Property
It’s hip. It’s art-chic. It’s Hollywood, baby. Stay in one of the 268 guest rooms of the eco-friendly Hotel Palomar in Los Angeles and you’ll instantly feel more glamorous. The kids will dig the bold colors and designs: shiny, red walls, and zebra stripes. You will dig the free wireless, animal print bathrobes, and great views of the city of angels.

Location
On Wilshire Blvd. in the Westwood community of Los Angeles. It’s 2 blocks away from UCLA, and a short drive to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica. Makes a good base for attractions on west side of city

Sleeps
2-4. Connecting rooms only available next to suites.

Highlights
I was able to get a good deal through a promotion on Travelzoo, but the hotel website also offers good deals on rates throughout the year. The price I paid even included a free continental breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

Good to know
Parking is $30 a night. Pet-friendly. The Kimpton Kids program is a worth checking out if you need a child safety kit for the hotel room.

Contact
http://www.hotelpalomar-lawestwood.com/

Written by Carolina

Property
Recently renovated hotel located on seven acres in North Hollywood, California just minutes away from Universal Studios Hollywood. A slight cut above your usual Holiday Inn, with beautiful Spanish-influenced architecture and spacious grounds that include two tennis courts and a kid’s playground. The hotel features Holiday Inn’s new KidSuites which are standard two-bed rooms that have been partitioned to provide separate sleeping quarters for parents and kids. The new pool and jacuzzi area features a majestic outdoor fireplace and is adjacent to their state-of-the-art fitness center. Their restaurant, Tula’s, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner – their breakfast buffet is one of the most reasonably priced ones around. Also on the premises is Decoy Lounge, a bar that features an outdoor patio. And two of my favorite features – free wireless internet throughout the hotel and a coffee bar that serves Seattle’s Best coffee. Perfect for writing late night hotel reviews!

Location
Only thirty to forty minutes from Los Angeles International Airport and fifteen from Burbank International Airport. Five minutes or less to Universal Studios Hollywood and the restaurants and stores of CityWalk (free tram provided.) Ten minutes from Hollywood and the famous Hollywood & Highland Center which houses the Kodak Theater, home to the Academy Awards. Only blocks away from NoHo, the burgeoning theater and arts district. Of note to Hannah Montana fans – the hotel is a block away from City Wok restaurant, which Miley Cyrus has been known to frequent.

Sleeps
2-4.

Highlights
Bunk beds for the kids, in their own partitioned area. Heated outdoor pool and jacuzzi next to a huge, beautiful fireplace (was not lit during our stay.) Microwave and refrigerator in room. Free WiFi throughout the hotel. Restaurant, Tula’s, on premises that has an excellent, reasonably priced breakfast buffet; for dinner I had an amazing pot roast. There is a small playground, and also tennis courts – during our stay my husband and daughter spotted American Idol’s Randy Jackson getting private tennis lessons!

Good to Know
The hotel is located right next to the 101 Freeway which our room was facing, but there were double sliding doors to the balcony that blocked out virtually all of the traffic sounds. If you’re extra sensitive to noise, however, you might want to request a room away from the freeway. Maybe a room looking down on the tennis courts in case any American Idol judges just happen to be having a tennis lesson.

Contact
www.beverlygarland.com

Written by Marsha Takeda-Morrison

Property
Prepare to be star struck by the quintessentially Californian Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel from the first moment you enter its palm-tree-lined atrium lobby.  Guest rooms and suites are plush but casual, featuring luxury beds and linens and all the modern conveniences.  Management is extremely child-friendly-front desk staff greeted the author’s children with age-appropriate goody bags and delicious cookies upon check-in and allowed them to play in the revolving door until they tired of it.

Location
Loews is in Santa Monica, a trendy and colorful seaside community just west of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.  The hotel is just minutes from Universal Studios and the Getty Center.  Disneyland is about an hour away, but you may never make it farther than the strand and the Santa Monica pier.

Sleeps
2-5.

Highlights
People watching and celebrity spotting on the 3rd Street Promenade (3 blocks away).  Near perfect weather.  Tame and flat beach (for the Pacific that is) right in front of the hotel.  Two playgrounds within easy walking distance (see concierge for details).

Good to Know
The 4th-floor ocean-view pool area is a destination in itself. With chaise lounges, al fresco dining, and year-round 86-degree water (the Jacuzzi is a welcoming 101°F), you’ll have a hard time tearing yourself away for sightseeing.

Contact
www.santamonicaloewshotel.com

Written by Kimberly Ford