As I am sure you know by now, James and I took a trip to L.A last weekend and we were there all of 30 hours! The main reason we went was to see one of his favorite bands play. We decided to make a little getaway out of it, and today I am finally sharing all the details of our trip, including our favorite places to eat and shop. I jammed so much into 30 hours and I have to say, I nailed it. So if you are thinking of heading out to Cali sometime soon or you are just looking for some travel tips, then just keep scrolling!
Where We Stayed: Hotel Beverly Terrace
Since we would only be there one night, and knew we would barely be at the hotel, I didn’t want to splurge on a crazy luxurious hotel. And to be honest, I loved the Hotel Beverly Terrace. It was absolutely adorable and we were even welcomed with lavender lemonade and freshly made popcorn. Plus, their included continental breakfast in the morning was not only rustic glam perfection, but also delicious!
Where We Ate:
We basically ate for 30 hours straight! I had done so much research on the best restaurants in the area and I wanted to eat at as many of them as I could! Travel Tip: Book All Reservations Prior to Arriving. I knew a lot of the places that I wanted to eat at were popular spots. So I made sure to book all of our dinner and lunch spots ahead of time.
This was our very first stop, and one of the places I was the most excited about visiting. First off, it is pink with brass detailing. So of course I wanted to go there. But their green matcha was amazing and the whole setting was so trendy and fun. I even kept my cup as a souvenir! I know, I am so lame.
I loved every place we ate at during our trip, but this place was extra special. We were greeted with the choice of champagne or strawberry lemonade on the house while we awaited to be seated at the floral and perfectly quaint patio setting. This place is famous for hosting many celebrities and is known for their gorgeously displayed garden inspired entrees. I will say that it is PRICEY! So keep that in mind when budgeting your trip.
3. Laduree Macaroons Beverly Hills
If you read THIS post then you know the whole story attached to our experience at this little shop. You’ll have to read that post to get the details, but all I will say is AMAZING!
Vegan or not, this restaurant is very hyped about. But I knew that this place was a must stop for me because I heard their Avocado Benedict was amazing. And the rumors were true! We went there for Brunch on Sunday and loved the vibe and the food!
5. Salt & Straw
I had heard a lot about this ice cream shop, but I honestly wasn’t planning on going. But right before we were about to head home, I decided that baby wanted ice cream *wink *wink. I already had my heart set before I saw the line out the door and down the street. But guess what, I waited in line for 30 minutes anyway, and it was so worth the wait!
What We Did:
Travel Tip: I broke up our whole trip by location so that we could easily conquer everything from one area before we entered another one. That is one of my biggest pieces of advice when planning out a short trip where you want to do a lot. First, write a list of all the places you want to see. Then categorize them by area and plan your days according to area.
|Melrose Avenue|
This is super cute for Instagram pictures. But apparently only iPhone pictures are allowed. That was a surprise to us since we were originally planning to do a blog shoot here.
2. Violet Grey
This is the most adorable boutique like beauty shop. I purchased my first Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick there and loved how luxurious the experience was just being in that little shop.
3. Other Shops
DASH– Kardashian Store
Vivienne Westwood– high fashion and honestly James and I just found it amusing
Waterworks– The most glamorous home decor store ever!
|Other Spots Close By|
The band that we went to see was I See Stars. The theatre setting was super cool and had a grunge glam look to it.
5. LAMCA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
This is where we took the lantern blog photos from THIS post. We also ate dinner there at Ray’s Stark Bar.
6. Rodeo Drive
You have to have that Beverly Hills moment of strolling down Rodeo Drive and at least window shop. It has that famous palm tree drive with all things luxe!
|Venice Beach|
7. Boardwalk + Beach
8. Abbot Kinney Boulevard Shops– BURRO, Heavenly Couture, General Store, Blue Bottle Coffee, Coutula
As you can probably tell, we were busy bees during our short trip! But we even had time for a nap! My biggest peace of advice is to research any place before going and make a list of things you want to do. Categorize them by location and then pick the days you want to visit each location. Write it all down on a flexible itinerary and call ahead to make any necessary reservations. In case you want more pictures, here are my other posts from our trip.
1. Tweed Dress, Macaroons, and Rodeo Drive
3. 4 Tips for Picking Out Your Easter Dress
I hope you found something helpful in today’s post! Let me know if you would want more travel related posts in the future. Safe traveling!
