LA
But I wasn’t sure, so it was time for a trip. We spent our time mainly between Santa Barbara and the city of Los Angeles. We ventured further south just to take a trip out with Captain Dave to meet up with the local dolphins; all 5000 of them and 3 humpback whales. It was the most impressive marine life trip I’d been on, but really our trip started further north in the seaside town of Santa Barbara.
The fabulous Belmond hotel is set above the town, but they’ll run you down whenever you fancy. It is a beautiful hotel, effortless service, great food, tranquil rooms and stunning views. Lunch on the terrace could have lasted hours as we soaked up the views down past the palm trees and across the blue ocean.
We popped into the town just to check out Brophy Brothers which was on the pier by the marina. A relaxed place, lovely long bar, great burgers and chilled Californian wine. We clocked the Best Western Beachside on the way through town, as a good value option right across the road from the beach.
I was determined to see surfers in action on the trip, so we came off the road at Rincon Point, and it was a bit of a Point Break moment, seeing the office workers exchange their pinstripe suits for wetsuits, grab the board and head out onto the ocean. There was a shack on the beach to grab a drink, and it felt like it was the sort of place that you could just sit and watch the world go by for a few hours.
Back on the road, we hugged the coast on the historic El Camino road, the wind in our hair we wanted to make it to Malibu to watch the sunset on another pier. We grabbed some refreshments in the Malibu Farm café/restaurant then back on the road to Santa Monica, and guess what? They have a pier too!
In Santa Monica, we rested our weary heads at the Fairmont Miramar hotel. Two great things about this hotel:
- The bungalows which are lovely little accommodations in the grounds of the hotel, some connect, and they have various sizes, but all have loads of beach house chic character.
- And THE Bungalow – nothing like where your nan used to live – this is one of the coolest bars in LA. Chilled beach/college chic, and I have a contact to get you on the guest list! Really fun, great cocktails and definitely the place to be.
Santa Monica had a very different feel – fair ground rides, bright lights and burgers. A sign at the end of the pier also marks the end of the legendary Route 66.
Our next stop was Hollywood, and this was as mad as I thought it would be. I was totally swept along with it! Our humble abode was the Loews Hollywood hotel, which is slap bang in the centre of the action. We opened our curtains in the morning to see the Hollywood sign, and a little closer was the chapel from the Sister Act movie. 1 mile from the Hollywood Bowl, 1 metro stop to Universal, linked to a little shopping centre (and car park) and 5 mins walk to the Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
We also had a look around the W which has some great rooms but building work close by would worry me a little. The great lobby space with modern bar would distract me a little though!
Having grown up (or grown old!) loving the film Pretty Woman, there could be only one other hotel that I needed to stay at, The Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire! It was everything we hoped for and more. From our greeting by the jolly door man to the choir of carol singers in the lobby, the spa was tranquil, the bar convivial and our room delightful. We had a tour around, and saw the different rooms and suites, including ‘THE’ suite which Richard Gere was based in for the film. Ok, we learned that most of the filming was done miles from the hotel, but that didn’t dampen our spirits when we sat in the elevator! It is an exceptional hotel, right on Rodeo Drive, surrounded by some of the most well-known shops in the world. The Beverley Wilshire wasn’t our only film star experience, we spent the day in a 1966 red Cadillac convertible being driven around by the charismatic Johnny. What he didn’t know about LA wasn’t worth knowing! He knew who lived where, with who and what was going on. His tour, for me, is now THE tour in LA. We saw the highlights which we’d hoped for, and the secret haunts of the stars. We found beaches, shops, cafes and side streets which just aren’t in the guidebooks. Let’s face it, LA is a fast-moving place, and I think that Johnny keeps pace of what’s what, and who’s who better than any book publishing company.
So, my opinion of LA now? It’s a 3 centre holiday based at one airport. Chill time and beaches around Santa Barbara, a city break in Beverly Hills, and then all the fun of the theme park sprinkled with a little glitz in Hollywood.
