On the positive side, this is a truly charming spot, a cluster of 1920s tudor cottages, all restored in beautiful taste. There is something genuinely magical about the place, with its mullioned windows and ceiling beams and ebonized floors, everything decorated in black and white. On the down side, the customer service that we received was really poor -- when I buzzed in, Kevin answered with 'did you get my message?' in a rather exasperated tone (I don't answer my phone when I'm driving), and then grudgingly said that he would come and let us in. He didn't really explain anything about the place, and never really welcomed us. Each apartment has a full kitchen, which is lovely, but there was NOTHING there, not even salt and pepper. The flowers in my room were more or less dead. The place has been open four years and is getting a bit scruffy, and the gardens seemed really neglected, especially the wilderness of weeds and cobwebs in the back. For the money, I expected something more gracious, especially from the hotel staff.

Perfection from start to finish. I'm an architecture and film buff too so I was looking for something different from generic hotels and I found it in The Charlie. From arriving via gated security door and driving into our own parking spot (no extra charge), we were greeted by the wonderful manager who ensured we knew how to contact the office at any time and showed us our perfect "cottage" - The Marlene. We were travelling with two teenage girls (very hard to impress) who said they felt like this was "home" and not a hotel. We enjoyed drinking coffee in our own courtyard area but also spent time on the communal terrace deck reading. Gardeners would be in Heaven at The Charlie. The accommodations were top notch. We walked through the neighbourhood (very convenient) to a phenomenal grocery store (Wolfgang Puck deli) for our shopping. Really close drive too to the Hollywood excitement but far enough away to be peaceful too. We want to go back and recommend it for anyone who is heading to L.A./Hollywood area. We are glad The Charlie exists and was restored. It is magical.

We liked every single moment we spent at the Charlie. We are a family with young kids so we were looking for a cozy spacious place with a kitchenette and laundry facilities and the place had it all. We liked how the place doesn't have a Lobby and you go through the flower paths in the garden to reach your cottage which was named after famous old actors, it felt like we were staying in a beautiful secret garden. Moreover the location was perfect in the middle of L.A. but was still relaxing and cozy. We have to say that the responsiveness of the management was remarkable so we really thank you Mike and Masha for making our stay a pleasant and unforgetable stay.

To start on a positive note, this hotel is situated in a great location - close to shops and beautiful restaurants. The rooms are quite large and come with a fully equipped kitchen. However, there is no food on site and no tea or coffee supplied in the room. It is a good place to go if you want to get away from it all, but I did expect more for the $500 per night...