Abbot Kinney Boulevard

French Market Café on Abbot Kinney

Hotel Erwin graffiti wall with its protection symbol

Hotel Erwin's Barlo bistro

The Venice area of Los Angeles is enjoying a resurgence of popularity as its beachside location and history of alternatives to the mainstream are appreciated once again by a population that just wants to chill out in a relaxing place at the end of the work day.  This renewed interest is seeing a rejuvenation of the classic Venetian-style buildings erected  back in the 1920's as part of the master plan for Venice envisioned by imaginative urban planner Abbot Kinney, honoured with a boulevard bearing his name that is the latest LA hotspot for boutique shopping and casual dining—a Melrose Place for the 21st century.  Only a few blocks from Hotel Erwin, Abbot Kinney Boulevard is an easy stroll for a change of scene if ever the views of the Pacific Ocean from a Hotel Erwin balcony become just too mesmerising.

Not that you need to go to Abbot Kinney to find a great place to eat in Venice.  Right in Hotel Erwin is Barlo, a bistro-style eatery with an inventive menu using only locally sourced ingredients in superb flavour combinations.  In fact, all the Californially correct adjectives applied to the food—organic, humane, sustainable—are secondary to the fact that it tastes delicious; whether munching truffle frites, fish tacos, or fried green tomatoes, Barlo will keep your tastebuds abuzz, with its liquids as well ranging from beers, wines, and spirits to a simple watermelon lemonade.  The ambience is a casual but chic, semi-Western eclectic style, a counterpoint to the customised graffiti adorning the hotel's entrance.  Yes, the graffiti was painted by a real street artist, and the creed on the street is to respect another artist's work when it is sports a coded protection symbol, so the very cool Hotel Erwin graffiti wall remains free of paintovers by other urban artists.

Like Hotel Erwin, V Australia appreciates the less conventional approach to business, offering service with flair and high-quality products to back it up.  An array of goods and services offered to Business Class passengers rival those available on Abbot Kinney Boulevard—living room furniture and garden equipment excepted.  From the Occitane products found in the amenities kit to the complimentary pyjamas to wear to bed—perhaps in the cosy comfort of a Row 5 Privacy Suite—V Australia ensures no need goes untended.

Hotel Erwin
1697 Pacific Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90291
www.hotelerwin.com