Why Visit Beverly Hills? The Peninsula Promise

Since the 1950s, Beverly Hills has marketed itself as a high-end shopping paradise and home of the rich and famous, which still rings true today. Beverly Hills may be one of the world’s most glamorous places to live, but it is also a city designed for visitors. High-end tourism is crucial for the city’s legendary hotels, restaurants, shops, galleries, and the beauty, health and wellness services to thrive.

The Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills

We have a few favorite hotels on our dossier of Highly Recommend properties. Like our individual fingerprints, there is a hotel for every taste and need. Do you prefer to stay a bit out of town and hideaway in a Bungalow or is your jam to see and to be seen? Enjoy leisurely strolls and window shop, pop into a cafe for an espresso?

The Peninsula outpost in Beverly Hills offers many options with 195 rooms, including 38 suites and 17 private villas, located in its lush tropical gardens. Gossip has it that one guest so loves the Villas, they’ve stayed for 24 years! Forbes rates it at the ultimate Five Stars.

A Grand Dame of a property providing sophistication and the ultimate in glamour in the city’s swankiest neighborhood. Roll into the circular driveway, sunglasses on and be prepared for fabulous people watching, exceptionally high service and pampering! Purse puppies abound, guests dressed to the nines enjoying the best that life has to offer in Los Angeles! There were whispers of Bill Barr arriving for a noon lunch and book signing.

Set at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilshire near Canon Drive, just around the corner from the Holy Grail of chic high-end shopping, 20 minutes away to popular museums and 30 minutes to LAX or Burbank airport. Rolls Royce courtesy car for transport within the city limits, what else? There is a jaunty pink Perrier Champagne Citron out front as well, if you prefer to be less seen.

The grand lobby with polished marble floors is a flurry of stylish and well-dressed patrons and locals. You may see royalty and eccentricity milling through, it’s a haven for all temperaments!  The lobby is flanked by the ornate Living Room, where the hotel’s wildly popular afternoon tea is served, come dressed! High Tea is accompanied by a harpist and on Thursday evenings, the room comes alive with a pianist. The Club Bar is a sophisticated chamber clad in dark wood panels made of California birch and deep leather chairs that circle the fireplace. A traditional yet timeless ambiance, reminiscent of an elegant gentleman’s club, if you arrive a wee early, it’s a lovely place to perch while your bags are whisked to your room. A British pair who looked as if they had just dismounted from a Hunt, were sipping G&T’s with their furry four legged friend.

Oh, don’t miss the fine-dining Belvedere Restaurant, which features a beautiful courtyard terrace. An elegant European Brasserie offering a blend of art and cuisine in a classic French-country aesthetic steeped in Southern California luxury. Here, diners are immersed in a creative experience surrounded by magnificent artwork while relishing the artistically plated cuisine, and the high fashion of their loyal patrons featured in the illustrations on the restaurant’s menus. The Belvedere truly embodies the essence of its meaning, “beautiful view.”

Advice: pace yourself as it’s easy to overindulge. When I dine with my hoteliers, they never want to deny you any delicacy! Champers at lunch is de riguer, and oh, you must try the Caviar and Lobster flatbread, do nosh on these cheese sticks, they are heavenly – morphs into the Charred Caesar with Salmon, it must not be missed – and of course, dessert…Ms. Books? Everything Chocolate or a classic Grand Marnier Soufflé?

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served here; every dish is skillfully prepared with local produce – apart from the exceptional Dover Sole, which is flown in fresh every day from the UK. Hotel guests and Beverly Hills residents alike enjoy weekend revelry with the Bubbles & Bells Free-flow Champagne Brunch.

By nightfall, if you can rouse from the food coma, the Roof Garden is a lush casual spot for a less filling meal. Accented by its iconic yellow and white striped umbrellas, it’s a favorite among area residents and hotel guests alike.

Rooms, Suites, and Villas. The expansive rooms are all nattily appointed in a chic European style, with elegant furnishings and canopy beds draped in pastel or floral-printed fabrics. All have French windows that open onto a garden or city view, but the best come with private patios and hot tubs. The large bathrooms feature original pink marble from Greece and plenty of smart touches, such as monogrammed towels and Oscar de la Renta toiletries. The pink marble originates from the hometown of the owner. Villas are surrounded by lush gardens and range in size from a studio to the two-story Peninsula Villa which feels like a luxurious residence.

At check in, I was escorted to a gorgeous suite with petite Juliet balcony, in pretty pastels and colorful touches of pinks, creams, blues and greens, Happy as a clam at the pool, I was shaken out of my sun slumber by a text from my dear rep, Jake: Ms. Books, we had a cancel in the glammy Pink Suite you swooned over, would you like us to move you? Just like that, Lickety Split to pack up the laptop and mosey to the sumptuous Grand Deluxe Pink Suite. ‘Pink,’ ‘Blue’ and ‘Silver’ Suites, are some of the grandest suites at The Peninsula Beverly Hills. The ‘Pink Suite,’ with its hues of deep rose and elegant Dior grey, is accented by crisp white wainscoting, gold and silver-leaf. My kitchen was swoon worthy, although I had no intention of meal preparation, the fridge would keep the Champers chilled. A spacious terrace with loungers and a massive dining table for late afternoon tea or in my case, perfect for al fresco brekkie. I drooled over this brilliant 2250 square feet suite of tailored raspberry walls – a deep rose suite with one bedroom, a kitchen, dining room and two bathrooms! One bathroom the size of an average living room. In The Pink Indeed!

The Peninsula Beverly Hills made staying in a suite even sweeter! Guests who book one of the hotel’s elegant suites are offered the complimentary use of a luxury BMW for the length of their stay. 

Kiddos coming along? Family travel at The Peninsula receives an upgrade with Camp Peninsula, a children’s experience that recreates the spirit of camping right in the heart of Beverly Hills. An experience that can be added onto any room reservation, the Camp Peninsula Journey begins with a special welcome from Peter Bear, the hotel’s lovable mascot, at check-in. After taking a picture with the life-sized teddy bear, kids will be whisked away to your luxurious guest-room where a charming teepee awaits.

Life Live Well at The Peninsula Spa. Named one of the Top 10 Spas worldwide by readers of SpaFinder, the Peninsula Spa incorporates highly effective treatments with the finest therapists and products.

Pool Cabanas are available for day use.  Surrounded by panoramic views of the Los Angeles and Century City skyline, The Peninsula Beverly Hills’ 60-foot outdoor rooftop pool and hot tub is an idyllic spot for hotel guests to relax and cool down in true Peninsula style.

Proper indulgence at the rooftop pool. Luxury Relax & Revive poolside in a spacious cabana with much needed pampering. Bask in the sun, with rejuvenating reflexology, a mani-pedi, gourmet dining and panoramic city views. Based on availability Wednesday and Thursday for glam grooming.

The Peninsula Hotel Spa Beverly Hills

Old school attention to service, and the recent upgrades include state of the art technology. Friendly professional staff, I ask questions everywhere! My room attendant has worked there for over ten years mentioning how employees are well treated.  Bill, the room manager escorted me to my suite, regaled with a cheerful history of the hotel, he’s been there for over 20 years. Peninsula Love is abundant, to me, that is a defining character of a brand and a hotel.

Oh, did I mention my monogrammed Pillowcase? It occurred to me to stay for 24 years!

Peninsula Pets!

Highly Recommend for luxurious comfort, serious shopping, fine dining and the ultimate in people watching – small gift shop with glorious hats if you are the Star and need to be undercover!

Paris: Exclusive Pop-Up Royal Mansour Takes over Le Bristol Dazzling Dining!

In Marrakech, one of my go to divine lunch locations is the gardens of the elegant and chic Royal Mansour Hotel. Several options at this pleasure palace, their fine dining restaurant, La Grande Table Marocaine, conjures all the magic of Arabian nights.

During five exceptional days, Royal Mansour Chef Karim Ben Baba, comes to Paris to inspire and delight. Hospitality is rooted in fine local traditions. To mark its tenth year as a Michelin starred establishment, Le Bristol Paris will host an exclusive weeklong residency at 114 Faubourg by Royal Mansour Marrakech’s signature restaurant, La Grande Table Marocaine.

114 Faubourg at Le Bristol Paris

The legendary traditions of French and Moroccan art de vivre are preparing to reach their fullest expression under the same roof at Le Bristol Paris come November.

To celebrate their first decade as a Michelin starred brasserie, 114 Faubourg’s Chef Loïc Dantec and his team will hang up their aprons from November 21-25, 2022, to allow Chef Karim Ben Baba of Royal Mansour Marrakech to dazzle Paris with his award-winning cuisine.

Chef Karim Ben Baba presides over the culinary team at La Grande Table Marocaine, the signature restaurant at Royal Mansour, voted Marrakechs’ best restaurant in Africa and among the 100 best restaurants in the world. The young chef’s outsized talent has helped shape the ancestral culinary traditions of Morocco in the contemporary image of haute cuisine, turning the iconic palace that is Royal Mansour into the country’s leading interpreter of Moroccan gastronomy.

Throughout his five days as chef-in-residence at 114 Faubourg, Karim Ben Baba will present a comprehensive à la carte menu showcasing his refined approach to the nuances of Moroccan flavors. In the gold and orange decor of 114 Faubourg, reminiscent of the palaces of the medina, to the sound of Berber music, the delicate Briouates with chicken, honey and roasted almonds are refreshed with a heart of orange sucrine. The Tangia reinvents itself in the delicate flesh of a sea bream, the lobster explodes under the flavors of a Chermoula and the Couscous with beef cheeks and seven vegetables is as flamboyant as the velvety dunes of Merzouga.

With a décor rich in warm colors and featuring lavish, embroidery-trimmed banquettes, 114 Faubourg’s atmosphere lends itself perfectly to this takeover by Morocco’s most majestic restaurant to enhance the authenticity, the rhythms of a playlist specially curated for the week will coax diners further along the sensorial journey.

Couscous Couscous Friday!  Morocco’s traditional Friday lunch of an abundant couscous at lunchtime will be given the highest honor reinterpreted through a unique dish. Chef Karim Ben Baba is planning an exclusive variation of this most beloved dish for Friday November 25th — a suitably grand finale capping the week’s sublime immersion into the very best of Marrakech. The Kingdom envelops diners in all its delights.

From Monday 21 to Friday 25 November 2022. Lunch service – from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Dinner from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Reservation required at 114 Faubourg.

Oh, what I would give to enjoy the elegant combination of Le Bristol and the Magic of Marrakech in Paris!