LA – the city where stars are born, hopeful adolescents drift in and out to realize their dreams of stardom only to be confronted with the truth that everyone is there for the exact same purpose. Quite possibly the only city I’ve visited where people aren’t fazed by the fact that two girls can stand outside an absurdly pink wall in a parking lot for half an hour (efficiency at its best) snapping photos. In fact, that wall has become so popular that you can guarantee a constant feed of bloggers and instagrammers congregating outside at all points of the day where the lighting is still favorable.
Whilst I’m sure the city of stars boasts some beautiful hotel properties where words like hedonistic opulence become appropriate; I opted to go for an Air BnB property to really try and get a feel for the city. I ended up staying with Ink Properties at a place located in West Hollywood (WeHo) just off Melrose and less than a hundred metres from the pink wall mentioned above – winning. The property boasted a large main house and a modest granny flat at the back, which became my humble abode for the duration of my stay. Everything I needed to feel like this was home rather than a hotel. The place had a small kitchen with beautiful granite countertops, a beautiful master bathroom, queen size bed and seating area for me to work in the early hours of the morning before hitting the pavement to explore the city.
I’m an absolute sucker for places with an abundance of natural light and this place had no shortage of this. The doors opened out into a beautiful patio with a hammock to relax in privacy amongst the lush greenery of the garden, with squirrels and birds keeping me company. I lucked out during my stay at the property, as each day was better than the next in terms of temperature and sunshine – hello vitamin D! If you’re after a place that’s perfectly located in LA and in an incredibly safe neighborhood then this place should definitely be of consideration to any solo/couples travelling.
You are virtually around the corner of all the designer stores that has every fashionista seeing heart emojis as they stroll by – from Vivienne Westwood (virtually around the corner), Isabel Marant, Alexander McQueen to Marc Jacobs, Chloe and Herve Leger to name a few. True to form, everything in LA is quite sparse and spread out so you’ll either need to have a car (or uber) or put on some comfortable walking shoes. If you were to pick a neighborhood that was well rounded in options for both shopping and dining then WeHo is on the top of my list on par with Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice Beach.
