You simply must arrive at the Ritz-Carlton, Marina Del Rey by boat. A vacation without a 20-ft. yacht in tow will single you out as a landlubber and almost certainly exclude you from every boating conversation. No yacht? If you're confident you can wing it in a pair of worn-looking deck shoes, the Los Angeles hotel is well worth a visit. Just prepare to spend a vacation fabricating tales of the high seas.
Local ingredients and rich international recipes wow hungry diners night after night in the Jer-Ne Restaurant and Bar. You'll find satiated guests and savvy locals on the Marina front patio with champagne flute in hand.
Well aware that this is a 24-hour city, the always-open room service covers any midnight pangs and scuppers your best intentions not to eat breakfast in bed. Caramel Italian marble in the vast bathroom gives you plenty of surfaces for the pre-evening preen.