Croft Altana

Soaring ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass doors open the interiors onto that outdoor space, so the house effectively doubles in size the moment the weather cooperates — which in this city is most of the year.

The chef's kitchen carries premium appliances and a generous centre island. Outside, alongside the BBQ, there is a wood-fired pizza oven, which sounds like a detail until you have used one with ten people around it on a Saturday evening.

Every bedroom is en-suite. The primary takes a king and a spa-finished bathroom, a second king suite has its own bathroom, and the three remaining rooms each take a queen with a private bathroom. Marble accents, walk-in showers, hotel-grade linens.

What sets this one apart from the rest of the register: location. Almost everything else we hold is on a hillside, which means a car for every trip. Croft Altana is in Beverly Grove — The Grove, Melrose Avenue, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and the Beverly Center are all minutes away, much of it walkable, and nothing arrives late because a driver would not take the hill.

Best suited to groups of eight to ten who want to be in the middle of the city rather than above it, celebration weekends where the roof does the work, and anyone who would rather walk to dinner than book a car.