Most leisure travelers come to Los Angeles for the beaches and/or the
Hollywood mythology. The city is also a great central location for
visiting all the other Southern California attractions such as
Disneyland and Magic Mountain.
If you plan to stay at the beach, you have a tremendous variety of lodgings to choose from. There are many hotels all along the coast just a few blocks from the beach and with ocean views. Most of the hotels directly on the sand are at the high end -- Loews Beach Hotel, Shutters On the Beach, Pacific Shores, and The Sea Castle -- all in Santa Monica, and the Malibu Beach Inn in Malibu. Less expensive is Malibu Shores and trendy Inn at Venice Beach one block from the Venice boardwalk.
Leisure travelers visiting LA for its theme parks should consider the Ramada Inn Hollywood near Universal Studios. The recently remodeled hotel is also convenient to Mann's Chinese Theater, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood Bowl, the Greek and Pantages Theaters and the Los Angeles Convention Center.
If you want to soak up local atmosphere, The Hollywood Roosevelt is a
virtual museum of old Hollywood. The
Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills are equally infused with show business
legend.
Just a note to lovers and honeymooners: the Hotel Bel-Air is routinely
voted the most romantic in Los Angeles. The historic Biltmore in
downtown, and the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena run close
seconds.
