Hotel June Malibu

If you’re like us, what you’d want from a Malibu boutique hotel is something stylish but unpretentious, something comfortable but not extravagant, something a bit bohemian but not overly busy, maybe tempered by a bit of Modernist austerity. Until fairly recently you’d have been out of luck, but with the opening of the Hotel June Malibu, there’s finally a boutique hotel in town with personality and good taste to spare.

Strictly speaking, it’s a re-opening; the Malibu Riviera, once host to the likes of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, was first established in 1947, though the sheen wore off as the decades passed. After a thorough re-imagining at the hands of its new proprietors, it’s found new life, and it’s not hard to imagine the present-day equivalents of Dean and Monroe — if indeed they exist — checking in at the June for a few nights away from the lights of Hollywood.

The rooms are pared down to just the essentials: a comfortable bed, a mix of high-design furniture and eccentric vintage pieces, and works by local artists — plus necessities like air conditioning and Tivoli radios. Similarly low-key is the restaurant, which operates out of an Airstream trailer with outdoor seating. It takes some confidence to prioritize character over opulence in this part of California, but this is an operation that has plenty to be confident about.