Handpicked hotels: Petit Ermitage

A red neon sign reading 'Hello darkness' glows at the entrance, half-swallowed by ivy, with a pair of solid bronze crocodiles standing guard beneath it - a theatrical welcome that sets the stage for everything inside. Petit Ermitage is a small, discreet hideaway a block off the Sunset Strip, part boutique hotel and part private members' club, built around a rooftop pool ideal for long, sociable afternoons that spill late into the evening. Eccentric, a little sultry and one-of-a-kind, Petit Ermitage is West Hollywood after dark.

You'll find Petit Ermitage on Cynthia Street, a leafy residential block between the Sunset Strip and Santa Monica Boulevard. The heart of the hotel is its private rooftop, where a heated saltwater pool, striped loungers and a sunken outdoor fireplace come with 360-degree views across the Hollywood Hills. Don’t miss the jar of delicious chocolate-chip cookies on the front desk, there for the taking whenever you pass.

Art lovers will consider the walls alone reason enough to check in: owner Stefan Ashkenazy’s personal art collection hangs casually throughout the hallways and suites of Petit Ermitage, including original works by Miró, de Kooning, Rauschenberg, Dalí and Erté. There are no velvet ropes or austere gallery spaces; instead, the hotel feels like the private home of an unpretentious, well-travelled collector.

Every room here is a suite, each one individually decorated, though all come with fireplaces, hand-woven Turkish carpets and hand-trowelled Venetian plaster walls. For a one-of-a-kind stay, we’d direct clients to the Grand Belle Terrace, a maximalist, art-forward suite of around 51 square metres designed by Dana Hollister, where French doors open onto a private terrace with its own outdoor fireplace. For clients after the full VIP service, our advisors recommend the Masters Quarters - the hotel’s 11 most coveted suites, set on the top floor beside the Private Rooftop, each with a personal butler (the ‘Liaison of Happiness’) and access to the private residents’ lounge.

Couples, groups of friends and repeat visitors to Los Angeles who prefer their luxury with personality rather than formality. The rooftop’s sociability makes it well suited to stylish group trips where lying by the pool is as much a part of the plan as going out. The minimum check-in age is 21, so the atmosphere is decidedly grown-up. Art and design lovers will find plenty to admire, as will clients drawn to discreet hotels with a slightly bohemian edge. Petit Ermitage is for those who like their stay to come with character, atmosphere and a little theatre.