The most romantic hotels in Los Angeles, from old Hollywood glamour to cosy beach houses
The West Coast has long been a favourite destination for love-struck honeymooners, with the drive along the Pacific Coast Highway at the top of many couples’ lists. And every West Coast jaunt inevitably begins or ends in Los Angeles, a sprawling urban metropolis that mixes high-octane city life with beautiful beaches and rolling hills. Romantic getaways come in all shapes and sizes here, whether it’s an exclusive beach-front hotel in Malibu or a notorious party palace in the heart of Hollywood. Here’s our pick of the most romantic hotels in Los Angeles.
Nobu Ryokan
Los Angeles, California, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
Symmetry, poetry and natural materials combine in this flawless Japanese-style inn, which was formerly a 1950s motel. There are 16 rooms in total, all with ocean views and decks, where sunloungers, parasols and mini bottles of sun cream are provided. Inside, the bathtub is art sculpted entirely from teak. Black-out blinds are operated from a switch next to the bed and the fireplace ignites at the touch of an iPad button. Best of all, you can fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing, and rise in the morning to dolphins jumping. Read expert review From £1,553 per night
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The NoMad Hotel Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
A sophisticated New York transplant in one of Downtown LA’s grandest buildings, with a sought-after restaurant and one of the city’s coolest rooftop pools. Designed by the master of sexy interiors, Jacques Garcia (the man behind the opulent Hôtel Costes in Paris), this feels more like a sultry city bolthole than a sunny LA pad, with its moodily lit restaurant and plenty of dark corners for getting lost in. Many rooms come with freestanding bathtubs offering views of the neighbouring skyscrapers which twinkle in the evening dusk. Eclectic artworks on the walls were curated by hip Paris-based design studio Be-poles. Read expert review From £163 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
This glam hotel seduces with sweeping LA views from high floors, an outdoor pool oasis and busy restaurant. Up on the pool deck there's a salt-water pool, al fresco restaurant, cabanas, hot tub and fully equipped outdoor gym, which is attached to an intimate, indoor spa with eight treatment rooms. Originally opened in 1987, the hotel has aged well into its elegance. Guests are immediately welcomed by an army of buttoned-up valet and doormen and whisked into a contemporary lobby with glimmering marble floors and a dramatic, central floral display. All 285 rooms (including 98 suites) are equipped with private balconies. Read expert review From £351 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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No. 850
Los Angeles, California, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
The latest project from famed hotelier Jeff Klein, the man behind the storied Sunset Tower Hotel, is West Hollywood’s chicest b&b. No. 850 was designed by British interior designer Rita Konig and is full of homely touches, with fireplaces in the bedrooms, an honesty bar and a wine and mezze hour on the roof terrace. There’s an assortment of mismatched lamps in every bedroom, bespoke wallpaper in the bathrooms and bright pops of colour throughout. There’s no restaurant but the hotel hosts a rotating roster of local guest chefs, who serve one-off meals on the intimate terrace. Read expert review From £247 per night
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Shutters on the Beach
Santa Monica, Los Angeles, United States
9Telegraph expert rating
This white and grey shingled hotel, which faces the ocean, is a favourite of locals, tourists and even a few Hollywood celebrities. Of the hotel’s 186 guest rooms and 12 suites, most have balconies as well as whirlpool tubs. The high-end American beach house aesthetic showcases romantic four-poster beds, louvered white shutters, custom-made bed linens and hand-woven Tibetan rugs. You can watch the sunset over the Pacific at three different venues, including 1 Pico restaurant, which provides romantic dining (with a cosy fireplace) and seasonal fare by chef Vittorio Lucariello. Read expert review From £403 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Chateau Marmont
West Hollywood, Los Angeles, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
Built in the 1920s and based on a French castle in the Loire valley, Chateau Marmont looks like an abandoned Disney castle, loaded with gothic charm – vaulted ceilings, chunky hand-carved wooden furniture and old velvet sofas. André Balazs retained the original interiors when he took over the hotel in 1990, allowing the spirit of old-Hollywood to roam the halls: nothing here is new or flashy. The leafy garden terrace and restaurant are constantly buzzing – expect celebrity sightings – with most tables full during lunch and late into the night. Same goes for the dark and moody bar inside. Read expert review From £353 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Hotel Bel-Air
Bel Air, Los Angeles, United States
9Telegraph expert rating
Originally built as a stable complex by Bel-Air founder and tennis champion Alphonzo Bell in 1922, this bougainvillea-clad hotel once hosted Audrey Hepburn, Princess Grace of Monaco and Marilyn Monroe. After renovations overseen by Claridge’s interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud, the Bel-Air has regained its reputation as LA’s most elite and sedate hotel, combining the hushed air of a Positano monastic retreat with old-world grandeur of Art Deco interiors and state-of-the-art room technology. Romance abounds with hummingbirds flitting in and out of palm trees, redwoods, Italianate fountains, hidden piazzas and the feeling that the winding pathways might lead you anywhere. Read expert review From £535 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Beverly Hills Hotel
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
Oh, if only the palm-printed walls of The Beverly Hills Hotel could talk. Its history is laced with star-spangled romance: Elizabeth Taylor honeymooned here with six of her seven husbands; Faye Dunaway learnt how to swim in the pool; and a Yoko Ono and John Lennon 'bed-in' was staged in one of the bungalows. Old, classic Hollywood through and through, this hotel feels loved and lived in. The style is modern Californian, with feminine hues of pink, yellow and cream. Materials are luxurious – bronze fixtures, buttery leather sofas and marble bathrooms the colour of Himalayan salt. Read expert review From £550 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Petit Ermitage
West Hollywood, Los Angeles, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
There’s a mix of influences at Petit Ermitage; equal parts Spanish colonial, Parisian boudoir and Moroccan riad, with a sprinkling of the circus thrown in for good measure. Life revolves around the roof terrace, where orange and white striped adjoining beds and tassled umbrellas flank the saltwater pool, with panoramic views of the Hills and sprawling city. Dining here is a magical experience, whether for a shady breakfast or under twinkling lights at dinner. Meanwhile, the 79 suites are the centre of sultriness. They’re very dimly lit for starters, with antique furniture and large beds with dramatic dark-wood headboards. Quirky design features include hanging bird cages and stacked vintage trunks. Read expert review From £222 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Channel Road Inn
Santa Monica, Los Angeles, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
This charming bed and breakfast – a five-minute walk from the beach – is a real seaside haven. Housed in a rare West Coast example of a shingle-clad Colonial Revival home, the house, which was built in 1910, still has many of its striking original features, including its impressive oak front door. Rooms range in size from cosy guest rooms to spacious suites with four-poster beds, bathtubs, fireplaces and private patio. With homely touches like freshly baked cookies, roaring fireplaces and a wine and hors d’oeuvres hour in the cosy sitting room, it’s the place to stay for beachside relaxation with none of LA’s usual hectic demands. Read expert review From £204 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Contributions by Jimmy Im, Leo Bear, Jade Conroy, Rachel Cranshaw, Sara Benson and Luciana Bellini
