There's a hotel for every taste in LA, and - if you're prepared to travel a bit - one for every budget. Hotels on the West Side tend to charge a premium, particurlarly those with views of the Pacific. Still, when the properties are as luxurious as Shutters on the Beach (1 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405, +1-310 458 0030, www.shuttersonthebeach.com ) or as stylish as the Viceroy (1819 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401, +1-310 260 7500, www.viceroysantamonica.com ), many people don't mind paying a little extra.

Lose the ocean views, and it's a similar-ish story at the chic Chamberlain in West Hollywood (1000 Westmount Drive, CA 90069, +1-310 657 7400, www.chamberlainwesthollywood.com), the old-school Beverly Hills Hotel (9641 W Sunset Boulevard, CA 90210, +1-310 276 2251, www.thebeverlyhillshotel.com) and the outlandishly fashionable Roosevelt in Hollywood (7000 Hollywood Boulevard, CA 90028, +1-323 466 7000, www.hollywoodroosevelt.com). All, in their own separate ways, are at the top end of the market.

And yet for all the luxury, there are bargains available. In Santa Monica, try the Hotel California (no, not that one; 1670 Ocean Avenue, CA 90401, +1-310 393 2363, www.hotelca.com). Midtown, there's the Farmers Daughter (115 S Fairfax Avenue, CA 90036, +1-323 937 3930, www.farmersdaughterhotel.com). And Downtown, head to the beautiful, historic Hotel Figueroa (939 S Figueroa Street, CA 90015, +1-213 627 8971, www.figueroahotel.com).

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