Montage Beverly Hills’ Presidential Suite, Photo Credit: Montage Hotels & Resorts
When it comes to luxurious destinations, Beverly Hills has a well-deserved reputation as a playground for the rich and famous, with plenty of opulent homes, high-end shopping and top-tier restaurants to show for it. We give you the highlights for two-day trip to this glamorous Los Angeles escape.
Day One
Check into Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Montage Beverly Hills and settle into one of its spacious suites overlooking Beverly Canon Gardens. Plush details such as fireplaces, marble bathtubs, private terraces and substantial closet space will have you feeling at home in no time. A visit to the Five-Star Spa Montage Beverly Hills’ Moroccan-style mineral pools should be your next priority, followed by a cold-pressed juice sipped at the hotel’s Rooftop Grill, where you can take in sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills.
Next, head six blocks down Wilshire Boulevard to the third floor of Neiman Marcus for a plant-based meal at the chic Matthew Kenney NM, a vegan standout in a neighborhood known more for its Italian cuisine and steaks than green Californian fare. A vibrant bowl of zucchini noodle tagliatelle with white corn succotash will leave you much better equipped to contemplate that monumental handbag purchase.
Keeping in the spirit of wellness, pop over to the trendy Alo Yoga, the yoga-wear company’s flagship store on Canon Drive; the spot has a sunny rooftop deck and yoga studio plus an organic kombucha café.
Cut Beverly Hills, Photo Credit: Wolfgang Puck
Nearby Five-Star The Beverly Hills Hotel also offers public yoga classes each Saturday morning through its 9021-OM program. A visit to the historic “Pink Palace” is essential and the class is a great way to see the property. Make sure to stop by the downstairs soda fountain and gift shop of goods splashed with the hotel’s signature banana leaf and hot-pink print.
After a wardrobe change, meet friends for drinks at the sleek Cut Lounge in the nearby Four-Star Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills (A Four Seasons Hotel). Nosh on satisfying snacks like crab avocado toast with Santa Barbara uni, seared sirloin skewers with harissa aioli and bite-sized truffle grilled cheese—and don’t overlook the Japanese whiskey list, either.
When a dinner-sized hunger strikes, Wolfgang Puck’s beloved Four-Star steakhouse Cut Beverly Hills sits right next door, and his celebrated Spago is just a stone’s throw from there.
There are plenty of newly opened restaurants to try out, too. Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian’s Georgie, located in Montage Beverly Hills, serves classics made modern with a global palette of ingredients. The two-level Nerano specializes in housemade pasta crafted by executive chef Michele Lisi, who comes to California by way of Puglia, Italy.
For after-dinner drinks, head to Wally’s wine bar, a Beverly Hills institution boasting more than 2,500 different bottles as well as rare spirits, craft beer and selections of caviar, chocolate and truffles.
The Belvedere, Photo Credit: The Peninsula Hotels
Day Two
Start the morning off with an enjoyable workout by booking a customizable bicycle tour with Bikes and Hikes LA. See where the city’s most fabulous locals live and pedal to destinations like Beverly Gardens Park, the curious Witch House and Greystone Mansion and Gardens, where countless movies, TV shows and music videos have been filmed.
Break for lunch at Four-Star The Belvedere, the French countryside-inspired restaurant tucked inside of Five-Star The Peninsula Beverly Hills. Chef David Codney’s fresh and elegant fare includes dishes like potted smoked salmon with roe and dill, charred Caesar salad with crispy Brussels sprouts and kale, and Mediterranean meagre (a juicy white fish) with spinach salsa verde and endive. Save room for pastry chef Stephanie Boswell’s incredible desserts, which are a feast for both the eyes and mouth (two words: Fabergé s’mores).
Rodeo Drive, Photo Credit: Dorchester Collection
No trip to Beverly Hills is complete without a visit to Rodeo Drive—even if you’re simply window-shopping along the palm-lined retail paradise. Chanel, Prada, Burberry, Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana are just a handful of the brands with storefronts on the famed street. VIPs can be found sipping champagne on Louis Vuitton’s scenic deck, being fitted at Bally for made-to-order leather shoes or trying on clothes in one of the private shopping lounges found at many of the boutiques.
For your final night, book far in advance for dinner at Tempura Endo, the only location of this Kyoto-style tempura restaurant found outside of Japan. The full omakase experience is a feast consisting of fried bites of shrimp toast, Wagyu beef, uni, prawn and scallop with caviar—all prepared by two chefs at a centerpiece-worthy copper-covered fryer.
There’s undoubtedly no better way to end a trip to Beverly Hills than an experience at £10—that is, if you can finagle a reservation. The secret bar, which is tucked away on the second floor of the Montage and accessible only through a kitchen entrance, specializes in Macallan single malts. The list includes scotch aged in sherry oak and old rare bottles aged anywhere from 15 to 64 years. A dram of the latter, poured over an ice sphere molded from Scottish water and served in Lalique crystal glassware, will cost you $6,400.
It will give you a taste of Beverly Hills’ high life.
