Venture beyond the Hollywood sign to discover LA’s true character in its lesser-known neighbourhoods with this 48-hour Los Angeles itinerary.
Los Angeles is one of the USA’s most sprawling cities, but many visitors rarely venture beyond Hollywood and Santa Monica. To experience the city’s true character, leave the Hollywood sign behind and eat, play and wander your way through LA’s eclectic neighbourhoods.
Loll by the pool at the Silver Lake Pool & Inn.
Each has its own distinct personality, from Silver Lake’s mid-century architecture to Highland Park’s offbeat charm and the South Bay’s palm-lined promenades that will have you humming ‘California Dreamin’.
Day one: classic cafes to cultural institutions
You’ll be in
soda heaven at Galco’s Old World Grocer. (Credit: Elizabeth Whitehead)
Erewhon lures in LA’s wellness disciples with its wholesome beverages. (Credit: M Mcgregor)
Pick
up a vintage treasure at historic Highland Park. (Credit: Elizabeth Whitehead)
John Nese
serves up 700 varieties of soft
drink at his nostalgic soda store. (Credit: Elizabeth Whitehead)
Baker Marionette Theater is
making puppetry cool again. (Credit: Angel Orrigi)
8am: Wake up at the luxurious Silver Lake Pool & Inn, a boutique hotel that feels like a desert oasis crossed with a mid-century modern time capsule. Think vintage leather furniture, warm woods and sun-faded turquoise accents that evoke the golden age of American roadside motels.
9am: For breakfast, walk straight past Erewhon, bustling with wellness devotees lining up for their morning ginger shots, and keep strolling to Millie’s Cafe. A local institution, Millie’s serves classic American diner fare with a Mexican twist. The huevos rancheros, loaded with zesty guacamole, is great fuel for a day of exploring.
10am: Get your bearings on a Mid-Century Modernism Tour of Silver Lake with Architecture Tours L.A. Led by a local guide, you’ll visit the historic buildings that give LA its unique identity, from sleek MCM masterpieces by Richard Neutra and Rudolph Schindler to quirky Space Age diners. The tour transforms Silver Lake into an open-air museum, where you’re uncovering architectural gems hidden in plain sight.
1.30pm: Eating at a taco truck is an LA must. They’re not hard to find – there’s one parked on virtually every corner. Look for a truck with a line at the window, and be sure to load up your plate with salsas, pickles and coriander at the self-serve condiment bar.
2.30pm: Uber 20 minutes to Highland Park, one of LA’s oldest neighbourhoods. Spend the afternoon perusing the vintage stores and, when you’re all shopped out, head to Galco’s Old World Grocery to refresh with a soda. You’ll be spoilt for choice: owner and soda enthusiast John Nese has curated around 700 different soft drinks from all over the world. It’s quirky, it’s kitschy and very LA. Browse shelves stacked with nostalgic sweets and hundreds of sodas, or create your own custom soft drink blend in store.
4pm: Make your way down the road to the Bob Baker Marionette Theater to catch a puppet show. Don’t be fooled, this isn’t just for kids! This beloved LA institution is the longest-running marionette theatre in America, and perfectly epitomises the playful spirit of LA. The theatre even had its own performance slot at Coachella this year – if that’s not a stamp of cool, what is?
6pm: Head to Highland Park Bowl, the city’s oldest bowling alley. Lovingly restored by the 1933 Group, it features vintage timber lanes and leather booths that preserve the venue’s century-old character. Settle in for burgers, beers and bowling into the night.
Day two: beaches, bars and bike rides
Try for a strike at the city’s oldest bowling alley. (Credit: Danielle Bernabe)
Highland Park is known for its colourful shops and atmosphere. (Credit: Elizabeth Whitehead)
Discover the South Bay region from the oceanfront Portofino Hotel
& Marina.
You can cycle The
Strand from Redondo Beach
all the way to Santa Monica.
Take a break to enjoy the waves
– and people watch.
9am: Time to check out. Head straight for the ocean and drop your luggage at The Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach – the perfect spot to explore LA’s underrated South Bay region. Known for its laid-back beach culture, this stretch of coastline offers the beachy charm of Santa Monica, sans crowds.
9.30am: Start the day with a cup of joe at Eat at Joe’s, a beloved Redondo greasy spoon that’s been serving up hearty American food since 1969. Try the diner’s signature ‘John Wayne special’ – eggs served atop a mountain of home fries and smothered in Spanish sauce.
10.30am: Pick up an e-bike from Beachside Bike & E-Bike Rentals & Repairs close to the Redondo Beach Pier, and cycle along The Strand, a 35-kilometre promenade that stretches all the way to Santa Monica. The route is quintessential LA: palm trees, locals rollerblading past and people playing volleyball on the sand.
1.30pm: Return your bike and head to Quality Seafood Inc a few feet away, a long-standing market on the boardwalk that boasts one of the largest selections of live seafood on the West Coast. Wander between seafood counters piled high with oysters the size of your palm and crab claws ready to be cracked open and dunked into ramekins of cocktail sauce. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the sea urchin poke bowl or steamed periwinkles.
4pm: Bar-hop around neighbouring Hermosa Beach, taking in sparkling ocean views from the top floor of Hennessey’s Tavern or kicking back on the patio at Palmilla Cocina y Tequila, a Mexican restaurant and bar known for its margaritas and Baja fish tacos.
6.30pm: Walk down to The Comedy & Magic Club to catch a show. This longstanding venue has played host to many comedy legends, and you’ll still find Jay Leno performing here most Sunday nights.
9pm: End the night on a high at Barnacles Bar across the road, a casual haunt that’s always buzzing.
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Elizabeth Whitehead is a writer obsessed with all things culture; doesn't matter if it's pop culture or cultures of the world. She graduated with a degree in History from the University of Sydney (after dropping out from Maths). Her bylines span AFAR, Lonely Planet, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR and Refinery 29. Her work for International Traveller was shortlisted for single article of the year at the Mumbrella Publishing Awards 2024. She is very lucky in thrifting, very unlucky in UNO.
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
