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13 of the best film locations you can visit in Los Angeles

Immerse yourself in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood by visiting the bars, hotels, restaurants and precincts featured in 2019’s most talked about films and television shows.

Los Angeles is the undisputed entertainment capital of the world. It has served as the backdrop to countless award-winning films and television shows since Hollywood first became the central hub of the emerging U.S film industry in the early 1900s. This makes L.A. the perfect destination for film and television buffs looking to experience the locations featured in the most talked about films and shows of 2019.

Virgil Los Angeles
The Virgil features in A Star Is Born, starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

A Star Is Born

Could there be a more perfect location for a film about a love story between a rock star and aspiring singer than the city where dreams are made? Locals and visitors to Los Angeles can find the locations of some of their favourite scenes in the movie.

Virgil Los Angeles
The Virgil is the set for first time Jackson watches Alley sing.

The Virgil – The popular East Hollywood bar is the location where Jackson first watches Ally perform La Vie en Rose at the drag show.

 

Address: 4519 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles

Virgil Los Angeles
Ally perform La Vie en Rose at the drag show at Los Angeles’ Virgil bar.

Greek Theatre – Jack attempts to convince Ally to come with her to his next concert at none other than the Greek Theatre in Griffith Park. Ally decides to take a risk, quits her job and flies to the Greek where Jack convinces her to sing Shallow on stage.

 

Address: 2700 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles

A cosier side to The Virgil that we didn’t see as much of in the film.

Chateau Marmont – Ally and Jackson share a moment in their hotel room, filmed at the Chateau Marmont, just before the launch of her album while looking out at her billboard on Sunset Boulevard.

 

Address: 8221 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles

Chateau Marmont A Star Is Born
The Chateau Marmont is the setting for the scent in A Star Is Born when Ally and Jackson look out over her billboard just before her album launch.

This Is Us

The award-winning television show may be set in Pittsburgh and the New York tri-state area but it is filmed in the City of Angels. You can find the locations of the show’s most heartwarming and tear-jerking scenes throughout Los Angeles.

Nickel Diner This Is Us
Nickel Diner in Downtown Los Angeles serves up some mouthwatering sweets.

Godmother’s Saloon – ‘Froggy’s’ may be the name of Rebecca and Jack’s local Pittsburgh hangout in the show, but Godmother’s Saloon, located in San Pedro, is the actual filming location.

 

Address: 302 West 7th, San Pedro

Nickel Diner This Is Us
Nickel Diner also happens to be the very diner that Kevin and Sophie share their first kiss in This Is Us.

Nickel Diner –Downtown Los Angeles’s Nickel Diner is the place where Sophie and Kevin had their first kiss and where Kevin attempts to win Sophie back in season one of the show. Customers will be transported back to the 1940s in this vintage-style restaurant.

 

Address: 524S Main Street, Los Angeles 

Nickel Diner This Is Us
Nickel Diner is also the same diner Kevin tries to win Sophie back in season one of This Is Us.

Hotel Café –It is the location of Rebecca’s Valentine’s Day show in season one and the venue is a Los Angeles musical landmark in Hollywood. Some of the Hotel Café’s most notable performers include Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and John Mayer.

 

Address: 1623 ½ North Cahuenga Boulevard, Los Angeles 

Hotel Café Los Angeles
The Hotel Café is the location of Rebecca’s Valentine’s Day show.

Insecure

Openaire Los Angeles Restaurant
Openaire is located on the LINE Hotel’s rooftop in Koreatown.

The HBO hit series has received countless accolades for depicting a more positive side to life in South Los Angeles than what viewers generally see in mainstream television shows or films. The majority of scenes are filmed in the South L.A. neighbourhood but there are a few hangouts for Issa and friends sprinkled throughout the city.

Openaire Los Angeles Restaurant
The restaurant was the location of Molly and Issa’s brunch in season two of Insecure.

Mavericks Flat –The location of where Issa runs into Daniel in the very first episode of Insecure. Artists such as the Temptations and Marvin Gaye performed at this Leimert Park landmark, and it was once known as the ‘Apollo of the West’ during the ’60s and ’70s when it was one of the foremost jazz, soul and R&B venues in the city.

 

Address: 4225 Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles 

Openaire Los Angeles Restaurant
Openaire is Josiah Citrin’s new restaurant (formerly known as The Commissary).

Merkato Ethiopian Restaurant – The city’s oldest Ethiopian restaurant plays host to Issa’s birthday party in another episode, starring in a scene between Molly and Issa. Located in Los Angeles’s Little Ethiopia district, this intimate establishment is the perfect place to enjoy a delicious meal.

 

Address: 1036 ½ Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles

 

Openaire – Josiah Citrin’s new restaurant (formerly known as The Commissary) is located on the LINE Hotel’s rooftop in Koreatown. The restaurant’s distinctive greenhouse decor makes it instantly recognisable as the location of Molly and Issa’s brunch in season two.

 

Address: 3515 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles

 

GLOW

Netflix’s original comedy pays homage to the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling variety show of the 1980s that was originally set in Las Vegas. Netflix decided to move the show’s location to Los Angeles and as a result it gives us a look into the city’s colourful history.

 

The Pink Motel – To prepare for the show the ladies of GLOW are sent to live at the Dusty Spur, which is actually the Pink Motel in Sun Valley. The retro hotel has also appeared on shows such as Dexter and Drive, and while it is closed for business you can still get an outside look at the location before popping in next door to Cadillac Jack’s Cafe, another popular filming location for GLOW.

 

Address: 9457 San Fernando Road, Sun Valley

Club Mayan Los Angeles
Ruth and Sam stopped in at the Mayan in Downtown L.A. in GLOW, but you’ll also recognise it from scenes in The Bodyguard and A Night at the Roxbury.

The Mayan – When scouting for locations to shoot GLOW, Ruth and Sam stopped in at the Mayan in Downtown L.A. The historic theatre is intricately designed with Aztec features and has also appeared in The Bodyguard and A Night at the Roxbury. It now operates as a nightclub.

 

Address: 1038 South Hill Street, Los Angeles

The Hollywood Palladium’s interior is used as the fictional Hayworth Hotel in GLOW.

Hollywood Palladium – The women of GLOW decide to film the first episode at the fictional Hayworth Hotel, which uses the interior of the Hollywood Palladium. The exterior of the Palladium was also used in a different episode of the show as a movie theatre screening Back to the Future.

 

Address: 6215 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood

The exterior of the Palladium was also used in a different episode of the show as a movie theatre screening Back to the Future.

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Bird Box

Sandra Bullock stars in the chilling Netflix movie Bird Box. The 2019 film has taken over Australia’s screens (and memes!) and travellers will be pleased to learn they can visit the Monrovia home from the film, which is located in Los Angeles County.

Monrovia House – Monrovia is located 32 kilometres north of Los Angeles, and this seven-bedroom property is the home of Sandra Bullock and her children in Bird Box. The suburb is also the location of numerous other iconic films, including Legally Blonde, American Pie and Never Been Kissed.

 

Address: 304 North Canyon Boulevard, Monrovia

Travelling to Los Angeles? Here is how you can spend a perfect 48 hours solo in the City of Angels.

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Katie Carlin
Katie Carlin is International Traveller's Head of Content and when she’s not travelling or behind her computer, she’s hosting a dinner party (likely cooking an Alison Roman recipe). She joined International Traveller in 2018 and is responsible for leading the editorial team across print, digital, social, email and native content. Her job is to make sure we create content that connects readers to incredible experiences in around the world. In addition to sharing her expertise on travel through industry speaking engagements, Katie appears on Today, A Current Affair and various radio segments. With a BA in Communications majoring in Journalism and a career that has spanned roles at Fairfax Media and Are Media writing for titles such as The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and various lifestyle brands, she brings a wealth of experience to her role. Her most impactful trip to date has been spotting polar bears and beluga whales in Arctic Canada.
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5 things every hotel needs for a more restorative stay

    Kate Bettes Kate Bettes
    Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

    The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

    1. Easy access to good food

    meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20
    Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

    One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

    In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

    In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

    Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

    At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

    While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

    It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

    2. Better sleep options

    Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room
    Sleep deeply with Novotel.

    There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

    For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

    The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

    3. More ways to move

    woman hiking around queenstown new zealand
    Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

    Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

    At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

    Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

    4. Better connections

    Novotel Sharm El Sheikh
    Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

    One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

    Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

    A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

    5. Location is everything

    Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld
    Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

    Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

    All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

    Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.