The Peninsula Beverly Hills
Where
The Peninsula Beverly Hills is in a great location on Santa Monica Boulevard, close to Rodeo Drive and Century City.
Backstory
The Peninsula Beverly Hills opened in 1991 and has been consistently been rated AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star every year since 1993. It was designed to look and feel like a stately, yet very grand, home, which means you do feel at home as soon as you walk through the doors – most likely held open for you by a white-suited gentleman with a beaming smile.
Rooms and interiors
I don’t notice the pillow at first. I have just eaten the gorgeous welcome chocolates in my Deluxe Room and was in a sugar coma. Then I see the beautiful ‘HH’ initials on the pillow. It is a lovely touch, one of many that Peninsula Hotels do so well and why they are held in such high regards by their loyal guests. The Peninsula has 195 guest rooms including 38 suites and 17 private villas. The king-sized bed is like sleeping on a cloud and I love the elegant marble bathroom, user-friendly work desk and, most of all, I love opening the French doors to look out over the fountain below, and listen to its happy gurging.
Dining
The Peninsula’s signature restaurant is the Belvedere, which has been pleasing guests and local diners for over two decades with a Mediterranean-meets-Californian vibe. It has contemporary interiors with a recently added Terrace, which is a gorgeous alfresco area with a tangle of treillage giving a lovely splash of green, French limestone fountains and an outdoor fireplace. I am very happy with breakfast, and so enjoy the space it almost turns into brunch.
I also love the Living Room off the Belvedere, which is where the well to do come for their High Tea. It is a really inviting space but not as inviting as the delicate tiered cake stands covered in delightful morsels.
Another great space is the Club Bar, an intimate space serving tipples ranging from rare single-malt whiskies, to an extensive selection of wines by the glass, including the hotel’s private-label Keller The Peninsula Sonoma Pinot Noir.
Then there is a Roof Garden, which is on the rooftop by the pool serving Californian cuisine through the day, with special offerings on weekends. The space is divine – especially the lounge chairs around the fire pit.
Features
The rooftop pool is a highlight, there is no doubt. The pool is lovely, but I particularly love the 12 poolside cabanas which are fitted with flat-screen TVs, fans, heaters, safes, iPod docks and cordless phones. Book them in advance. You can also choose to have a spa treatment in the Spa Cabana – take your pick of a refresher facial, manicure, pedicure or a reflexology massage.
But for the full experience, stumble off your daybed in your cabana and head into The Peninsula Spa – also on the rooftop level. Relax with a tea in the Serenity Lounge before your massage or treatment of choice – mine being the 90-minute Silhouette treatment. A full-body scrub and then a slimming coffee, mate and Guarana wrap to burn fat, followed by a full body massage sent me into a world of bliss.
What I loved
The thing that sets the Peninsula properties apart – and the Beverly Hills property is no different – is its people. Whether it is the white-gloved doorman, the valet, the masseuse, the restaurant server or the bar staff, every single person helps create a warm and friendly environment that makes you feel at home. That is why so many guests keep coming back.
And if I get the chance, I will be one of them. After all, where else would I find pillows with my initials monogrammed on them!
