Los Angeles is one of the biggest cities in the world, quite literally. It’s so sprawling that most visitors need access to a car just to try and see everything. As you might imagine, a city this size also has an abundance of different neighborhoods, each with its own vibe and pros and cons.

Even if you have a car, where you stay when visiting LA is important because of the traffic and how long it takes to get places. With that in mind, I’ll break down some of LA’s top neighborhoods to stay in and where I think you should avoid staying. 


The Best Neighborhoods to Stay in Los Angeles 

West Hollywood
West Hollywood is one of my favorite LA neighborhoods and is a rare gem here because it’s very walkable. In WeHo, you’ll find plenty of great restaurants, bars, and shopping. It’s also home to the famous Sunset Strip. For those who plan to bring their dog to LA, WeHo is very dog-friendly; I love to take our dog, Piper, to the West Hollywood Dog Park at the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and San Vicente. It’s also clean, safe, and central for easier access to other LA areas.

The downsides to WeHo are that it can get pricey, and parking is hit-and-miss since many neighborhoods have permit parking overnight. 

Silver Lake
The Silver Lake area is great for those who prefer to stay in an area without many tourists that also has more of an artsy, eclectic vibe to it. Silver Lake is lined with local eateries, coffee shops, bars, and stores, so there’s plenty to do in the area. Also, it’s not too far from Hollywood for those who still want to visit big tourist sites. This hipster-friendly neighborhood is a great find, but keep in mind that it’s not close to the beach, so getting near the water will easily be a day trip with the city’s notorious traffic.

Santa Monica
With plenty to do, including its iconic pier and the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica is a great option for those who want to stay close to the ocean. Santa Monica is home to many hotels, so there are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to lodging. Plus, you can easily access other beach areas, including Venice, which is right next door.

Burbank
Consider Burbank if you’re looking for somewhere quiet and safe with more affordable hotels. This valley neighborhood has more of a suburban vibe, and it’s where Warner Bros. Studio is located. It’s also right next to Universal City, which houses Universal Studios here in LA. The downside to Burbank is that you’d definitely need a car, though downtown Burbank is fairly walkable and has plenty of shops and restaurants. Another advantage of Burbank? It has its own airport, which is way smaller and less crowded than LAX.


Where to Avoid Staying in LA

Downtown
Normally, you might assume a city’s downtown is the place to be, but that’s not the case with LA. Though there are some cool spots worth checking out, downtown is one of the less safe areas of LA. The upside to downtown LA is subway accessibility, but personally, I would avoid staying here and opt for another neighborhood.

Hollywood
Hollywood might be on your Los Angeles bucket list, but it’s not the ideal place to actually spend the majority of your trip. Loud, crazy, and filthy are just some adjectives I think of when it comes to Hollywood. You’re constantly dodging poop on the sidewalk, and Hollywood Blvd., in particular, is overwhelming. Instead, plan a day to visit Hollywood.

Venice
Though it’s a famous LA neighborhood, Venice has seen an uptick in crime in recent years. Venice is worth visiting, including the boardwalk and Abbot Kinney Road. However, I recommend staying in a different beach neighborhood, such as Santa Monica, because it is safer and less rowdy. 
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By LAX Airport
Unless you’re only here for one night, staying by the LAX airport just isn’t worth it since you’re not really close to anything unless you take a drive or an even longer bus trip. Even though hotel deals can be better around the airport, you’ll make up the cost in Uber rides or gas.
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Transparency Disclosure — The opinions on this website are independent and based on my own personal experiences. I may receive a referral fee for stays booked through the links on this site.

If you’re looking to save money while traveling abroad, hostels are a great way to go. In this review of the St. Christopher’s Inn Barcelona Hostel, I’ll share my honest experience and opinions to help you decide if this sounds like a place you’d want to stay at during your Barcelona visit.

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How Much Does It Cost To Say At St. Christopher’s Inn Barcelona?
Specific rates will vary depending on when you travel and the type of room you reserve. Generally, you can expect lower prices in less-busy travel seasons and rooms with more people in them. Conversely, you can expect to pay more for booking a single or private room. The cheapest rooms will be the 12-person dormitory-style room.

For reference, I stayed in Barcelona in April around Easter and in a 12-person dormitory female room. My 3-night stay totaled about 197 euros, with my nightly rates ranging from 62 to 70 euros. However, I stayed at this hostel again the night before my flight home, and the rate for that night was just 29 euros. 


What Is There To Do At St. Christopher’s Inn Barcelona?
Like most hostels, St. Christopher’s has tours of the city, pub crawls, and nightly events. They also have a rather large bar and social area where people can drink, mingle, and watch sports. 


What I Liked About St. Christopher’s Inn Barcelona

• The Location - St. Christopher’s Inn is located in the heart of Barcelona in the Las Ramblas neighborhood, so you have easy access to lots of shopping and restaurants. You can also easily walk to other parts of town, including Barceloneta Beach and the Gothic Quarter. I didn’t use the bus once during my Barcelona trip.
• Easy Airport Access - When you arrive at Barcelona Airport, you can take the A1 bus and get off at the Placa Catalunya bus stop. From there, the hostel is about a 5-minute walk away. I booked my reservation through Hostelworld, and after booking, they send you directions on how to get to the hostel. This also made it easy to get back to the airport since I could get back on the A1 to return to the airport.
• Safe Location - As someone who lives in Los Angeles, I would say I have a skewed perception of safety since LA can feel really unsafe at times. However, I felt totally safe in Barcelona, including the area where the hostel is. 
• Privacy Curtains - My hostel room included privacy curtains for each bed, which was nice and also helped block out lights if you were trying to sleep.

What I Didn’t Like About St. Christopher’s Inn Barcelona

• Party Hostel - This isn’t inherently bad, but if you’re not into partying and staying out super late, you might not like the idea of roommates getting back in the middle of the night, sometimes rather loudly too.
• Tiny Bathrooms - I can only speak for the 12-person dorm rooms, but considering we had the most people, you’d think we’d have slightly bigger bathroom spaces. Nope, not at all. There were two showers, one toilet, and a single sink and mirror area, which meant if you were trying to get ready at the same time as someone else, it could be a challenge. 
• Timed Showers - The showers at this hostel were timed; you’d press a button, the water ran for 30 seconds, and then you’d have to press it again to get the water back on. The reason behind this is a noble one since they say it’s for conservation. That being said, I didn’t necessarily feel like it shortened my showers, but just made it more frustrating when the water kept turning off. Not the worst thing in the world, but still something to note.

FAQs About Hostels in Barcelona
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1. What's the best hostel in Barcelona?
The best hostel in Barcelona is going to be what fits with your travel style and interests. Every hostel has its pros and cons. If you're into more of a social scene and want to stay in a vibrant, central location with easy airport transfer access, I would definitely recommend St. Christopher's Inn. 

2. How much is a hostel in Barcelona per night?
The cost of a hostel in Barcelona will depend on several factors, including the type of room you choose, the time of year, and of course, the hostel itself. From my experience, hostel rates in Barcelona can range from as low as 29 euros per night all the way up to 70 euros per night for a dormitory-style room with 12 people.

3. Are hostels in Barcelona safe?
Yes, in general hostels in Barcelona are safe. Before booking a stay, though, I recommend making sure the hostel has secured access for both the hostel building and the bedrooms. You should also research the area in which you're staying, and of course, exercise standard safe travel precautions, especially if you're traveling solo. However, I felt incredibly safe at St. Christopher's Inn, even when I had to catch a ride to the airport at 4:00 a.m. 

Transparency Disclosure — The opinions on this website are independent and based on my own personal experiences. I may receive a referral fee for stays booked through the links on this site.

The Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun is a new(ish) all-inclusive resort that opened up in 2021. I recently stayed there over the 2024 Thanksgiving week, and in this Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun review, I'm giving my honest take on this resort.

Where Is the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun Located?
This Hyatt Ziva is located about 20 miles south of Cancun in Puerto Morelos, so a heads up that if it says 'Riviera', it's usually not located in the city or main hotel zone but rather farther out along the cost. My husband and I arrived at night. After taking a turn off the highway, we found ourselves on a rough road leading to the coast where the resort is. Unfortunately, whoever was in charge of maintaining this road didn't prioritize fixing potholes. At one point, we thought we might be stuck after our driver hit a massive pothole. Considering that, it wouldn't surprise me if drivers took turns opting out of rides to and from this resort.

Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun Check-In Process
We finally made it to the Hyatt Ziva, and it's definitely a fancier resort. The lobby area where you're dropped off is upstairs, and then downstairs is where you'll find the amenities and the entrance out to the pool. Check-in was pretty easy, but we did have to wait a bit for the bellhop to bring up our luggage. 

Initially, we were only given one room key because the resort was so busy that they didn't have extras. We had to wait until the next afternoon to get one. If you're staying with another person, it helps to have an extra room key, so I hope the Hyatt Ziva prioritizes ordering more room keys for guests in the future. 

​Pros: What I Like About the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun

• Good food - Overall, I'd say the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun had a solid assortment of foods. You've got lots of different options to choose from, including Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean, French, American, and Italian.
• Nice staff - Mexico is the best when it comes to hospitality, so it was no surprise that the folks working here were lovely. Shout out to Timo, one of the servers by the pool!
• The rooms - Our room was incredible! It was not only huge, but had a massive bathroom space complete with a jacuzzi and a large balcony that had a sofa on it.
• All-inclusive - Unlimited food and drinks? Sign me up! I rarely go to all-inclusive resorts anymore, but it was a nice perk not having to reach for my purse every time I wanted to order something.
• The waterpark - This was one of the unique things about the resort that I really enjoyed. They have an actual waterpark area that includes a play area for young kids as well as four big water slides (though only three were in use when I was there). Best of all? There was hardly any wait, so you could ride them as many times as you'd like. 

Cons: What I Didn't Like About the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun

• Guests hoarding pool chairs - This drove me absolutely nuts. As early as 7:00 a.m., people started saving pool chairs. Eventually, we decided if we wanted something halfway decent, we'd have to do the same. But it was so frustrating since we never got a space near an umbrella. 
• Few umbrellas - Speaking of umbrellas, there's a small handful of them around the pool, and if you want to sit beside one, you'll need to wake up near the crack of dawn. I wondered if the lack of umbrellas was to entice people to pay extra for their cabanas, which you can see in my Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun photos above.
• No beach - This was one of the most depressing beaches I've ever seen. It's basically a sliver of sand filled with rocks and/or seaweed. Plus, don't expect those turquoise waters here; we didn't see that.
• Poor entertainment - For a five-star resort, this place didn't have the kind of entertainment I was hoping it would. Sure, they offered karaoke, live bands, and occasional 'shows', but nothing substantial. I've seen other resorts with larger entertainment teams that included dancers who performed in nightly themed shows similar to the type you might see on cruise ships. I don't know if resorts are trying to move away from this or it's just this one. 
• The location - As I mentioned, the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun isn't in Cancun proper, so if you want any type of nightlife, you'll have to Uber or taxi to Cancun or Playa del Carmen. Considering how bored I felt at night, it would have been nice to at least have somewhere to walk around.
• Restaurant wait times - Things were probably more chaotic than usual considering how busy the resort was during this week, but I still didn't think they organized restaurant seating well. Often, there was a long line for the specialty restaurants, and you couldn't make a reservation to help alleviate these issues.

Who Should Stay at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun All-Inclusive?

• Families with kids
• Couples who want to just lounge around
• Travelers who like the idea of just spending the week only at the resort 

Who Shouldn't Stay at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun All-Inclusive?

• College and young friend groups who want more of a party vibe
• People who want to be able to explore more on their own

FAQs About the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun
1. What was the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun before?
The Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun is under four years old, but based on my research, it used to be a Secrets resort.

2. How far is Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun from the airport?
The Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun is roughly 20 minutes away from the Cancun airport.

3. Does Hyatt Ziva Cancun have a lazy river?
No, this Hyatt Ziva resort doesn't have a lazy river. Instead, it has a kids water park and larger water slides for older kids, teens, and adults. 

4. Is the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun in the hotel zone?
No, the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun is located about 30 minutes south of Cancun's hotel zone, so it's kind of out in the middle of nowhere. Basically, you need to drive to get anywhere from there. However, there is a Hyatt Ziva in the Cancun hotel zone that my husband and I did check out during our trip. I liked the Hyatt Ziva in the Cancun hotel zone way more since it had the turquoise blue waters and a larger beach.

5. Does Hyatt Ziva Cancun have a waterpark?
Yes! This was actually one of my favorite features of this resort. They have a smaller waterpark for young kids and then bigger waterslides for older kids, teens, and adults. The waterpark wasn't busy either, even while the resort itself was full of people, so there's no long lines to use the water slides.

6. Is the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun adults only?
Nope, the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun all-inclusive resort is for people of all ages. There were plenty of kids there during our stay. 

Transparency Disclosure — The opinions on this website are independent and based on my own personal experiences. I may receive a referral fee for stays booked through the links on this site.