Girls Guide to The West Side of Los Angeles
Living in Los Angeles for 5 years I got to explore a lot. LA is a very spread out city with many different zip codes that take you to different worlds. This blog post is going to center around the West Side of Los Angeles, aka Marina Del Rey, Venice and Santa Monica. These three places are a must to visit when visiting Los Angeles and are all relatively close to one another. The best part of Marina Del Rey is it is right by the airport. It’s known for being a coastal community with sailboats, beaches, and bike paths. Santa Monica is known for its beaches and the Santa Monica pier which is basically an amusement part on the water. Venice is an eclectic modern bohemian beach town and known for it’s canals, shopping, art, and ocean front walk.
Where to Stay: Jamaica Bay Inn Marina Del Rey, located right on the marina with beautiful views of the boats on the water. The hotel is a great choice of stay with amazing amenities in an ideal location right on the marina. It’s located less than a mile from Venice Beach boardwalk and a 15 minute walk to my favorite shopping street Abbot Kinney Blvd, and 15 minutes away from Los Angeles International Airport. Some of the rooms have ocean-view balconies, and they have amenities like a heated pool that overlooks the marina, a gym, comfortable beds, and an amazing on site restaurant called Beaches.
Abbot Kinney: Is a mile long strip of boutiques, art, and restaurants in Venice Beach, California. It has the best restaurants and at night it turns into a one stop destination of the best bars. This street is where you want to be, parallel to Venice beach and just a 10 minute walk to the boardwalk. I could spend day to night here shopping and going to restaurants. There are so many boutiques and many of them are in cute houses! Here’s a list of my favorites:
Principessa Venice - my personal favorite store in Venice. It carries iconic bohemian fashion and a purchase of anything in the store will have you feel like you belong here when you’re wearing it. I like to define Venice style as laid back chic bohemian and Principesa emulates the entire Venice vibe.
Tumbleweed and dandelion - If I could decorate my home with this entire vibe I would. Come here to check out the vibes, buy a candle, and take mirror pictures in the back patio.
Burro- Super cute store and the best stop for that perfect gift and card you’ve been needing to buy for someone special. Burro goods has amazing cards, candles, stationary, apothecary and more.
Favorite Abbot Kinney Coffee Shops:
Alfred, Loco Coco, Cha Cha Matcha, Intelligentsia, and Blue bottle.
Abbot Kinney is also home to the best restaurants and bars:
The Butchers Daughter- also seen in nyc, this is my personal favorite restaurant. The decor makes me nostalgic of Britney Spears door beads but in a bohemian twist. Order a cheese plate and enjoy their in house wines.
De Buena Planta- Vegan Mexican restaurant that is beyond! I loved the Tulum vibes here and the vegan quesadilla, vegetable platter and spicy margaritas were amazing.
Gjelina- Pizza party but make it fashion. This hot spot is seemingly the hippest place to eat out in Venice. You will always see someone here and you will always have an amazing time. The wood fired pizza is perfection and with the stylish rustic decor there is a photo opportunity in every corner. They also have a take away in case you want to house party instead.
Neighbor LA- A cali dream- this restaurant is colorful, full of life, and cozy. There are couches and pillows of every color, plants all over the place and to top it off the food is amazing. Get the avocado toast even if you’re coming for dinner.
The best spot for a girls night out are located by the beach right along the Venice Sign!
The Venice Sign is a site to see of it’s own. Come here for photos before you have an iconic night out with your girls at either Belles beach house, a tiki bar vibe that has you feeling like you just landed in Hawaii or the elite Gran Blanco which is where you’ll likely meet your future boyfriend.
Venice Canals: The historic district is noteworthy for possessing man-made canals, built in 1905 by developer Abbot Kinney! Kinney sought to recreate the appearance and feel of Venice, Italy, in Los Angeles. They are truly breathtaking and a must see for anyone visiting Los Angeles. I hope to someday own a house on the canals.
Santa Monica
Santa Monica is known for its beaches and the Santa Monica pier which is basically an amusement part on the water.
Check out my Girls Guide to Santa Monica + Malibu for full list of what to do in Malibu as well!
xoxo,
Jules