The Montage knows what a girl wants: grand staircases and an excess of mirrors. |
Good news! My incessant LA stay-cations have finally paid off because I was able to write this article listing the best hotel options around the city. Here it is:
Montage Beverly Hills
The real reason why the Montage might be my favorite hotel in LA is that they have nasi goreng on the room service breakfast menu. Other reasons to love it include it's unbeatable location in the heart of Beverly Hills, it's delicious restaurant Georgie, and its general splendor.
The Beverly Hills Hotel
Liz Taylor honeymooned here with 6 of her 7 husbands, so it can't possibly not be amazing. Need even more proof? The Beverly Hills Hotel wasn't named for its location in the city of Beverly Hills. The city of Beverly Hills was named for its proximity to this hotel.
Chateau Marmot
Bungalow 2 saw the first reading of Rebel Without a Cause; John Belushi OD'd in Bungalow 3; and somewhere in the courtyard the next Leonardio DiCaprio movie is being negotiated right now. Cliche? Yes. Worth it anyway? Yes.
Shutters on the Beach
This stalwart hotel overlooks the sea nd is how one would imagine Ralph Lauren's beach house to look, or your wealthy grandmother's 1920s beach condo: all dark-wood floors and old leather sofas. And on every bedside table: a copy of an Ernest Hemingway novel. All this is to say that Shutters is perfect. It might also be my favorite. I can't decide.
Hotel Bel-Air
The Bel-Air, a paradisiacal walled garden ensconced in the Santa Monica foothills, is without a doubt the most starry and exclusive hotel in the world. Its rooms are not rooms at all, but little chalets and cottages sequestered amid lush bougainvillaea, white azaleas and flowering peach trees. It is the most beautiful place in LA. Also the hardest to find.
Mama Shelter
With a lobby ceiling dubbed the Sistine Chapel of Hollywood, an iMac and a film script in every room, and a rooftop with a view all the way to the ocean, Mama Shelter toes the fine line between fun and hip while managing to hold onto a little of its Parisian roots in DTLA. It's admittedly not my thing, but if you like downtown, playing with chalk and not going bankrupt paying for hotels, this is the one.
Sunset Tower
The chunky, curvy Art Deco contours of the Sunset Tower Hotel make it look like a giant Bakelite wireless set. It is a striking building by any standard, and Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne and Frank Sinatra are among those who once called it home. Now it's popular among creative types and french fry aficionados.
Other Ash-approved hotels: The Viceroy Santa Monica, The Beverly-Wilshire Hotel, Petit Ermitage
The Beverly Hills Hotel is basically the best thing about LA!
ReplyDelete100% agree with this list!
ReplyDeleteShutters is my happy place! Peach mules for the win!
ReplyDeleteYUM! The balcony at Shutters is one of my favorite places to watch the sun go down!
DeleteTotally agree that the Bel Air is AMAZING. So, so, so expensive but you basically get to experience Bel Air life for a day, so in that sense it's a bargain. LOL what am I talking about it's not a bargain at all but I need to believe!
ReplyDeleteHahaha... oh goodness, it is really alarmingly expensive, but it is undeniably the best! Thanks for your comment, Babe!
DeleteLOVE to have lunch outside at the Montage and watch the people go by! Best people watching spot!
ReplyDeleteI'm a people watcher too! Il Pastaio is my place of choice. :)
DeleteI'm surprised the Beverly Wilshire didn't make the cut! It's magnificent!
ReplyDeleteI do love to have afternoon tea outside at Blvd, but as far as spending the night, I like boutique hotels. But you are right, the Beverly Wilshire is beautiful!
DeleteAhhhh I don't care if Chateau Marmont is cliche, I have to go!
ReplyDeleteHaha yes you must!
DeleteI'm visiting next month and staying at Sunset Tower! But I'm hoping to eat at some of the other hotels so I can see them! Thanks, Babe!
ReplyDeleteHotel Bel Air is absolutely the most exclusive hotel imaginable. It's so exclusive, I can never even find it!
ReplyDelete