Special treat: Hotel Bel-Air enticed Michelin-starred chef Wolfgang Puck to oversee its restaurant and attracts A-list Hollywood stars seeking an old-world hideaway. From £361.
On a budget: Hotel Maya is an unpretentious Long Beach resort with great bang for your buck. From £89.
On arrival: Start your stay in style at the downtown Rooftop, a cocktail bar at the top of the boutique Standard Hotel. View the skyline at sunset from its poolside deck.
8pm: Nearby Bäco Mercat (408 S. Main St; 001 213 687 8808; bacomercat.com) is one of the restaurants of the moment in Los Angeles.
First day 10am: Take a light-rail ride on the recently opened Metro Expo Line to Exposition Park. The child-friendly California Science Center is home to the retired Space Shuttle Endeavour.
1pm: For lunch, track down one of LA’s famous mobile food trucks. Look for Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger’s Border Grill Truck (bordergrill.com), serving crunchy Baja-style fish tacos.
2pm: Hit the beach, an hour’s Metro bus ride from Downtown to Abbott Kinney Boulevard, at the heart of Venice’s artistic, offbeat and chic scene. Refuel at Intelligentsia Coffee.
4pm: Amble west to Venice’s beach boardwalk, officially named Ocean Front Walk. The people are pure California: tanned surfers and punk skateboarders. Sprawl on the sand and catch an idyllic sunset.
6pm: Stroll back to Abbot Kinney Boulevard and join the beautiful bohemians on the outdoor patio at trendy Gjelina, which offers a Mediterranean-meets-Californian menu. Mains from around $25/£16.
8pm: Try California’s new wave of handmade artisan cocktails at glittering Copa d’Oro, a leather-clad cocktail lounge in Santa Monica where you can enjoy expertly mixed concoctions.
In Beverly Hills, Sprinkles Cupcakes has an ATM dispensing freshly baked cupcakes around the clock – they even have special flavours for pampered dogs.
Day 2: Before lunch, view another postmodern LA architectural landmark, Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by LA architect Frank Gehry, who gained international fame for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao
