Stories & Snaps: 3 Days in Beverly Hills at Christmas.

It had been over ten years since I had last visited Los Angeles, so when I discovered that a round-the-world flight was literally half-the-price as a standard return from London to Australia, I took the opportunity and booked it. Los Angeles (mostly the Beverly Hills area) was my last stop before home, and it was freezing!! I didn’t realise how cold and rainy LA is in the winter!

But despite the cold, I had the best time and it was so cool visiting at Christmas, so I wanted to tell you all about it through a ‘Stories & Snaps’ post (although you can click here if you’re interested in seeing a ‘best things to do in LA’ guide).

Like I said, I spent most of my time in the Beverly Hills/Hollywood area, but then I also went out to San Bernardino and up into West Hills (which is next to Hidden Hills, where the Kardashians live) to visit my cousins. I was planning to do other things like go to Santa Monica and Malibu, but it rained most of the time I was in LA.

So, ready to hear my stories and what I got up to in LA? Let’s go!

Rodeo Drive Christmas decorations in Beverly Hills

Day 1 in Los Angeles

I arrived at the Hotel Bel-Air after my 14-hour flight from Sydney in clothes that were not suitable for the 13 degree celcius weather! Thankfully when I checked in, I discovered that my (absolutely epic) Canyon Suite was nice and warm and had the heating on.

But I still needed to get warmer clothes, so I headed down to reception and asked if the town car was available to take me to the shopping mall nearby. It was – so I hopped in and soon I was in American Eagle picking through their choice of jumpers. I found one that worked, so paid up and called an Uber to take me back to the hotel. I felt much better with my jumper on, and decided to go and grab lunch at the In & Out on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, then take a wander around Hollywood.

In & Out Lunch in Hollywood

Now, I had never been to In & Out before, but had been desperate to visit for years after seeing it constantly on social media. The reality? I was massively disappointed. The burger and fries were cold and a bit soggy, and it was just very meh. The only good thing was the milkshake, which was a very good milkshake! And I did appreciate their seasonal packaging.

In n Out burger with fries and a milkshake

After my quick In & Out lunch I walked up from Sunset Boulevard to Hollywood Boulevard, and instantly felt uncomfortable. It was raining, it was empty of tourists, and it was just full of dodgy weirdos trying to speak to me. I remember Hollywood being a bit grimey when I last visited in 2012, but this was on a whole other level. It was another level of dirty, and just felt horrible.

A road in Hollywood in the rain

I saw the Chinese Theater and then walked down Hollywood Boulevard towards the Frolic Room, as I’d heard great things about this original Hollywood dive bar and thought it would be fun to grab a drink there. Well, I didn’t even make it there, I got spooked by a coupla weirdos, so ducked into McDonalds to order an Uber. Even the McDonalds felt dodgy and made me feel uncomfortable, so was I glad to see my Uber turn up outside!! Note to self: avoid Hollywood on future visits unless it’s main tourist season.

Getty Museum

Every time I visit a city I’ve already been to, I like to do one new thing that I’ve never done before. On this occasion that thing was to visit The Getty Center, home of the J. Paul Getty Museum. I was only staying at Hotel Bel-Air for one night, so wanted to make the most of visiting the attractions closest to the hotel that day. And thankfully, my visit to the museum more than made up for my Hollywood disappointment!

We didn’t visit the Getty Museum on my last visit to LA, and as I approached it I wondered why not!? It is BEAUTIFUL. You park at the bottom in the car park (or do like I did, and get dropped off), and then you have to go through security and board a little monorail type of thing which takes you to the top. I went on a wet and cloudy day and it was still stunning, so imagine what it would look like on a sunny day!!

The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los AngelesThe J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles

The views are just incredible, and when you get to the top you’re treated to this even more beautiful view over the whole of Los Angeles.

The view from the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles

I was super tired after my long flight and zero sleep, so wasn’t really in the right headspace to look at a lot of artwork, so i just bee-lined for one particular part of the museum: the West Pavilion. This is where Van Gogh’s Irises are located, as well as some of the most well-known works by Monet, Manet, Gaugin, Renoir, and Degas.

The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los AngelesThe J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles

I was on such a mission to see Irises that I actually had a security guard follow me, haha. He must have been uneasy about my fast-paced London walk! But as soon as I found it I coudn’t help but stop and stare in awe, and soon I got lost in the paintings as I wandered aimlessly around taking in Monet’s Sunrise and Wheatstacks, Renoir’s The Promenade, and numerous other priceless works of art.

After a quick stop in the shop to pick up postcards for my grandmothers, I called the hotel’s town car and soon the driver was at the bottom of the hill to collect me. I was very tired by this point and desperately needed a nap, but wanted to try and fight the jetlag by staying awake as long as possible.

As soon as I got back to my suite at Hotel Bel-Air, I put my swimsuit on and switched on my private firepit and hot tub! Honestly, when I tell you it was absolute bliss sitting in that hot and steaming water, the fire blazing nearby, and just chilling whilst eating a cupcake that had been left for me by the hotel.

Steak at The Palm

When my tummy started rumbling, I called down to reception and asked them if the town car was available. It was! (honestly, does no one else use these things?!) So I asked it to drop me at The Palm, one of LA’s oldest and most famous steakhouses (although the original opened in NYC in 1926), where Fred Astaire once tap-danced on the bar at their old West Hollywood location.

The Palm Steakhouse in Beverly Hills

I managed to get a booth all to myself, and had a lovely time sipping on my ‘Palm Mule’ (Tito’s Handmade Vodka, St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, Q Ginger Beer, fresh mint and fresh lime juice) and people watching. For my food I ordered a steak, of course. I went for a filet with bernaise sauce, and a side of Three-Cheese Au Gratin Potatoes and Wild Mushrooms.

I enjoyed my dinner at The Palm and it’s definitely a great place if you love good steak, cocktails, and people-watching, like I do, but I’m not sure it was worth the money – although this was a common thought throughout my time in LA. I did find the city very expensive!

Drinks in the hotel’s bar

I was trying to stay awake as long as possible to help with the jetlag, so I popped in to the Hotel Bel-Air’s piano bar lounge on my way back to my suite for a nightcap. This is where I was *really* shocked by the prices…$19 (not including tip), for a SINGLE shot of Bailey’s! What in the world!? I was baffled.

Anyway, I think it was worth it because they also gave me some nice snacky bits, and the vibe and atmosphere in the bar was incredible. If you could package up what you expect the glamorous side of LA to look like…this was it. There was live music with a pianist and singer, it was full of beautiful and glamorous people, and it was all dark and moody and just very, very glam.

I bloody loved it! What a perfect way to end my first day back in LA.

Day 2 in Los Angeles

My second day in Los Angeles was all about food and family. I honestly ate so much food in LA, it’s a wonder I came home the same size as when I started my vacation. As well as all the food, my Dad’s cousins live in Los Angeles so I spent some time with them and got to know them a bit better! But, I also did some celeb-spotting and saw Harry Hamlin!

Breakfast at Wolfgang Puck

I began my second day in LA with breakfast at Wolfgang Puck at the Hotel Bel-Air. It’s the hotel’s only restaurant, and let me tell you, I had the best omelette I’ve ever eaten. It was a French-style omelette with wild field mushrooms, gruyère, cipollini and fingerling potatoes, and it was just delicious. Luckily breakfast was included with my room, because once again, it was wildly expensive.

Breakfast at Wolfgang Puck at the Hotel Bel-Air

Checking-in at the Beverly Hills Hotel

After breakfast I packed up my bags and checked out of the Hotel Bel-Air – it was time for me to transfer over to its sister hotel, the Beverly Hills Hotel. Now this was a really special one for me. When we first visited LA back in 2012 we stood outside the Beverly Hills Hotel and took photos, but we didn’t go inside.

I was desperate to see it, so I promised myself that one day I would stay there as a hotel guest. And ten years later, at the grand age of 31, I did it. You can read more about my stay there in my review of the Beverly Hills Hotel (spoiler: it was incredible).

The Beverly Hills Hotel exteriorBeverly Hills Hotel martinique wallpaper hallway

After checking-in to the very festive Beverly Hills Hotel (honestly I LOVED that the red carpet was surrounded by decorations) and getting very over-excited by my room (and the snacks and cocktail making kit that they left for me), I decided to go to one of Beverly Hills’ most well-regarded restaurants for lunch. Once again, I’d seen it all over social media.

Lunch at Avra Beverly Hills

I took the Beverly Hills Hotel’s town car (honestly, why does no one else seem to use these cars!? It was always available whenever I needed it!) to Avra, a Greek restaurant in central Beverly Hills. Unfortunately they don’t give tables to parties of 1, even if they’re available, you have to sit up at the bar. So I was sat at the bar with all the other sad single people sitting alone lol.

The restaurant was beautiful and buzzing, but the more I looked at the menu the more I realised I just wasn’t in the mood for mediterranean food. It was also very expensive (surprise surprise – I am aware I spent most of my time in Beverly Hills so it was really my own fautl haha).

But I was hungry and couldn’t be bothered to go and find somewhere else, so I just ordered Saganaki (which is basically a big slab of deep-fried cheese lol), and a cous-cous salad as a side. To be honest, the cous-cous salad was so big I could have just eaten that as a main. I will never get used to the US portion sizes!

Celeb-spotting

My belly full from lunch, I called the hotel’s town car to come and get me. While I waited for my lovely driver to arrive I walked around the corner to Rodeo Drive and spotted Harry Hamlin! It was a bit awkward because I was filming an Instagram story because I’d walked up Rodeo Drive towards some giant Nutcrackers…

Rodeo Drive at Christmas

I’d heard the singing of Christmas carols, and I assumed it was coming from these big Nutcrackers. You know how in British garden centres at Christmas you get those big singing reindeer and snowmen? I just thought it was a fancy Beverly Hills nutcracker version! But then as I got closer to them I looked up and realised it was a choir of carol singers on a balcony above haha.

Anyway, this tickled me so much I took to Instagram stories to tell everyone about it, and as I was filming Harry Hamlin walked past me. He looked at me apprehensively as if worried I was filming him, as he was walking towards the back of my camera, if that makes sense? and that’s what made me notice him.

It took me a while to figure out who he was, but Twitter came to my rescue when I described him as ‘a short older dude in his 50s or 60s, with floppy grey hair and thick-rimmed glasses’ haha. I’m a big Real Housewives fan and have often fawned over him cooking up delicious food for the housewives (and Lisa Rinna is my fave housewife – plz don’t come for me), so I don’t know how I didn’t instantly know who he was!

Family Time in West Hills

When I got back to the hotel, I did a quick change and then got an Uber up to West Hills where my cousins live. West Hills is about a 45min drive away from Beverly Hills, and the hotel’s town car will only take you in a 3-mile radius lol.

I had a very relaxed afternoon with my cousins, chatting and catching-up and going over some of our family tree stuff. I had only ever met one of them before, so it was nice to meet more of them and get to know them all!

Dinner at South Beverly Grill

After a few hours out in West Hills I needed to get back to Beverly Hills as I had a dinner reservation at South Beverly Grill, one of my favourite restaurants in Los Angeles, and somewhere that was one of my very first restaurant reviews on this blog (and my very first international restaurant review!).

I sat up at the restaurant’s bar at the end, facing onto the entire restaurant, so I could people-watch, and ordered an amaretto sour. It was a damn good amaretto sour, and I had the best time just sitting there sipping on my cocktail, listening to the live music that was seeping in from the restaurant’s separate bar area next door, and watching everything going on.

South Beverly Grill is a celebrity hot-spot in LA (although as you can see above from me struggling to recognise Harry Hamlin, I’m not very good at recognising celebrities in the wild), and thankfully the food is just as good as the cocktails. I ordered the ribs and fries just like I did ten years ago, and it was just as good as I’d remembered it!

South Beverly Grill ribs

Mulled Wine & Dessert at The Polo Lounge

I decided to save my dessert stomach for The Polo Lounge. As I was staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where The Polo Lounge is located, I wanted to make the most of it!

I arrived at The Polo Lounge around 9pm and thankfully they keep certain tables and booths aside for hotel guests, so you needn’t worry about booking if you’re a hotel guest. I could choose a table in any of the spaces, so I chose a lovely little booth in the famous green room, as I knew I would be having breakfast outside on the terrace the following morning…and it was raining.

As it was Christmas, I ordered a mulled wine, and a hot fudge sundae. Oh my goodness you guys!!! The sundae was so basic but tasted so, so good. The hot fudge sauce poured over the soft serve was just incredible! Another perfect end to my day.

Beverly Hills Hotel Polo lounge hot fudge sundae

Day 3 in Los Angeles

My third day in Los Angeles was my favourite day of the entire trip!! It was a beautiful sunny day, and after walking around Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive in the sunshine, my cousin and I went to visit the graves of our great aunt and great uncle. It was just a really special and beautiful day, and ended with the best sunset and my cousin’s wife cooking us the most incredible Indian meal! Let me tell you more about it…

Breakfast at Polo Lounge

I woke bright and early for breakfast and I was so excited for a Saturday brunch at the Polo Lounge that I couldn’t wait any longer, so I headed down at 9am ready to people-watch to my heart’s content and eat all the pancakes and lemonade!

I sprinted downstairs, took my seat at a table outside on the patio of The Polo Lounge, and wondered where all the people were…why was it empty?! This was supposed to be the hottest brunch spot in LA! Well. It turns out no one goes for brunch until 10:30/11am in LA hahaha. It’s very different to Australia where everyone is up and out super early in the morning.

Beverly Hills Hotel Polo LoungeBeverly Hills Hotel Polo Lounge

Nevermind. I ordered my blueberry-ricotta pancakes, and Pink Palace Lemonade, and thoroughly enjoyed them in the setting of the beautiful patio, despite being all alone in the restaurant. Finally other people started arriving around 9:30am, and by 10am when I left it was already much busier. If only I’d waited an hour!

Beverly Hills Hotel Polo Lounge

Exploring the hotel

After brekky I really wanted to explore the hotel more and see it in the sunshine, so I had a wander and then headed down to the pool to see the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel swimming pool. Obviously it was the middle of winter and 13 degrees celcius, so there was no WAY I was taking my clothes off to get in…even though the water itself is constantly heated to a balmy 27 degrees celcius. But it was nice to look at it.

Beverly Hills Hotel swimming pool

Maybe one day I can return in the summer time?

You have to use your room keycard to get into the pool area, which means the pool and the restaurant by the pool are only available to hotel guests. It was completely empty when I arrived, and there were just pool staff getting everything ready for the day, but it’s such a beautiful space and I imagine in the height of summer it’s absolutely buzzing!

Walking to Beverly Hills via The Flats

I then decided to make the most of the sunshine and walk into Beverly Hills itself. It’s around a 25min walk from the hotel, and you walk all through The Flats, which is the super expensive part of town where all the big movie moguls and billionaires own homes. It’s probably the most stereotypical ‘LA’ neighbourhood you’ll see as it’s completely lined with huge, tall palm trees!

Beverly Hills palm trees

It’s a really great walk for having a nosey at the houses and feeling like you could be a local (*sigh* if only…) and as a solo woman it was nice to be in a part of LA that felt safe and comfortable.

Christmas Decorations in Beverly Hills

The Christmas decorations hit you pretty early – even the Beverly Hills sign had the cutest red bows on them! I then walked down Rodeo Drive and OMG, the decorations are insane – and amazing! There were festive trains in the centre of the road, and as you go up to the ‘famous’ cute part of Rodeo Drive there was a big Christmas tree and various other decorations and photo opportunities.

Christmas decorations in Beverly HillsRodeo Drive Christmas decorations in Beverly HillsRodeo Drive Christmas decorations in Beverly HillsRodeo Drive Christmas decorations in Beverly Hills

Checking-in at The Beverly Wilshire

After I’d seen the decorations I walked back to the Beverly Hills Hotel, and said a sad goodbye to my room before checking out. Next stop: The Beverly Wilshire (aka, the Pretty Woman hotel).

Beverly Wilshire Hotel Los AngelesBeverly Wilshire Hotel Los Angeles

Now, I have to admit. I was disappointed with The Beverly Wilshire. It felt like a really fancy business hotel. The service was really impersonal and very blah, the hotel itself and the room wasn’t as impressive, and the swimming pool was kinda meh. I think I probably noticed it more after staying at the Hotel Bel-Air and Beverly Hills Hotel, which both go above and *beyond* on service.

The other two just really make you feel at home, and like you’re a loyal friend, whereas the Beverly Wilshire staff (which is owned by Four Seasons) just kinda treat you in a really snooty way and like you’re just another guest that they don’t care about. Given they were all around the same price-points, it was just a slightly disappointing experience.

Anyway, a big shout-out though to the bell-hop and the valet guys though who were really lovely! They definitely made up for the snooty reception and concierge staff members.

Visiting the Relatives

When the bell-hop brought my bags up to my room, he asked what my plans were and I told him, “This is really sad, but I’m actually going to visit my Great Uncle’s grave” lol. He asked which cemetery, and I said “Calvary”, and he was like “No way! All my family are buried there!” It turned out that he was Mexican and Catholic, and Calvary is the biggest Catholic cemetery in the city (my family are all Catholic too), and so he gave me some good advice on visiting!

He also told me something super cute – he said that when Mexicans go to visit their relatives graves, they go as a big family group and take a picnic and have a picnic with their dead relatives. When I tell you I TEARED UP! What a beautiful thing! I totally want to do that some day!

So after getting settled in my room I walked down to Wholefoods and bought two beautiful bunches of sunflowers for the graves, then caught an Uber to meet my cousin at Calvary cemetery.

Visiting Uncle Dan’s grave at Calvary cemetery

I arrived to find my cousin Mel was already there and chatting to the lady on the desk. It was then that they broke the news to me that Dan’s grave was unmarked :'(

The lady said they had the exact location of where he was buried, so they could show us exactly where he is buried, but there’s no headstone. I was super confused because our family were never short of money, but as he died suddenly in 1937 (in the middle of the great depression) and didn’t have any family living in the area, the lady said it was quite common for the family to choose to sort it out later, and then just never get round to it. Mel’s mum didn’t move to LA from Montana until the late 1940s, so that’s why it probably wasn’t sorted.

So, off we went to search for his grave location! The lady gave us the names of the two graves either side of him, and said he was inbetween these people. She also gave us a map and marked exactly where it was on the map. Soon enough we had found the location, and I have to admit I got really emotional when we found it. I fought back tears as I realised that we were his first family members to ever visit him, and laid a bunch of sunflowers down over him.

It’s weird, but I feel such a pull and connection to that side of my family. I can’t explain it at all, there’s just something inside me constantly telling me they’re somehow going to have this big impact on my life. I’m currently writing a book about their story, and there is no doubt in my mind that it’s something to do with that.

After saying goodbye to Uncle Dan (we are now also trying to get a gravestone for him), we then jumped into Mel’s car and started the drive out to San Bernardino, which is close to the mountains about an hour away from central LA.

Visiting Aunty Kitty’s grave in San Bernardino

The journey there was SO much fun! Mel and his family are Jewish, and as it was close to Hannukah he was playing all these Hebrew jazz songs in the car. I won’t lie, they were such a vibe.

Anyway, the drive was beautiful – you drive on the freeway but you’re surrounded by the California mountains the whole journey! We arrived during golden hour, and it was honestly so strange being back there. I first visited the cemetery in San Bernardino in 2012, and remember feeling so weirded out seeing my name on a grave (Aunty Kitty’s full name was also Catherine Lux).

The problem was it took us AGES to find her grave! I remembered where it was, and I had a photo I’d taken last time to help us pinpoint it, but it just wasn’t there! I stood at the exact location and compared my photo to the two graves either side of her and my heart sank – where has her headstone gone!? It had disappeared! It was there last time I visited!

Then Mel saw a mound of dirt nearby and said, “That looks like a gopher…I reckon a gopher has buried it…” I was so confused…but sure enough, Mel used his hands to dig into the dirt and the headstone was underneath a huge pile of soil! I was wearing my Birkenstocks so we used those as spades and dug the grave out so it was visible again. Those pesky gophers!!

Sadly we didn’t have water or cleaning materials, so I emailed the cemetery a few days later to ask them to clean it up for us. It’s just so strange, looking back at the photos from 10 years ago the ground was completely flat, and now all of the gravestones look sunken into the ground!?

Anyway, Mel said a Hebrew prayer which was really moving, and we laid down the second bunch of sunflowers on her headstone just as the sun started to set.

On the drive back to LA we had the most beautiful sunset, and after two days of non-stop rain, I’m convinced it was Uncle Dan and Aunty Kitty saying thank you to us for visiting them!

Shakes from Sonic Drive-Through

As we drove back to LA Mel told me all about how Sonic drive-through do the *best* milkshakes, so we stopped off at one and got the banana shake, and YOU GUYS. IT WAS INSANE. THEY USE ACTUAL REAL BANANA IN THEM. Best milkshake ever.

The Yummiest Indian Dinner

We finally arrived back at Mel’s house around 8pm, and spent the loveliest evening eating dinner with his family. His wife is Indian and she made us the most incredible Indian meal with homemade curry and handmade roti (which is my fave). I loved it so much, and they have the cutest little dog! I got an Uber back to the Beverly Wilshire later that evening, and fell asleep *so* fast after my busy day in LA.

Day 4 in Los Angeles

Day 4 was travel day! I was finally flying home to London after 3 weeks of travelling around the world. I was missing my dog, Frank, SO much and couldn’t wait to see him again!

I only had the morning in LA on my fourth day there, so I went for breakfast at The Ivy, which was SO disappointing and absolutely shockingly bad…sorry. I mean seriously, $50 for this limp piece of french toast and a juice?! On the menu it said the french toast was ‘fig and pecan’ french toast…TELL ME WHERE IS THE FIG? I was expecting beautiful fresh figs or a fig compote on the top…but no, there were just a few tiny pieces of fig INSIDE the thin slices of bread. It was an absolute joke (and those dry-ass scones were ‘complimentary’).

Maybe I’ll do a full blog post about my experience lol. Anyway, it was also pouring with rain again so after breakfast I just dashed around the corner to Target to grab some bits, then got an Uber back to the hotel, packed up my cases and headed to the airport for my flight home!

I’ve done a lot of travel to the US in the past year, and I have a lot more coming up this year. I’m really enjoying visiting to be honest and seeing different parts of the country, and although it’s expensive, it’s just such a friendly country to tourists and there’s so much to see and do there and so much beauty there.

Until next time California!

 

 

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Catherine Lux
Catherine Lux

Catherine Lux is a veteran travel blogger by night and the Head of SEO at Havas Media Group by day. Originally from Surrey, she spent four years living in Australia (2007-2009, and 2016-2018), and now lives in London. An ex-party girl sometimes prone to relapses, she loves nothing more than sharing her fine dining and luxury travel experiences with her loyal readers.

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