Hip and chic on the Sunset Strip. (Grafton On Sunset Los Angeles)

Member Name: Cat19

Product:	Grafton On Sunset Los Angeles
Date:	11/08/09 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hip and trendy decor, great location,good value for money

Disadvantages: Might be too trendy, seems to market itself towards a party crowd

I had probably heard more bad things about Los Angeles than good so it was with some trepidation that we decided to spend the final three nights of our honeymoon in the city of angels. Furthermore, after having spent the rest of the trip being pampered and pandered to in some of the best five star hotels in the places we visited, this time we decided to try something a bit different.

The Grafton on Sunset is certainly not down-market; in fact it is a boutique four-star hotel. However the other hotels we stayed in on honeymoon were elegant, sophisticated and definitely very grown up, whereas this one came across as being younger, funkier and situated in a location known for its nightlife, Sunset Boulevard. In the end we decided this could be just the ending to the trip that we wanted.

I first identified the hotel through searches on expedia and octopus, however I then went to the hotel's own website and booked directly. It was slightly cheaper booking directly and the other advantage was that I could be very specific about the room I wanted. This was of importance to me as I had read some reviews of the hotel and a number of people had mentioned it being quite noisy in the street facing rooms or rooms overlooking the pool. By booking directly, I was able to select a non-street facing, non-pool overlooking corner room, the other advantage of the corner being that these rooms are a tad bigger.

The hotel is located in West Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard. I found the location reasonably convenient. During the daytime we generally had to take a taxi to wherever we were planning to visit that day, this is not the kind of hotel that taxis queue outside but it was usually reasonably easy to find one nearby. In the evening, we thought the location was ideal and we loved strolling down the lively boulevard and having a whole host of bars and restaurants to choose from.

Check in was quick and easy, there was nobody else waiting or at the reception desk when we arrived and we were soon on our way to the exact room I had booked some months earlier. The most popular rooms in the hotel are the ones overlooking the pool and these have a door leading directly out to it, but this was not for me as I prefer peace and quiet once that door is closed.

Our first impressions were very good. The décor was modern and very hip. Not what I would want in my own home but we were impressed and it was in complete contrast to the traditional and fairly grand décor we had seen in all the other hotels we stayed in on honeymoon.

The chic styling continued through to the bedrooms. Nevertheless I thought that the walls, which were a kind of mucky lime green colour, made the room quite dark and I would have liked something a bit brighter and lighter. Other than this is was very attractively furnished but then I have always liked funky animal skin prints. The room was smaller than we had become accustomed to elsewhere on this trip, but it was far from being too small and we were certainly not falling over each other. The king size bed had a feather top mattress and was so comfortable that I subsequently made sure I had one of these when I bought my next bed at home.

The rooms are well equipped with technology, as well as a flat screen TV we had a DVD and CD player and even an I-Pod docking station. To be honest I could have done without the latter, as I was then worried that the people on either side of me would take advantage and play their music very loud; the hotel certainly struck me as one that would appeal to party animals, whereas I like to go to bed at a sensible hour.

The hotel has a restaurant and cocktail bar, we didn't eat here but we did tend to start our evening with a quick drink in the cocktail lounge before we hit the Sunset Strip. We noted that it attracted non-residents as well as residents and we found the service friendly and the prices reasonable. In-room service is available from 7am until about midnight, we used it for breakfast and we found this to be reasonably priced and the food was high quality. It was a great tart to every day.

The only issue we encountered during this stay was when it came to check out and we had an international flight to catch. We had been told there was no point booking a taxi and they would flag one for us when we needed it, but in the end it was bedlam in reception with lots of people wanting taxis at around the same time. Being somebody who likes to get to the airport early, this did nothing positive for my stress levels.

We paid $209 excluding taxes per night, this was a few years ago, but I have just checked and prices are pretty much unchanged, perhaps a little lower. The Grafton seemed more of a three star hotel than a four star to me, nevertheless it is a stunning, ultra chic property in a good location and I think this represents excellent value for money. I would like to stay here again were I to return to LA (which incidentally I loved, despite those original concerns). The one thing that might make me hesitate is that it seems to be marketed towards a younger, hipper clientele and I would be wary of checking in at the same time as a party crowd.

Summary: A good choice of hotel in Los Angeles.