It's a city blessed with year-round Southern Cali sunshine, movie stars, and epic shopping. We think right now, California is having a moment. No longer deemed a cultural wasteland, La la land has had an explosion of culture. With new art galleries and flourishing fashion scene, Angelinos are also enjoying some of the best food in America right now. A city of suburbs from swanky Beverly Hills, to the up and coming West Hollywood (where all the cool cats hang), you must visit the art centre, in Downtown, there is also a beach scene in L.A, both Santa Monica and Venice are worth a visit. Each district has a distinctive personality, but everywhere is heaving with upmarket bars and boutiques. However, the most challenging thing to do in L.A is getting around. This large city (1,302 km) with almost four million residents is a sprawling metropolis, getting from West Hollywood to Venice Beach, on foot would take you hours. L.A is a car city, so hire your wheels or catch an Uber, Lyft or Ola, public transport and citywide bike paths; are there, but not well used by 50 million tourists that visit each year. To save time planning your next trip to Cali Booking.com is the digital travel leader, which will connect you to the widest choice of unique places to stay from your phone. Not only do you get the jump on those must-do travel experiences, but they also cater to all transport options, ensure your travel itinerary is seamless and straightforward. Here are the best places to visit in this - that get the BeautyEQ seal of approval.
Where to Stay
The Standard
In two locations Downtown and Hollywood this is an uber cool place to hang. Minimalist decor, including a slender rooftop bar and swimming pool (great place to take in a view over the city at night), makes the sunny yellow 24/7 restaurant, really pop. This diner-style cafe specialises in locally sourced organic delights, ideal if you're after a quick bite out on the outdoor patio. Order a flat white, it will hit the spot after a long night flight or busy day out shopping. If you're there on a Saturday morning, book a table and enjoy the a la carte Wigs & Waffles brunch with drag babes Maybe A Girl and Indica Sativa. Both hotels are known as 'a place to party' (and our relaxed stay was interrupted with some rowdy guests). However, the mood lighting, fine Egyptian cotton sheets, elegant slate grey, mustard yellow, and cream decor, with bathrooms stocked Davines products made up for a sleepless Friday night.
Room rates from $400.
Chateau Marmont
If you want to celebrity spot on your trip to La la land, this could be the place to stay. Legend has that the everyone from Greta Garbo to Lindsay Lohan has called this 'castle on the hill' home - even if it was only for one night. Sitting proudly on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, if the walls of this 100-year-old hotel could talk, they would have some great stories. To enjoy some downtime, head to the peaceful hideaway of the pool, where you can relax in a lounger and order 'a place in the sun' cocktail laced with tequila, sake, orange juice, blood orange purée, and hellfire jalapeno bitters. Do try the à la carte breakfast on the leafy garden terrace we loved the pancakes and smashed avocado on toast, or the breakfast burrito with lashings of huevos rancheros. You can expect round the clock service, but if you don't get to see a celeb, get the packing and unpacking service, so at least you can feel like one.
Signature room rate $1600.
Beverly Wilshire
A stone's throw from that famous shopping strip Rodeo Drive, when you step into the lobby of this hotel, it's hard, not to have a Pretty Woman moment. Made famous by the romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, the plush dècor, impeccable service, and stunning Mediterranean-style pool makes you feel every bit a celebrity - even if you're just popping in for a morning coffee. Fun fact: the Pretty Women crew only used the exterior of the hotel to film the movie not the suite, (a studio set for the bedroom and bathroom scenes). Regardless, this is one of those must-do travel experiences when you visit this 4 Seasons Hotel in L.A.
Room rates from $450.
Fun fact
That famous sign, like the city itself, has some rich history. Sitting in the Hollywood hills, home of the who's who, that sign was erected back in 1923. The original sign – "Hollywoodland" began life as an advertising gimmick to promote a Hollywood hills property development. Designed to e up for only 18 months, minus the word 'land' it stayed until 1978. Over those 50 something years, the sign lost it's glamour and started to crumble, and the city council planned to pull it down. Enter magazine publisher editor-in-chief of Playboy Hugh Hefner, who came to the rescue with a cash injection of almost one million dollars to save the sign. And as they say, the rest is history. The Hollywood - minus the word Land, was restored and in the hills it has stayed. That sign designed to market real estate worked; today, the housing market is the economic driver in this city, not the movie business who knew.
Image Instagram
Where to eat
Laurel Hardware
A hardware store in a former life, if you’re a vegetarian like our style director there are plenty of options (and plenty if you not), you have to visit one of her favourite haunts. She says you must wait to get a seat outside, and always order the Burrata Bruschetta with nutty kale tabbouleh and a squeeze of lemon as a starter. For your main, the grilled avocado and citrus and sheep's milk ricotta and spinach ravioli with calabrian chili and a hazelnut pesto crumb. In her words ‘it’s a gastronomic explosion of creamy goodness’. She says, you won’t have room for desert, but head to the bar for a fresh, cucumber infused vodka cocktail instead. Her pick ‘The Angelino’ apparently - it’s unbeatable.
Pizzeria Mozza
If you want a good carbo-load, head to this famous pizza place. As seen on the Netflix documentary series, Chef’s table, this restaurant has most certainly earned its title of ‘best pizza in La La Land’. To tempt you, the toppings range from pastrami with caraway onion cream or the goat cheese, leek and scallion - hungry? This is the place to go for delicious, but humble Italian food.
Onda
The girl power behind this great place to dine, is a team that brings together the fire of Mexican cuisine and the freshness of locally grown Cali produce. Both Jessica Koslow and Gabriela Cámara are well-known American chefs and inside Santa Monica's Proper Hotel, is where they will tempt your tastebuds. Our breakfast, of vegan rice pudding with coconut milk, California dates, and hemp flax granola, and a stack of Masa Ricotta Pancake with ricotta cream, blood orange, and hibiscus marmalade, (make sure you get the maple syrup on the side), was delicious.
Where to Shop
Melrose Ave
We love strip shopping in L.A. And one the most vibrant haunts is Melrose Ave. You will find Marc Jacobs, and my absolute must-visit the beauty store Glossier. Be prepared to queue (the wait was 10 minutes the day we visited), along with Fred Segal, and interior genius Jonathan Adler. You can stroll along here for hours (I spent an hour at Glossier alone) and still want to head back the next day.
The Grove
A must visit for an outdoor shopping overload, first head to Charlotte Tilbury’s beauty store, then stock up on great basic T Shirts from J Crew. But a good pair of jeans from Madewell or Vince, and don’t leave without having lunch at Edo Little Bites. This uber-luxe shopping and dining precinct is open from 10 am until 9 pm everyday.
Santa Monica
It’s always on my list of places to visit when I hit the states, Anthropologie, is a fashion and interiors treasure trove. The Nike flagship store is on third street, promenade and it’s got the best on offer. The streets are closed for cars, so you can stroll around here all day. When you’re done, take an Uber or brave a 40-minute walk, and head to Venice Beach, it is here you can soak up the culture of this city - it’s something you must see when you’re in L.A.
Our fashion shoots
With dozens of great locations for a fashion shoot, our top pick was the arts district of Downtown. An area where once you could rent a low-cost warehouse (popular with up and coming L.A.’s artists) it has become the ‘it’ hub for L.A.'s brightest and most creative. Not only is this where you will find some of the cities best galleries, great coffee, and socially conscious boutiques, the early 20th-century warehouses and ex-factories are being transformed into stylish lofts that young Angelenos want to live in.
How to get there
The BeautyEQ team travelled to L.A with Fiji Airways on the new Airbus A350 XWBs. This new aircraft is offering business class passengers the chance to fly in style. As well as providing more legroom in a new, modern economy class segment called "Bula Space." If you're thinking about heading to the City of Angeles from Auckland, via Fiji, you will get to experience this luxe-y service almost every day. Fiji Airways has now set the bar reasonably high for the team when it comes to business class travel. From the moment you step into the premium lounge, once you've checked in, you can order your meal and graze from a tasting table until the chef delivers what is what you would expect from a five-star menu, but in a light bite size. A great selection of fine wines and desert help you to relax before boarding what became our luxe bedroom in the sky, on our overnight flight. The chance to lie down, completely flat and get a good nigh’s sleep on a plane is gold. Uber-comfy, the 'super diamond' business class seats, are equipped with controls to locate the night lights, great storage for your in-flight beauty, (and biodegradable bamboo amenity bag, packed with an eyeshade, cotton socks, and the travel size Pure Fiji Noni hydrating lotion, and Pure Fiji Pina Colada lip balm). And, a convenient port to charge your iPhone while you sleep - a brilliant benefit. We arrived at our destination, rested, and recharged after the cooked breakfast, ready to hit the ground running for our Californian-themed autumn/winter fashion shoots.
Palm Springs
I could never tire of this extraordinary oasis on the western edge of Coachella Valley. It’s the ultimate weekend away when you visit L.A., and it has been since the ’50s. It was always on my bucket list, and after my second visit, I can't wait to get back there. Two hours drive from Los Angeles airport (100 miles of Hollywood), it became famous in the '50s as a weekend escape, (because it meets the two-hour filming rule,) for stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, and Frank Sinatra. Known back then as the 'brat pack, 'those Hollywood starlets put Palm Springs on the map, with their regular 24-hour trips in search of sunshine, palm trees, and parties, before rushing back to L.A. and their frantic filming schedules - if only they had Instagram back then. Today, stars still flock to the desert for Modernism Week (Feb 13-23), Palm Springs International Film Festival, and 30 minutes from Palm Springs in Coachella Valley, the well-known and super-luxe Coachella Music and Arts Festival, one of the most gram-able events you could attend.
Where to stay
The Ace Hotel and Swim Club
Pet-friendly, they serve the best coffee in Palm Springs; the Ace Hotel and Swim Club is brilliant. Set back off the road with the backdrop of towering palm trees and the jagged San Jacinto Mountains, this hotel is the place to party. With live music,comedy and pool parties to entertain you most nights, it's not a place to sleep your vacay away - this hotel is fun, and goes full noise 24/7.
The moment you step into the retro lobby, the friendly staff are determined to show you a good time. From suggesting your take a short ride around Palm Springs on the beach cruiser bikes parked out front or a meal at the busy diner-style King's Highway restaurant, this hotel offers everything for a hip young traveler. The rooms are sophisticated, with an indie-style vibe, and if you love the linen and organic cotton quilts, or need a pair of Beatrice Valenzuela lambskin slides; they are on offer at the hotel store. After a few late nights, the Rose Goodness massage (using rose quartz it was designed to fuel your body with love and healing vibrations), at the 'Feel Good Spa' is tempting. Or maybe go hard, and head back to the dimly lit, The Amigo Room bar for a cocktail or two, or another glass of crisp, fruity, Californian blush rosè. Room rates from $300.
L'Horizon Resort and Spa
If you want to have a luxe escape on your trip to the desert, stay at the L'Horizon Resort and Spa or The Parker, they will cater to your every whim. When it comes to accommodation there are dozens of options to suit any budget, even properties for the conscious consumer. There is no end to options when it comes to a place to stay in Palm Springs, private homes that offer great value for money, (if you're travelling with a group of friends or your family). Make a date with Booking.com the best part about planning your trip is that you can book from your phone - we did.
Rooms rate from $500 and $600.
Where to eat
Workshop Kitchen + Bar
What was once a 20's movie theater, has been transformed into one of Palm Springs star places to dine. With mood lighting that complements the sleek concrete bunker, if you like to share small plates, with friends this is the place to visit. It’s a tough choice selecting from the delicious locally grown offerings on this menu. For a relaxed Sunday brunch we had the frittata with squash, heirloom tomatoes, pesto, and lashings of goat cheese, it’s insanely tasty. Or make a date for a candlelit dinner for two, you can even pop in for a cocktail - it’s pricey but worth every cent.
Other great places to eat include, The Pantry it’s at this eatery the menu is tweaked every week. For the best mezze plate and homemade yogurt check out The Pink Cabana at the Sands Hotel & Spa. Finally, you can’t beat the cauliflower tacos at La Serena Villas Resort, at Azucar, make sure you sit poolside or on the resort's rooftop deck.
Where to Shop
Trina Turk
It's not hard to see why designer Trina Turk's favorite pastime is vintage shopping, her eclectic style, and discerning eye for colour impressed our stylist Louise Hilsz. Founded in 1995 by Trina and her late husband, photographer Jonathan Skow, this is the place to buy your fashion souvenir of quality California-inspired sandals or that must-have trinket. Set aside at least an hour to shop in Turk’s Palm Spring store.
Our fashion shoot
From the modernist architecture, by Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Donald Wexler to name a few, sitting on well-manicured lawns against the blue and golden hues of the desert this is the place to be inspired. You can take a number of Guided tours year-round, by bike or car. Visit Joshua Tree, just one hour from Palm Springs, or take a wellness break at one of the spas that promise to help you find serenity. And like us, take a trip to Salvation Mountain where American artist Leonard Knight, spent almost 30 years building and painting a colourful adobe mound in the Sonoran Desert in California. We hope we have inspired you to add this creative corner of California to your must-do list this year.
