The Bar/Lounge at Hotel Bel-Air

"Even if you don't stay here, you might consider a cocktail at the cozy bar; or brunch, lunch, or dinner either inside the highly regarded and ultraromantic restaurant, or on the flower-filled outdoor terrace"

"Central to the hotel is The Bar + Lounge, which features live music every night and is packed to the gills with hotel guests and neighborhood locals looking to hobnob"

"A highlight of the renovation is the Lounge Bar, where giant black-and-white photos of music and film legends (Ray Charles, Cher, Tina Turner) hang on dark walls and leather sofas face a grand piano (there's live entertainment every night) and a wood-burning fireplace"

"Leafy and low-key (we love the outdoor fireplaces), it exudes intimacy and restrained luxury, from the plush, living-room-style lobby with central fireplace to the dark, slinky bar and discreet alcoves of Wolfgang Puck's outstanding Californian restaurant"

"Savor elegant Franco-California cuisine or sip a glass of port by a crackling fire in the piano bar"

"The nicest hotel in LA bar none – and the only business in Bel Air – in a lushly overgrown canyon"

"World-renowned celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck mans the restaurant and bar, creating fresh eats with California-meets-European influences"

"The elegant bar is one of the most romantic spots in town"

"Gourmet California cuisine is available from Wolfgang Puck, while the lounge has live music performances and light Mediterranean fare"

"Its iconic oval pool—with umbrella-shaded loungers and “pop-up refreshments” like push-pops and frozen grapes in the summer months—sits on the site of the estate’s former horse-riding ring, and is still as much a place to see and be seen as the famous terrace restaurant, now run by Wolfgang Puck"