You may be able to tell that I’m quite a girlie girl; a lover of dresses, high heels and sparkles…so it may not come as a surprise that a place I’ve always wanted to to stay in is a big pink palace, kind of like Barbie’s Dream House.
The desire to stay there actually stemmed from one of my childhood favourite films, Troop Beverly Hills. The film follows an unorthodox girl scout group led by a shopaholic Beverly Hills housewife who takes the girls to stay in the Beverly Hills Hotel when camping in the rain gets too much! The hotel seemed liked the ultimate in luxury and visiting a pink palace seemed like every girl’s dream. When we arrived back in LA after our time in French Polynesia we wanted to experience a different side of LA, contrasting to our beach stay in Santa Monica. As Mr Silver and I had our wedding reception at The Dorchester, the hotel’s London sister, it certainly seemed only natural that we would stay there as our Beverly Hills location.
Located on Sunset Boulevard, the hotel is part of Hollywood history and over the past one hundred years it has attracted rock stars, Presidents, royalty and the Hollywood elite. Mr Silver and I had an excellent precedent; Elizabeth Taylor spent all six of her honeymoons there and legends such as Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable and John Lennon all took rooms in the Pink Palace.
The hotel has even remodelled their Suite 100 to honour Marilyn Monroe, who remains their most legendary guest. The suite includes a display case of original pieces from her home, a library of her books and films and a selection of her songs. You can book the suite, douse yourself in Chanel No. 5, drink Marilyn’s favourite cocktails and enjoy diamond themed spa treatments. Perfect for any material girl 😉
Despite the age and history of the hotel, it’s still fresh and modern, having been renovated and restored in keeping with original design. The foyer is totally stunning with a real feel of Hollywood glamour; I kept looking around to see if I could see any film stars! We didn’t have much luck star spotting though I swore I saw Jessica Simpson at breakfast.
When we got to our room I was totally delighted to be greeted with Beverly Hills branded champagne.
I couldn’t help but imagine the many stars who had stayed in this room before us.
Service was totally impeccable and I loved the fact that bathroom supplies were constantly replenished.
There was even a sunny terrace, which was pink, of course! Clearly, the perfect place for a film star to sip a glass of rose and nibble a plate of caviar!
As we’d just disembarked from a nine hour flight we were keen for a long shower in our luxurious accommodation, a cool glass of champers and lunch LA-style at the iconic Polo Lounge.
The Polo lounge has also seen many famous faces. In March 2002, Elton John had his 55th birthday party there, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Robert De Niro have all attended Oscar parties there. Bill Clinton, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson have all dined inside it’s green walls or on the leafy patio.
Shaded by leafy trees, the patio was an absolutely stunning and cool place to dine.
The menu at The Polo Lounge is of course packed with famous dishes such as the McCarthy salad, named after 1940’s attorney Neil McCarthy, the salad contains chicken, eggs, beetroot, tomatoes, Cheddar cheese, bacon, avocado and balsamic vinaigrette, replicating the exact ingredients that McCarthy was so specific about. Apparently Jackie Collins is a huge fan of the carb-free concoction…
Mr S and I didn’t sample the historic dish as we spied several other favourites on the menu.
Our old favourite tuna tartare with avocado and pine nuts. Strangely enough we were still sticking to a dish historical to LA as in fact, a dish I always thought came from Japan, actually originated in Beverly Hills! I’m sure many would debate the story but apparently the dish was invented in Chaya Brasserie when the chef was asked to make a substitute for steak tartare. I’m not one to question whether the Asian dish was invented in the States…it’s one of my favourite starters and, of course, the Polo Lounge’s version was excellent!
Contrasting to the cold and raw tuna were hot crisp Dungeness crab cakes paired with a refreshing and zesty citrus salad.
Neither of us were pulling any punches here, Mr Silver went for the favourite of any Hollywood heavyweight: The Polo Lounge burger with cheddar cheese, applewood bacon and grilled onions
Just check out that bad, boy. Even Elvis would be proud.
I had to have our new favourite dish, fish tacos!!
Feeling like a proper California girl, I dove eagerly into my treat. Hunger clearly satisfied, we went to explore the rest of the hotel.
The whole pool area has been recently refurbished with plush cabanas all named after famous streets in Beverley Hills and it is lined with lush but unobtrusive palm trees which add to the exotic beauty. The pool was also a focal point for old Hollywood and stars such as Faye Dunaway, Rita Hayworth and Lucille Ball flocked to enjoy some relaxation there. But a Hollywood star can still enjoy the pool while preserving her blow dry by relaxing with a bellini and nibbling on a salad at the poolside cabana cafe.
I really could live in this hotel, it has everything I could possible need, a salon for getting my hair perfectly coiffed, a spa to relax in and a gym to sweat out all the champagne and fish tacos that I’ve indulged in!
And while I’m doing all this my husband can relax in the gentleman’s club-like atmosphere of Bar Nineteen12.
And of course, The Beverly Hills Hotel is the ideal place to have your Hollywood Red Carpet moment…
So you can see why The Beverly Hills Hotel really is like Barbie’s dream house…what little girl (or adult woman…) wouldn’t want to stay in a Pink Palace? And though we stayed in some amazing places on our honeymoon, a vineyard, a cliff top log cabin, and overwater bungalow, I can safely say The Beverly Hills was my favourite hotel that we stayed in. And one of my favourite places ever…
