TargaMatt

I think there's a fair number here from CA, and I'm looking for advice!

My wife and I are taking a quick trip (just 3 nights) away from the kids, and I need some suggestions...

We are planning on going to LA/Beverly Hills, few days of relaxation, shopping, fine dining, etc... Will probably do some of the tourist type things, too. She's never been there, and I've only been once briefly for a conference in BH.

Any suggestions where to stay?? Would really like something within walking distance of shopping, restaurants, etc. I stayed at Sofitel for my conference, and it was great, but am happy to try something new. I'm sure she'll be happy if there's a spa . . .

Any other notable "don't miss" restaurants, attractions, etc . . .? any suggestions are appreciated!!

Thanks in advance

TheBen

whats your budget?

mongrelcat

My token contribution to this thread happens to be my fave restaurant of all time;

http://www.makorestaurant.com/index_flash.html

More info; http://preview.tinyurl.com/4z26qjl

TargaMatt

Haven't really set one . . . not on a tight budget. Have been looking at Four Seasons, Sofitel, Peninsula online . . . the hardest thing to know is what's a good location. I was there two years ago for a meeting and stayed at Sofitel, and it seemed like there was a fair bit within walking distance from there.

It's to be a relaxing getaway . . . she'll probably want some spa time, we'd like some nice dinners, I'm sure she'll want to shop a bit... She just turned 40, so this will be part of her celebration!

dcdude

Terranea is a brand new, eye-poppingly beautiful ocean front resort in Rancho Palos Verdes ("south bay"). Not cheap, but maybe you can swing three nights: http://www.terranea.com/ Would be a clear winner if you're looking for a relaxing getaway.

If you can wait out rush hour traffic, you can get up to BH for your shopping in about 40 minutes. You're also less than 1 hour from South Coast Plaza and Newport Beach, which is the Orange County version of BH. The "south bay" area also has the best selection of Japanese food, which is much more than sushi.

Hotels seem very dynamic, so if you want other ideas, I recommend checking Trip Advisor. You can sort by budget, read ratings, etc.: http://www.tripadvisor.com/HACSearch...=true&adults=2

For restaurants, I would favor things that I can't get at home in Alberta, so maybe that's Thai or Indian, but you definitely need to have lots and lots of Mexican, especially taco shops or trucks at lunch. Yelp is a great resource: http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc...show_filters=1

Regardless of where you stay, the weather is clear and beautiful now. You need to go up and see the Hollywood sign, drive on Mullholland, then cruise Sunset from the east end, through the "strip," then past all of the Bel Air mansions. Takes you all the way to Pacific Palisades. Turn right and head up to Malibu. Might spot celebs at the Country Mart if you go mid-week.

On another day, check out the freak show in Venice Beach then head for a touristy dinner in Santa Monica- One Pico (Shutters), Casa Del Mar, Lobster, Ocean Ave. Seafood (my reco). My current favorite touristy destination to take out-of-towners is the Getty Villa south of Malibu. Beautiful views and good place for lunch. Free admission, but you need to reserve parking in advance: http://www.getty.edu/visit/hours/index.html

Feel free to PM me.

goofballdeluxe

Might I suggest the Beverly Wilshire Hotel? It's one block from Rodeo Drive shopping, has a great restaurant, Wolfgang Puck's Cut, and is about as central to everything as you can get. Nothing in L.A. is really walking distance, but this is as close as you can get. If a superb hotel, great location and proximity to lots of L.A. action are paramount, this hotel would be tough to beat.

tanger

If you are coming from Alberta in the dead of winter, really consider staying on the beach. I work in SM overlooking the ocean, and right now its about 70+ F outside. Plus, I think you can find almost everything in Santa Monica. Shutters is an awesome hotel right on the water. http://www.shuttersonthebeach.com/ Nothing against BH and inland, but to me the ocean is why I stay here...

Walking distance from:
Santa Monica Pier http://www.santamonicapier.org/
Santa Monica Place (which has a number of high end shops) http://www.santamonicaplace.com/
Third Street Promenade http://www.downtownsm.com/index.html

Also great neighborhoods 5 min driving such as
Main St
Abbott Kinney (more eclectic boutiques + awesome restaurants/bars)
Montana Ave./Brentwood

Probably 15 min to Rodeo drive (though if you are serious about shopping there are better neighborhoods for that such as Robertson or Melrose) http://www.losangeles.com/shopping/

Many hate on LA but I love it because of the diversity of neighborhoods and experiences.

Enjoy!

Kika

first off, 3 days is not enough to see any significant portion of LA.

I know the South Bay much better than the BH area so if you can afford a day at the beach:
the Bottle Inn http://www.thebottleinn.com/ is great, a friend of mine owns it. I recommend making a reservation and having dinner in the wine cellar (a bit chilly, but very romantic) Then you can stroll around Hermosa Beach after.

The Redondo Village http://www.rivieravillage.org/ is quite nice to walk around, lots of restaurants, shops, close to the beach. let me know if you come down here, I live about a mile away. And there are several hotels nearby where walking is reasonable. The whole Redondo area is about 15 minutes south of LAX.

Our public transportation is pathetic, so a car is the only way to go.

dcdude

Joe's on Abbot Kinney is one of my favorite higher-end restaurants in L.A.

+1 on Melrose. Your wife is young enough to appreciate the funkiness there. The shops are between Fairfax and La Brea. There's a fun Argentinian restaurant called Lala's near the La Brea end.

porschemikeandnancy

There is always the Portofino Inn at Redondo Beach. For the older folks here, it was the finish line of the infamous Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. Organized by Brock Yates (of Car and Driver) they made the movie The Cannoball Run about what was an actual dash across the U.S. from The Red Ball Garage in Manhattan to the Portofino Inn. There were no rules - just whoever finished with the fastest time (I think the best ever was a special Heni 'Cuda with an extended range fuel cell taking up the entire trunk (maybe 80 gallons or so - which finished in under 30 hours).

Our son got married last year and we stayed there. To my disappointment none of the relatively young staff at the place even knew about The Cannonball or that it finished in their parking lot. I thought there should have at least been a plaque on the wall.

But it's directly on the ocean - with a great walking beach just to the south, a fairly nice seafood restaurant in its parking lot (very similar to the one you saw in The Rockford Files - on the beach).

And only a short drive up the I-405 to the Getty Museum - which I suggest you should see. The Peterson Auto Museum is also between Redondo Beach and the Getty. I was a bit disappointed in the Peterson. But a great building and stop if you've never been.

I like Nate and Als delicatessen in BH. Last time I was there, half the waite staff looked like out of work actors - including one who must have been Kramer's stand in on the TV show.

max911

That last thing will most certainly screw up the first two things !

Santa Monica is a very good suggestion. It lets you get some R&R time at the beach and instant access to PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), north to Malibu etc.
You will also be surrounded with great dining / shopping.

IMO, trying to do a bunch of touristy things in three days means a lot of lineups and driving ... for somethings that are quite often over hyped.
You're in California- Chill Out !!

just my two Cdn cents.

Father of 3

Does anyone know if Koi on La Cienega is still happening? I went there about six years ago and it was definitely a beutiful people place then. Cars filled (only) with pretty women dressed in black with paparazzi outside. If it is still happening, I would recommend for an out of towner expecially. Not necessarily the best food but fun to people watch.

For food on the westside, I've only been to Osteria Mozza on Melrose that is noteworthy. This is Mario Batali and Nancy Silverstein's (La Brea Bakery) place. Pizza is awesome.

mongrelcat

+1 on Mozza

Movie at the Arclight, dinner at Hungry Cat (across the street.)

Two of my favorite beaches; Leo Carrillo and Laguna (yes, opposite ends of 'LA')

If you like Thai food/culture, don't miss Thai town (near Hollywood.)
Jitlada, Natalee, Ruen Pair, Sanamluang, Red Corner -- all good!

bw993

I would stay at the Loew's Resort in Santa Monica. The hotel is great with a view of the ocean and it's close to all the dining in BH and WLA.

Bill

greenshoe

If your wife wants a taste of West Hollywood/Beverly Hills, you can try:

Le Parc Suite Hotel (leparcsuites.com) -- out-of-town celebs will stay here; mostly music industry folks; it has a boutique feel, right in the middle of a quiet residential neighborhood, but literally minutes from the heart of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills; lots of beautiful people; if I had the choice, I would choose this one of the 4 I've listed. They have a great little pool at the top where it's very secuded (read: empty, not full of gawkers and tourists) that I'm sure your wife will absolutely love; it's also right by the Urth Cafe, which probably has more beautiful/trendy people per square foot than any other place in LA (it's right by a lot of fashion designer boutiques, and so there's a ton of models there as well as film/tv industry types -- if you want to people watch during the day without having to go through the silliness of lining up for some nightclub, Urth is your best bet - it's basically an upscale Starbucks).

The Standard -- it's a W Hotel in the middle of West Hollywood on Sunset; lots of people watching

The London West Hollywood -- similar deal as The Standard; Gordon Ramsey's restaurant is here

Chateau Marmont -- famous for lots of celebs who stay there for extended periods

If you want glam, West Hollywood is where you'll likely find it. Depends how old or young at heart you and your wife are. It's where most of the film industry folks hang out, and where a lot of the nightlife will be.

Beverly Hills is certainly wealthy, although it feels as if it's predominantly Persian/Jewish with rich Armenians who see themselves as having "upgraded" from Glendale. Again, nothing wrong at all with this, but it may not be what you would be expecting.

If your wife wants real fashion/boutique shopping just like the celeb gals, a lot of it is on Melrose (the tiny boutiques around the Design Center aka "the blue whale", basically the boutiques between La Cienega on the east, and Doheny on the west - mostly tiny stores that sell very expensive women's stuff). If you want more funky/thrift store (but in a trendy way) stuff, then Melrose b/w Fairfax and LaBrea (as Chuck had mentioned).

If you want less glam and more relaxed, the beach cities are where it's at -- Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, etc. Venice can be fun to watch wierdos, hippies, join in a drum circle, etc. And my favorite beach: Zuma (a little further past Malibu).

This is just the tip of the iceberg. If you're more into the hipster/funky/artsy vibe, there's plenty of see in Silverlake and Los Feliz. Great Mexican food just about anywhere.

I love LA. It's not perfect, but on days like these (80 degrees and sunny) driving the 993 with the top down, it's a slice of heaven.