Beyond that, follow your own road. Face the fact that choosing a hotel central to everything in Los Angeles is impossible. Besides, kids love storming a new hotel. Hotel Oceana has neither, but its rooms are spacious and reasonable, and its location, overlooking a quiet stretch of Ocean Avenue, is ideal. What was a condominium complex is now a 63-suite hotel.
Rooms look into a courtyard with palms and a pool or out to the Pacific.
From the Oceana, it's a quick walk to the Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Pier, and a rapid descent, via 189 steps, to the ocean. When the kids are acting up, the waves will set them straight. For a bona fide 90210 experience, pull out all the bucks for a few nights at the local pink palace, the Beverly Hills Hotel. Like a luxury cruise ship, this 12-acre spread gives the whole family elbowroom and security. Go ahead, dispatch the kids to the Fountain Coffee Shop for waffles while you sleep in.