why not?).

Local bars

We love the laidback retro feel of the Waterfront: warm woods, wicker seating and south-of-the-border woven pieces make it feel like someone’s stylish throwback home, and the terrace is set for brilliant people-watching, as this is probably the best of the boardwalk’s bars. And, the team behind it have relaunched Winston House, a hush-hush music venue whose Thursday night concerts have hosted the likes of Billie Eilish and Janelle Monáe. While perhaps not entirely kosher skate culture, having a flight of beers wheeled in on a skateboard definitely appeals to us, so we’re fans of Venice Ale House. With 25 beers on tap and more bottled craft brews, you’ll need to roll out a few. And, bohemian types will be drawn to the Brig on Abbot Kinney and former Jim Morrison haunt Hinano Café, both a little bit dive-y, but a lot of fun, with live music, games of pool and jukeboxes, plus, at the former, a dangerously lengthy weekend happy hour.