Magic Castle Hotel

, Hollywood, United States
Explore Hollywood
Nearby Airports
Review this Hotel
Popular Travel Destinations

Recently Reviewed Hotels Around Hollywood

Magic Castle Hotel

, Hollywood
4 star

Rooms: 49

7025 Franklin Avenue - Hollywood - California - 90028 - United States Hotel Website | | 323 851 0800
1081 Traveller

Reviews - Magic Castle Hotel

9/10
All in all highly recommended
Submitted by: Kaye & Martin Grant in 23/08/05
  • Age Group: 41 - 50
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Special Interest/Event
We stayed at the Magic Castle for a few nights in April 2004. It is ideally placed for getting around Hollywood being just up the road from the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre etc. The rooms are clean and tidy and well equiped.

One of the good things about this hotel is the parking - secure parking under the hotel which is only accessible to guests. All parking spaces have names of famous magicians on them as if allocated to them.

There is also an excellent launderette for those of you, like us, who need to wash a few clothes through when midway through touring!

All in all highly recommended hotel in a good spot for seeing the sights of Hollywood.
Check Rates and Availability for the Magic Castle Hotel

Historical Traveller Reviews of Magic Castle Hotel

A bit run down

from Barsar
We stayed at the Magic Castle for four nights during mid May 2004. We booked after reading some of the reviews on this site.
Location
Perfect for all the Hollywood attractions. It really is a five minute walk to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. We also visited the Warner Bros Studio in Burbank, Beverley Hills and Venice Beach.
Reception
The reception staff were terrific. They gave us a warm welcome and stressed how safe the area is and it was. They also gave us a lot of useful information about the area and were only too pleased to do some research on the internet for other information. They were great.
General
We stayed in the main building next to the Magic Castle Club. The public areas are well maintained and very clean. The hotel seems to have a huge number of staff given the fact that it seems quite a small property.
I was surprised how quiet it was considering we were in the middle of Hollywood.
Rooms
After seeing some of the photographs on the website I was very disappointed by the room we had reserved. It was very small and looked run down. It was on the ground floor with the only window facing the street. After asking for a better room overlooking the pool I was offered a suite, which was a lot more expensive but I took it. The suite too was in bad need of new furniture and a coat of paint, though it was very large and the bed was comfortable.
It’s worth noting that some of the windows were being replaced whilst we were there.
Breakfast
This is included in the price and it was one of the best continental breakfasts we had. Fresh juice and coffee and the best croissants and pastries we had during out three week tour.
Parking
Underneath the hotel accommodation, secure and included in the room rate.
You must…
have dinner at the Magic Castle. The place looks like a set from a Harry Potter movie. After an excellent meal we saw all three of the magic shows. It was a great experience. The reception staff will make a reservation for you but be warned, you will need a jacket and tie!

Repainted old apartments, but still very nice

from A TripAdvisor Member
Very mixed experience - it's 5 mins walk from Hollywood Blvd, and has free parking which is a life-saver. Very friendly and helpful, free breakfast and big rooms.

The downsides - my room safe broke, locking my camera and spectacles inside it! The hotel staff couldn't have tried harder to fix it, and apologised profusely, but it still made for a very blurry evening!

But the biggest downside is that it just all looks like an old apartment block that's had some paint and a few other new bits. It's clean but not "new". Like so much of the Hollywood area, it feels like it's left over from the 30s/40s/50s and is only half-updated.

Bit disapointed

from SteveTraveller1255
We had 3 nights in the double king room. with kitchen & 2 TV's. The Staff were good but the room was old !!. we have been to the States 4 times in the past 8 years and I think this is the oldest lookin room we have had. location is OK

Great

from A TripAdvisor Member
My friend and I stayed here at the beginning of April. We had a deluxe room which had two bedrooms with king size beds. We were first put in a room at the front but since it was so noisy we asked to move. They moved us straight away to the back and it was great. Really big rooms, staff really friendly and helpful. Definitely would recommend here.

nice, homey place

from termoo
4/12/04 - 4/14/04

My 10-year-old daughter and I stayed here on a trip to Hollywood. The location was great--we could easily walk the couple of blocks down to Hollywood Blvd., Chinese Theatre, Hollywood & Highland Shopping District, etc. The hotel suite was nice--nothing too fancy, but not ratty either--but smelled like smoke. I called down to the front desk and they said all of their rooms were non-smoking. I asked why there was an ashtray on the kitchen table and he seemed surprised. I guess other guests must have smoked out on the balcony with the doors open. He offered to move us to a different room, but since the other room had not been recently renovated like ours had, we opted for airing it out. We left the windows open (nice that they OPENED!) for the rest of the day and that helped a lot. We had a TON of space with a separate bedroom with a huge closet, a living room area with a hide-a-bed and another closet, and a dining area and full kitchen, as well as a large, nicely appointed bathroom. There was a balcony that faced out onto Franklin Ave. I'd recommend asking for a room that has a balcony overlooking the pool instead. Everything was very clean, and all of the employees were extremely friendly. I liked the fact that the hotel used to be an apartment building--it gave it more of a homey feel than most hotels. The swimming pool was very warm, but there was no hot tub. Parking is underground in a locked garage; it's pretty small, so it was tricky maneuvering our car down there. However, we rarely used the car, so that wasn't a problem. Breakfast was homemade croissants, muffins and scones from a local bakery, as well as cereal, toast, danish, fruit juices, coffee, tea and milk. The tables are set up around the pool area. This is a great place for families, since you have a full kitchen and lots of space. I'd go back again!

Great value

from A TripAdvisor Member
The Magic Castle offers very good value. Our one-bedroom suite was enormous; it had a large kitchen, a small but adequate bathroom and 2 healthy a/c units. The continental breakfast was the best we have ever seen (good scones and muffins.) The parking garage was adequate. The hotel is located a block or so from a bustling area, but our room was perfectly quiet.

Best Hotel Staff, Location and Bargain

from wfairf
We lodged at the Magic Castle Hotel from April 6th - 10th and we would definitely book reservations there again. The entire staff, day and night shift, were polite and gave reliable driving, walking and points of interests information. Our accommodations were comfortable, the room rate was affordable, and there is free parking and continental breakfast. You will love the location because the hotel is in walking distance to the Chinese and Kodak Theatres and it is conventiently located to US 101 and Highland Ave which intersects Hollywood Blvd, Sunset Blvd, Santa Monica and Melrose.

Good value and view

from A TripAdvisor Member
We recently stayed at the Magic Castle Hotel based solely on the TripAdvisor.com reviews. While I was pleased with the hotel itself, it wasn't exactly what I expected. We stayed in the Hollywood Hills portion of the hotel. The set-up was unconventional - several sections of what seemed like short-term apartments. The view was great with a nice balcony; however, it was generally foggy/smoggy, so we couldn't see terribly far. It was nice to walk to the Hollywood attractions, though it was a bit tough trekking up and down the steep hill with two small children in a stroller. But good exercise! And watch out for the traffic on the hill at night going to and from the Japanese restaurant at the top. From the hotel's website, it looks very secluded, but it's right off the side of a busy street. The continental breakfast was great with freshly baked muffins and scones from a local bakery. I think my experience at the hotel may have been a bit tainted by the fact that Hollywood generally isn't my favorite place, particularly with two small children.

Good place to stay

from Jane54
We spent 1 day/night here and I would recommend it to anyone who is not into 'frills' - it was clean, our room was large - king size bed in what used to be a 'living room' and a queen in the bedroom. It's definately a dated place. It was clean but not 'new' - The location was great for walking to Hollywood Blvd during the day. I went out after dark with my husband and felt okay, but it's not the kind of neighborhood I would have felt safe letting my teenagers go out by themselves after nightfall. The continental breakfast in the morning was very nice. Everything was fresh and delicious and we shared our table by the pool with a nicer older couple - but if you just want to take your food to your room, trays are provided. It's a great price, the staff was very, very nice and I would recommend it to anyone, but again, with the understanding this is not a 5 star, thick towels, marble and granite bathroom kind of place.

comfortable

from A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I spent 5 nights at the Magic Castle Hotel last week and we highly recommend it to anyone going to L.A. It's close to Hollywood & Highland, but it also wasn't a bad drive to the valley where our son lives. Our room was a single with a queen bed, dresser, tv, desk 2 nightstands and large closet with plenty of hangers for once. It was small, but how much room do you need? The front desk staff was excellent and couldn't have been nicer. The continental breakfast was ok. Cereal, muffins, apples and oranges, juices, coffee, tea, etc. Nothing special, but very nice and the muffins were tasty. The rooms are arranged around a lovely courtyard pool--think Melrose Place--as this was once an apartment building. The parking garage is small but we had no problems finding a space at various times a day. On days when we would be sight-seeing nearer our hotel than our son's apartment, they even let our son drive over and park in our space while we were out in the rental car. Our only problem was the maid. For some reason, she missed giving us wash cloths on 3 days. We got towels, but only one washcloth, and one day none! My husband had to go down to the desk to get them. But other than that minor inconvenience, everything was excellent and we would definitely stay there again. One other thing is the walls are a little thin and we could hear a family with a crying baby on the other side of ours. Our son had gone to check the place out before we booked, and he asked them to give us a room away from the street because he was afraid it would be too noisy. I'm not sure it would have been, but it was quiet except for the baby and that didn't really bother us. All in all, a very good hotel for the money. Our AAA rate was $89.10 a night, plus tax for a total of $507.85 for 5 nights. Also, as someone else said already, be sure to drive up to the Japanese restaurant on the hill behind the hotel. It's a beautiful view and it's just a pretty place. My husband hiked up there one morning for exercise. It's a bit pricey to eat there, and I don't care for sushi, so we didn't consider it, but it's lovely. We were up there around 10 pm and the valet let us park for a few minutes and look around. So don't be afraid to book a room at the Magic Castle. You'll be happy you did.

Top Local Tips for Hollywood

Real Food Daily You don't have to be vegan to love this restaurant- RFD - It is fabulous. So good. One in Santa Monica and the one we went to on La Cienaga near Melrose.

Real Food Daily You don't have to be vegan to love this restaurant- RFD - It is fabulous. So good. One in Santa Monica and the one we went to on La Cienaga near Melrose.

Various... Get the metro to universal, its only a couple of stops away and then there is a free shuttle to the top of the hill. Also there are plenly of things going on around the chinease theatre area, if you haggle with some you could get discounted trips/tours. Also in the late afternoon the limo tours are cheaper (hang around near the chinease theatre and somebody will surely mention it to you)! Also go to the farmers market, it cant be beaten!!

(hotels)loading

Other names for Magic Castle Hotel

  • magic castle los angeles
  • magic castle hotel
  • hotel magic castle
  • Address: 7025 Franklin Avenue - Hollywood - California - 90028 - United States
Travel Library Traveller Rating?
9.0/10

See All 1081 reviews

"All in all highly recommended" - Kaye & Martin Grant

Review this Hotel
Candid Traveller Photos
  •  Loading Image...
  •  Loading Image...
  •  Loading Image...
  •  Loading Image...
(hotels)loading

Hotels Near Magic Castle Hotel