Cara Hotel

Just east of Hollywood and south of Griffith Park, on the border between the idyllic, largely residential Los Feliz and the busy, urban Thai Town, there’s a little oasis: a mid-century courtyard motel that’s been very thoroughly transformed into the stylish and quietly luxurious Cara Hotel. Rumor has it it’s the first of a new luxury-boutique brand, and if they carry on in the same style in which they’ve started, we can predict we’ll be bringing more of their hotels to your attention.

This one is notable for its transformative atmosphere, which owes much to the courtyard restaurant, also called Cara, which serves the sort of simple farm-fresh fare for which California is justifiably famous, tempered with a welcome Italian accent. The rooms, too, are oases of cloudlike calm, full of subtle luxuries like parquet floors, Frette linens, smart TVs with streaming services, and handsome limestone bathrooms.

The courtyard is also home to a lovely little reflection pool, as well as a café and bar, serving biodynamic wines, classic and seasonal cocktails, and coffee by Maru, one of L.A.’s best-loved roasters. It’s not the most opulent hotel in town, but there are few others that are quite so tasteful or quite so well put together.