Where is the best nightlife in Los Angeles?

Los Angeles isn’t really a late night town — not when surf’s up as soon as the sun is. Of course, if you’re looking for a place to sip on a cocktail post-dinner or get your groove on, this has-it-all city offers something for everyone. West Hollywood and Hollywood are still the heart of Los Angeles nightlife, coursing with swanky lounges, upbeat clubs and, yes, celebrities. Head to the W Hollywood for two new bars: Station Hollywood and the Living Room. Located in the lobby, the Living Room includes a 19-foot fiber optic and glass chandelier, a circular staircase, and a floor-to-ceiling glass wall that lead out to Station Hollywood, which is the hotel’s outdoor bar. For a fantastic view of the city, Drai’s Hollywood nightclub is located on the roof of the W hotel.

Heading west, West Hollywood is home to the Tropicana Bar at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, a sexy old-Hollywood spot for drinkers who can keep their balance around the historic David Hockney pool; if not, there’s the indoor Teddy’s, a lounge selective enough to turn away celebrities. West on the Sunset Strip lies the SkyBar at the Mondrian, an ivy-covered rooftop bar filled with chaises that you can reserve.

In Beverly Hills, the SLS Beverly Hills is home to the Bazaar, which has Bar Centro, a sexy bar that remains one of the city’s hot spots, thanks to Philippe Starck’s mixed and matched design and an extensive cocktail list. For something more elegant, the Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows has remained a favorite among generations of Hollywood dealmakers.

Further west in Westwood’s W Hotel is Rande Gerber’s Whiskey Blue, which boasts upbeat Polynesian décor. The Marina Del Rey Marriott Hotel features Glow, one of the nation’s best outdoor bars. It’s stuffed with plush seating, fireplaces, waterfalls and cozy cabanas. But perhaps the most frequented spot on the Westside is Cameo Bar at Viceroy Santa Monica, a lounge dressed in Victorian-inspired décor and perched on the pool deck - the perfect spot for a moonlit nightcap along the Pacific.

Although not long ago, downtown L.A. was a ghost town at night, some of the city’s best bars and lounges have opened there in recent years. The Rooftop Bar at The Standard hotel offers the city’s best view of the skyline. But it also has a not-off-limits pool, mattresses in red spherical pods and waitresses who deliver potent drinks while dodging the music-video-style dancers on the makeshift dance floor.