Thank you to Tripadvisor users for your recommendations re this hotel - you were right. We stayed 7th to 11th September 2005, and it was great. I'd asked for a quiet room, on the top floor, with a bedroom away from the pool, but a balcony overlooking it, and that's exactly what I got (we were in room 215 - a suite). We had very little problem with noise - once a TV from next door could be heard through a connecting door, and some kids were in the pool late one evening - but, as our bedroom faced the back, and the connecting door led onto a hallway, not our bedroom, we were fine. The breakfast was good, the laundrette very cheap and convenient (with soap powder free!) & the lift up to Yamashiro much appreciated. The suite was large, effectively (if slightly noisily) air-conditioned and clean (with some charming original fitted furniture mixed with the modern items), and the bed big and comfortable. The staff were exceptional - very friendly, helpful in giving advice and booking taxis, restaurants, etc, and quick to mend a faulty safe in our room. The house keeping staff even did our washing up on 2 days. Yamashiro's was terrific - stunning views, a great atmosphere, and not too expensive. The hotel's location is very good - 5 minutes walk to Grauman's, 10 minutes to Hollywood and Highland metro station (and next door to the hotel where Janis Joplin died, rock fans). We felt safe walking around the area during the evening. We hope to return to LA, and if we do, we'd love to stay at the Magic Castle again.

We stayed at the Magic Castle hotel for five nights in October 2005.
Being a family of five, we were given a nice suite –but unfortunately with a roll out bed which wasn’t too good for our boys of 11 and 14. We asked in the reception if they had an extra mattress or any thing to make it more comfortable - and they immediately upgraded us to another and bigger suite, one with two bedrooms.

This is a very nice hotel – it is not big – you get the personal touch, you are remembered by name,- and the staff are extremely friendly. We were always given maps, good advices and help whenever we asked. Our favorite staff member, Gretchen –even lent us her own book to bring with us down-town! Relaxing at the pool one of the staff member came and offered complimentary ice cream or a relaxing towel for your face…… these small tings that make you remember your stay at this hotel!
Another great thing is the breakfast with smiling ladies who keeps bringing fresh croissant and juice …and of course; the complementary videos!

When reading about different hotels at www.tripadvisor.com I always look for the cleanliness – and YES – the magic castle hotel IS clean! The suit had a kitchen and I get a bit suspicious about “living creatures” in these arrangements… but no – everything was nice and clean.

We would without hesitation recommend all our friends to stay at the magic castle hotel
A very lovely hotel – and for the location; it couldn’t be better!!

My Bride and I stayed at the Magic Castle Hotel in September of 2005. We were looking for sightseeing opportunities @ Venice Beach. Santa Monica Pier and Hollywood Blvd.- Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese Theatre...etc..
The hotel was 1 block off Hollywood Blvd. with great service from the staff and a tasty continental breakfast offerred each day. The Magic Castle Hotel is well kept , clean but has a small pool area ( which separate from its size met my need for cooling off after a day of hiking the streets of Hollywood and surrounding areas. The overall Room and Bed were clean and well kept but older, which lent some charm to the hotel. I liked the hotel and the service offerred from its staff and would easily recommend it to friends and family.

I stayed at the Magic Castle based purely on the reviews on Trip Advisor.... and unfortunately it didnt match up to them. If you are the kind of person who values your sleep, dont stay here. However, if you like listening to the bathroom habits of complete strangers in the next room, or you like hearing every word of other guests conversations while youre lying in bed, or if you like being woken up every 5 minutes by slamming doors, TVs and children running around in the bedroom below, then this is definitely the place for you.

Having read other reviews saying this hotel should be a 5 star hotel, I can only assume that none of those reviewers have ever stayed in a decent 5 star hotel. The carpets were filthy, the kitchen was ill-equipped and we had a colony of spiders living on the living-room ceiling. Our toilet backed up and overflowed and when i contacted reception to ask for help, no one came. When I called again, I got told that the member of staff Id spoken to had forgotten about it.

There were one or two staff who were helpful but no more than I would expect from a hotel. My boyfriend was really unwell at the time and he needed peace, quiet and rest so I ended up spending a day searching for alternative accomodation in LA.

When we told the staff that the noise in the bedroom of our suite was intolerable, they couldnt understand as that was supposed to be the quite part of the hotel!!

We would never stay there again. If youre a noisy person with noisy kids, maybe your own noise would drown out that of everyone else. If youre a quiet couple looking for a romantic get-away with privacy - forget it.