Destination Guide: Los Angeles

Find Your Niche and Sleep There

When it comes to lodging, you can’t go wrong in terms of location: Since Los Angeles has no real center, no hotel is near all the top tourist attractions. So choose an area that appeals to your sensibilities. For some, the beaches of Venice and Santa Monica spell vacation; others prefer to lodge near the tourist mecca that’s Hollywood Boulevard or the famed film studios. Below are choices in all of these areas, each one with amenities any Weight Watchers member would appreciate.

NEAR LAX (Los Angeles International Airport)

Radisson Los Angeles Airport Hotel
Inexpensive ($140 or less). Yes, its décor is stuck in the 80’s, but the outdoor pool is massive as is the gym (with spanking new machines) and the hotel has amenities far above its price scale, like room service and on-site stores. Join Radisson’s (free) Club Carlson loyalty program to get an upgrade to a room with a large fridge and adjustable Sleep Number bed. As at all airport hotels, parking is expensive at $20/night (to discourage travelers from leaving cars long-term), but considering rates start at just $79 most nights, you’ll still pay significantly less here than you will in most LA hotels.

Custom Hotel
Inexpensive ($140 or less). Wow, what a surprise! This moderately priced (starting at $79/night), fashion-forward hotel has not one but two gyms – one’s for cardio, the other’s for weights – plus good-sized, empty fridges in most rooms and a microwave on one floor for guests’ use. Add to that a Ralph’s Supermarket right next door (healthy snacks!), a jogging path in a park across the street and a game room with Wii’s and Xbox to keep the kids busy while you work out and voila! It’s the perfect Weight Watcher’s getaway. Sure, the area’s industrial, but beaches are nearby, the hotel offers free transportation to and from Los Angeles Airport and the pool with fire pit and bar is downright chic.

IN BEVERLY HILLS

Maison 140
Mid-Range ($141-$225). Within walking distance of Rodeo Drive, but without the usual Prada prices of the area, this funky guesthouse overflows with character (it was once owned by silent film start Lillian Gish). Think bright pink and guava green wallpapers, Chinoise-style furniture and a lobby bar that tops its martinis with caviar (see photo, above left). Supplement the small but useable gym with jogs at a nearby park or workouts at the larger gym at Maison 140’s sister-property, the Avalon.

SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
Expensive ($226 and up). A hotel that feels like a swank nightclub, the SLS features a humongous gym with some unusual machines. (Be warned: The music’s very loud). On the roof are two pools, one for actual swimming and a wading one where celebs and would-be celebs dip their toes while sipping cocktails (see photo, above right). Bedrooms are super-funky with fake fur throws on the bed, TVs hidden behind mirrors and bathrooms with moving walls. This is a real scene, though not for people who avoid mirrors (they’re everywhere in this hotel).

Sofitel Los Angeles
Expensive ($226 and up). Many choose the Sofitel just for the right to work out in its fitness rooms, which are as large and well-equipped as those in most stand-alone gyms (see photo above, 3rd from left). Guestrooms are serene, with handsome wood fittings and cushy beds. The outdoor firepit area is swank (see photo at top of page), and the staff here is unusually solicitous.

WEST HOLLYWOOD AND STUDIO CITY

Grafton on Sunset
Mid-Range ($141-$225). With a décor inspired by “Alice in Wonderland” (feather-covered lamps, creepy sculpted hands “welcoming” guests to their rooms) the Grafton, more than most, looks like a movie set. That goes for the swank gym, too, which is swathed in billowing tangerine curtains. The pool area is particularly fab (great views, large cushioned squares for lounging). Another plus: there are a number of healthy menu choices at onsite restaurant Asia de Cuba.

Beverly Garland Holiday Inn at Universal Studios
Inexpensive ($140 or less). One doesn’t usually find so many upscale features at a budget motel (starting at $125 a night). But the grounds at this Holiday Inn are beautifully landscaped. The gym is large and filled with new equipment and such unexpected extras as loaner headphones and a tray of complimentary fruit. The pool is lap-worthy and surrounded by chic chaises. There’s a “pillow menu” to help guests get their zzz’s and the property features tennis courts and a Weight Watchers-friendly restaurant. Founder Beverly Garland (that's a photo of her as a girl, above second from left) played the Mom on the classic 50’s TV sitcom “My Three Sons;” one of her sons now runs the property, but you can bet she’s proudly smiling down on the operation.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

0 Hotel
Inexpensive ($140 or less). Don’t fret that O’s gym is small and dreary: with a wave of their room keys, guests can use the full-service, nearby Gold’s Gym free of charge (it has a pool as well as challenging classes). Free WiFi, breakfast and local and long distance calls are included in the cost of a night. And rooms here have comfortable beds and a minimalist chic that’s quite appealing.

Los Angeles Athletic Club
Mid-Range ($141-$225). You have no excuse for not working out when you stay here. Overnight guests have full access to this legendary club’s facilities, which include handball and basketball courts, innovative classes, and a pool (plus exercise machines and free weights). Guestrooms channel Frank Lloyd Wright in their handsome furnishings; room service is available, and the roof deck of the club has one of the best views in LA. The only negative? The Downtown area goes from “just fine” to “seedy” abruptly – and the Athletic Club sits right on the border.

SANTA MONICA AND VENICE

Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows
Expensive ($226 and up). With its palace-like structure, elegant landscaping and location just a block from the beach, the Fairmont defines luxury. The gym has high ceilings and skylights; a full-service spa is right downstairs, for those who want a massage after their workout. The pool area is also quite swank. And Fig, the Fairmont’s well-reviewed on-site restaurant, has a number of low PointsPlus value® options for diners.

The Inn at Venice Beach
Mid-Range ($141-$225). It’s all about the location here: The Inn is just two blocks from the beach and the area’s famed canals. The property will be upgrading its small gym in March of 2012, along with giving rooms a more sophisticated look. Let’s hope they don’t renovate their prices, which are excellent for the locale and include breakfast (with lots of low PointsPlus value choices), free WiFi and balconies on each room. Across the street is the Pilates gym, Studio MDR, and the beach is nearby.

Best Western Gateway Inn
Inexpensive ($140 or less). Fully renovated in 2011, the Gateway is exceptionally well-maintained and comfortable and boasts one of the most solicitous staffs in the city. Though there’s no pool on site, the beach is an easy drive away. The on-site gym is small but well equipped for both weight training and aerobic exercise.