The ritziest exotic hot spot of the era was without doubt the Ambassador Hotel's Cocoanut Grove on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. Opening amidst much fanfare in 1921, the Grove's original decor consisted mostly of fake palm trees, many containing stuffed monkeys.

The biggest attraction of the Cocoanut Grove was the dazzling list of entertainers who performed there over the years. A few of these include Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Liza Minnelli, Martin and Lewis, The Supremes, Merv Griffin, Dorothy Dandridge, Vikki Carr, Evelyn Knight, Vivian Vance, Dick Haymes, Perry Como, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Sammy Davis Jr., Little Richard, Liberace, Natalie Cole, and Richard Pryor.

The Grove's clientele was equally dazzling, including the likes of Louis B. Mayer, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, Howard Hughes, Clara Bow, Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson, Anna May Wong, and Norma Talmadge during the 1920s. In the 1930s Grove regulars included Norma Shearer and Irving Thalberg, Errol Flynn, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Lana Turner, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Lucille Ball, Ginger Rogers, Gary Cooper, and Loretta Young.

Because of its celebrity value, the Cocoanut Grove experienced a longer life than most L.A. hot spots. Though remodeled numerous times, the Grove remained in business until 1989 when the Ambassador was closed. The club, along with the hotel, was demolished in 2006.