Where to stay in Los Angeles

published 2 May 2014

The Redbury

What's so special

If you want to be in the heart of Los Angeles, then the Redbury is ideal. It's located next to the iconic Capitol Records building in Hollywood, with the Dolby Theatre (the Oscar venue) a couple of blocks away. Universal Studios and the shopping hubs of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills are also easily accessible.

How they rate it

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This is an "ideal pied terre", says Lucie Young in The Daily Telegraph. Each of the 57 flats is "beautifully equipped", with everything you could need, including a washer/dryer. The decor is colourful: "Paisley wallpaper, rock n' roll posters, record players and an accompanying vinyl collection".

The hotel's hosts' (which in this context really means butlers') are available 24 hours a day and can arrange all sorts of services for you, including ordering groceries or "in-flat yoga".

The menu

You can either cook for yourself, order a picnic basket, or have a chef come to your room and cook for you. Alternatively, Cleo restaurant on the ground floor serves Middle Eastern cuisine.

The cost

Prices start from $254. Visit www.theredbury.com/hollywood, or call 00 1 877 962 1717.

Avalon Hotel

What's so special

If you are looking to indulge your Mad Men fantasies, then this 1950s retro hotel is the place to go to for your Don Draper goes on holiday' moment. It's located just off the main road on West Olympic Boulevard.

How they rate it

"Old school stars such as Lucille Ball stayed here (and more recent actors too it turned out Benedict Cumberbatch was one of our fellow guests) and I'm not surprised," says Tom Gormer in Stylist. The hotel offers some tranquillity amid the "wild traffic and hectic pace" of Los Angeles.

"The main focal point is a bright aqua hourglass swimming pool, complete with heated pool-side cabanas and Art Deco tiles it's ideal for pool-side cocktails" and is "very elegant and refined". As you'd expect, the rooms offer freewi-fi, well-appointed bathrooms and "a large, comfy bed".

The helpful staff "make you feel special" and are happy to arrange taxis for you if you don't drive essential for getting around the city.

The menu

The hotel restaurant, Oliverio, serves up Italian cuisine, such as fresh pappardelle with lamb ragu, or gnocchetti with bolognese sauce.

The cost

Double rooms start from £178, room only. Find out more at www.viceroyhotelgroup.com/avalon, or call00 1 310 277 5221.

The world's best golf course?

If your local golf course isn't providing you with enough of a challenge anymore, perhaps you need to take a trip to the Legend Golf Resort in South Africa's Waterberg mountain range. There you'll find the Extreme 19th'.

This is the highest and longest par three hole in the world. It measures 391 yards, and you can only reach the tee by helicopter it's 400m up, located on the top of Hanglip Mountain.As Alex Richards points out in the Daily Mirror ,"it truly is quite stunning, but probably isn't one for anyone who suffers from vertigo".

"It takes almost 30 seconds for any tee shot to reach the Africa-shaped green below," says Ted Thornhill in the Daily Mail. And you'd better not slice your tee shot there are no cameras orGPS used to track the flight of the golf ball. Instead "a spotter is employed to try and locate where it lands".

Padraig Harrington, the 2008 Open Champion, was the first person to make par on the hole, although others have managed it since including American actor Morgan Freeman.

The main Signature' course (a par 72) is no pushover either each of the 18 holes has been designed by a different golfing legend, including Colin Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia. There is also a ten hole Tribute Course, which recreates some of the world's best holes for you to play in one place.

Rooms at the resort, which also offers safari adventures, start from £124 per person, per night. Find out more at www.legendgolfsafari.com, or call 00 27 11 729 6700.

Ruth Jackson-Kirby is a freelance personal finance journalist with 17 years’ experience, writing about everything from savings accounts and credit cards to pensions, property and pet insurance.

Ruth started her career at MoneyWeek after graduating with an MA from the University of St Andrews, and she continues to contribute regular articles to our personal finance section. After leaving MoneyWeek she went on to become deputy editor of Moneywise before becoming a freelance journalist.

Ruth writes regularly for national publications including The Sunday Times, The Times, The Mail on Sunday and Good Housekeeping, among many other titles both online and offline.