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Picking an Airbnb from the famed sprawl of Los Angeles was no easy task: Did I want a mountain retreat in Topanga, a Malibu beach bungalow with ocean views, or a West Hollywood apartment close to the action on Sunset Strip?
It would be my first time spending more than a day in the City of Angels, an overdue visit to see my younger brother who had recently moved to Santa Monica. A weekend at an Airbnb in Venice Beach, I decided, would allow for an introductory sampler of LA’s coast, iconic landmarks, and nightlife.
I didn't know that just a few weeks later, the LA fires would devastate parts of the city I had just begun to love. Now, local businesses need tourists to return to support recovery efforts. Many neighborhoods, including Venice Beach, were fortunately untouched by the flames; If you're planning a trip to LA, look no further for the perfect home base.
The second I saw the listing, called the “Oxford Triangle Glass and Concrete Oasis,” I knew this was a property worth planning a trip around. Built by renowned local architect Matthew Royce, the two-bed, two-and-a-half-bath home is a design-lover's dream—and one of the top-rated LA homes on Airbnb. Most importantly, it's located just one block away from the shops and restaurants on Abbot Kinney, a 10-minute walk from the Venice canals, and an 18-minute walk or five-minute drive from the beach.
Check-in and check-out were simple thanks to a smart lock, and the host was responsive to customer queries. Having been duped by professional photography and fish-bowl lenses in the past, I was relieved to find the home was just as stunning in real life as it was in the photos—from the beautiful banana leaf plants by the front door to the concrete detailing in the bathrooms. But the real show-stopper? A hydraulic floor-to-ceiling window wall in the living room that lifts open to overlook the front patio, allowing us to enjoy the sunshine and ocean breeze from the comfort of the leather couch.
There's one bedroom upstairs and one bedroom downstairs; one thing to note is that the bathrooms have a fully open floor plan—not a shower curtain in sight. As a group of five close friends, we didn’t mind the lack of privacy, but it’s definitely better suited for couples. Amenity-wise, the downstairs bedroom (queen bed) has a desk and connects to a small outdoor grilling area, while the upstairs bedroom (king bed) has a larger closet and bathroom with a soaking tub.
Understandably, when you rent a home as gorgeous as this one, you may be tempted to play pretend and invite friends over to check it out. But when we messaged the host and asked if we could have three people over for dinner one night, they declined. A closer read of the house rules reveals a maximum of five guests are allowed inside at once, and “disruptive parties” can result in being fined a minimum of $10,000—a large enough number to warrant a more obvious disclosure to guests. Grateful we had asked for permission instead of forgiveness, the only other issue we encountered was not being able to turn on some of the lights in the upstairs bedroom.
From getting ready together for a night out dancing to laughing on the couch following a morning dip in the Pacific (windows open, of course), sharing a space as special as this one made our trip all the more memorable. One night, after shopping—including a stop at Erewhon for smoothies and buffalo cauliflower bites—we strolled through the Venice canals at sunset. I found myself musing, as the best trips make one do, that “I think I could see myself living here.” That's the power of a good Airbnb, even for just a weekend stay: it affords you an intimate peek inside a neighborhood, to be experienced as a local would. And while much has changed in LA for many residents, this place and its people continue to shine—and I can't wait to return.
