You’re creative, maybe a little restless. A beach bohemian with a sentimentality for surfing, skate boarding: an artist with an unapologetic eye for ingenuity. You like your feet bare and your views vast. And the contrast between the legendary Venice Boardwalk and the hippie chic boulevard that has become Abbot Kinney, you’re coming to terms with it. You are a native nomadic spirit of the SoCal kind. Or maybe, you just like to live like one. Either way, the Venice V will salve your stimulus searching soul.
The only beachfront lifestyle hotel in Venice, it is as true to this distinction as it is to the ethos of Venice Beach itself. Set in a historical building that played the backdrop of many a Hollywood set, “The (then) Waldorf” housed long term tenants (Charlie Chaplin being one) and a steady stream of A-listers back in the day. Today, the renovation has preserved the heralded history that locals collectively pledge quietly and unquietly, never to surrender.
The lobby is adorned with a massive mural of Venice visionary Abbot Kinney, composed entirely of (4,000) skateboard wheels. Exposed interior riveted steel beams, curated local art, an ancient elevator (1915 – the mosaic floor reveals) and a grand central staircase, all part of the eclectic cool that has always been synonymous with the easily envied Venice beach vibe.
Every room has an ocean view, but that’s where the uniformity ends. Beyond that, each design driven space (rooms, suites, and bungalows) is an ode to the Venetian spirit. Skater/surfer accents, beach bohemian furnishings, and modern amenities that make vacating a little less beach grunge, a little more Aesop.
The rooftop bungalows and penthouses (seven in total) are hideaways intended for short or long terms stays, should any cosmopolitan Charlie Chaplin come checking in. Each with an unobstructed ocean view, a kitchen nook, a lounge, and on oversized walk-in shower, the invitation to lay low a little longer, is undeniable.
We stayed in the suitably named Skylight Bungalow (film buffs will know it as the space where Sly Stallone filmed Cobra). With a white and wheat palate, where sand and snow saturate the aesthetic, bohemian macramé’s and beach wood floors dominate the sun-soaked finish. Mixed media whites, distressed brick and an architected archway, a vintage dial up phone and a guitar for strumming. Shower beneath a double rain shower that looks out onto the Pacific. It a beach bungalow to dream about. It is divine.
The encasing is a 1915 landmark. The aged brick walls and oversized noise cancelling windows house your views to the beach, the boardwalk, the skate park, and epic people watching as only Venice can deliver. And the interiors, they are masterminded, architected, and handcrafted by local artisans, muralists, graffiti artists, documentary photographers, oil painters, furniture makers, sketch-stylists and creative strategists: a collective of radical creatives, all keeping sacred with the Venetian zeitgeist.
Steps from the hotel, dining is sincerely some of my favorite in Los Angeles, at Great White. And if in room dining is where it’s at for you, download the Great White app, and through a partnership with the hotel, they’ll deliver right to your room. Cocktails included. A delicious deliverance of Venice community and collaboration if ever there was.
And such is the ever-intentional experience here. It’s not just staying in a beachfront hotel. It’s absorbing the artistic ideology that has come to define this communal coastline. The Venice V venerates the storied soul of Venice Beach, showcasing the eclectic style and indie passion which made it so, all preserved in a beachfront bastion of color, counter-culture and creativity come alive. Bring your Venice curious.
The Details
Venice V Hotel, 5 Westminster Ave, Venice, CA 90291, United States.
Tel: +1(310) 912-6488
Website: https://venicevhotel.com/
Email: hello@venicevhotel.com
The hotel is located right by Venice Beach boardwalk, opposite the skatepark’s bowls and ramps. LAX is the closest airport, just a short 15-minute drive. If driving, take the 10 to the 4th and 5th Exit Westminster and Pacific. Valet Parking is available.
Type of Hotel: Beachfront Lifestyle Hotel
Number of Rooms: 34 in total, including rooms, suites, Rooftop Bungalows and Penthouses.
Price Band: Medium to high
Insider Tip: Check it. There’s a (not so) secret underground theatre event space for meetings, private screenings, speakeasy meet ups, et al.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8/10
Author Bio:
Jolie Loeb is a Luxury Lifestyle columnist based in Los Angeles.
Photographs courtesy of Venice V Hotel and by Jolie Loeb
Sign me up! This looks like an ideal staycation by the beach.
Seems like a nice option
Looks cool! It’s surprising how few nice beachfront hotels there are between Manhattan Beach and Malibu.
I love a good Venice Beach get away. Sounds delightful! Maybe a fun stay-cation awaits!
You had me right here: “unapologetic eye for ingenuity. You like your feet bare and your views vast.”
Looks like a great place to stay locally for a beachfront vacation/staycation. Will tell out of towners about it!
Looks beautiful! Glad the building remains! Will recommend to my out of country visitors when they’re allowed back here!
Looks like the beach awaits. 😎
I haven’t visited Venice in several years. A staycation at the Venice V is a great reason to put it back on my agenda.
Gotta love a hotel room with a dial phone and macrame! Sounds like a great place to recommend to people visiting LA!
Looks beautiful. Love that bohemian Venice vibe.
Old school vibe…
Looks like a little bit of magic — and at just the right time.
Do I need an occasion or can I go now? Great review as always!
The hotel looks so serene which makes it a great way to experience–and then escape–the hubbub of the venice boardwalk which never seems to lose appeal with the out-of-towner. And as a bonus, local host can meet out-of-towner for a meal. A win win!
I might take up residence in one of those cabanas in your picture- they look so relaxing!
I want to go!!!!! Love the rooms and the views and The Great White has wonderful food!!!
I have to think about this one. I’ll check exact price point before we make reservations. I loved Malibu Hotel you recommended a few years back … but it’s fun trying something totally new. This is right on the boardwalk and being there has to feel like a place apart. I’ve never been there when I haven’t felt we need to return earlier in the season. Thank You…….otherwise we never would know it existed.
So cute!!
Abbot Kinney is an amazing mix of everything wonderful of Venice Beach! Sounds like this hotel represents well! Also some time in September there is an Abbott Kinney Street fair… super fun to be stay here then!
This hotel is so cool! It has a super fun vibe and I love the mix of artsy/funky and historic. I’m totally obsessed with that giant skateboard wheel mural (and the ocean view)!
Oh yeah! If anyone gets a thrill from scale play – the gigantic mural of Abbott Kinney made from 4,000 skateboard wheels will delight you.
I’ve walked by this building for so many years, always wondering what amazing secrets were locked inside. These pics are amazing. Exposed bricks. Awesome Floors. Look at that view! And what an opportunity to get away but be close-by — “staycation.”
Errrrm, can I live here??
When I was there, a couple was stationed on the skydeck with their laptops, doing their thing. When I checked out, there they were again. So in answer to your question – maybe you can live there??
I have friends visiting soon… I will definitely shoot them this article for them to consider! Thanks so much!
This is such a fun and funky part of town. The hotel’s location is amazing and it looks like one of the few places in the immediate area that captures the character of Venice without coming off as “touristy” like some of the hotels up the beach in Santa Monica. And…the connection to Great White is huge — food there is beachy and delicious. Can’t wait to do a staycation there soon!
I was just on Abbot Kinney, experiencing that special vibe. “If you like Your feet bare and your views vast…” That about sums it up. Sounds like the Venice V Hotel has got it going on.
maybe a staycation?
Great option for family and friends coming to Los Angeles for the beach but they get so much more. . .
I love walking into a place and feeling the power of people’s brilliant creativity at play with light, fabric, object and texture:old and new, all carefully chosen. Curated.
I feel that way about your writing as well. 😊
I’m decidedly *not* a surfing SoCal woman, but I’d be overjoyed to stay in a place like this!
I am creative AND restless! This review speaks to me!