I recently returned from a whirlwind four-day trip to
Beverly Hills and Laguna Beach, California. I went out for business to meet
with the CEO of the Virtuoso family I joined last March, to see some colleagues
and friends, and to do some inspections that would cross some top hotels off my
luxe travel bucket list; and let’s not lie – this mama of two young boys who
works from home with the 2.5 year old – needed a break!
Upon my arrival into
LAX I was picked up by Major (yes, that was really his name– and he owned it!)
from Empire CLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services. He delivered me safe and sound
to my first destination hotel, the iconic Beverly Wilshire (A Four Seasons
Hotel). A history-rich luxury hotel in the heart of Beverly Hills, just steps
from Rodeo Drive - the hotel presents 395 fresh, contemporary hotel guest rooms
– including 137 luxurious suites. Now, I
am going to be honest in saying I did not realize the movie “Pretty Woman” had not been filmed on site, and that it was
actually filmed in constructed Hollywood movie sets. So, after my initial
disappointment of not having Barney there to greet me or not recognizing the
lobby, I checked into a lovely signature balcony room overlooking the Hollywood
Hills and Wilshire Wing of the hotel. After freshing up I headed down to wait for my girlfriend
and colleague, Lee Ann Howe, to arrive and join me for a fun girls night slumber
party, Wilshire style.
After some shopping on Rodeo Drive we headed out to Mari
Vanna’s; A Russian tea and caviar bar in Melrose Place. Hyatt was hosting an appreciation
party headed up by my friend the lovely Nicole Vaziri, the global sales
director for Hyatt. Shabby chic and romantic, Mari Vanna’s was like stepping
into another world from where we were.
They offered infused vodka’s and
specialty caviar, as well as a wonderful variety of delicious appetizers. I finally got to connect with my virtual BFF,
Katelyn O’Shaughnessy, a major up and coming millennial in the travel game who has
developed the app “Tripscope” and is making major waves in the business. It was
wonderful to see so many industry friends and meet new ones. It was one of many
highlights of my trip.
After Mari Vanna’s we headed across the street to meet up
with another industry friend and colleague, the airline guru, John Deker, for
dinner at The Fig & Olive. Oh my gosh! What delicious Mediterranean food
and fun company. We had a great time catching up and I was elated to have an
adult meal where I didn’t have to manage children, or coerce anyone into eating
their meal. THAT alone is a vacation in itself for a stay-at-home mom.
The next day I packed up and headed over to destination #2,
The Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows. A favorite among celebrities and
people wishing to avoid the prying eye, The Beverly Hills Hotel hit a home run
with me. Remaining faithful to the original architecture and interior design,
the hotel has been carefully renovated to preserve its supreme level of comfort
and flair. Surrounded by 12 acres of lush gardens and exotic flowers, The
Beverly Hills Hotel has 208 rooms and suites including 23 one-of-a-kind
bungalows.
I arrived early and
took the opportunity to mosey among the citrus groves and gardens and walk
along the beautiful pathways between the bungalows. Again, I was in a different
world. WAAAY different than my Montana mountains. With swaying palm trees, huge
bushes of birds of paradise, flowing bushes of hot pink bougainvillea, azalea's ,
pulmonaria, and all different colored bromeliads
covered every bit of ground space; it was truly paradise.
To kill some more time as my room was getting ready - I went
downstairs to grab a light something to eat in The Fountain Coffee room. A
historical landmark, the 19 seat Fountain Coffee Room – complete with a vintage
soda fountain - first opened in the 1940s. With a very informal feel, where
everyone just belly’s up to the bar to watch the chef fry up eggs, and hash
browns and other breakfast delicacies’, I was taking it all in when a woman
walked in, and I thought “Gosh, she kinda looks like Kim Kardashain”. She sat
right next to me, to which I said “hello”, and thought again “Yeah, she sure
does”… as it was all sinking in, the waitress came over and greeted her by name
and started up a conversation about Halloween and what our children dressed up
as and before you knew it we were chatting about how she and Kanye have been trying for baby #2 for six months now. So, as far as celeb sightings go, I hit the jackpot getting to dine right
next to Kim Kardashian, basically WITH her. Honestly though – celebrity status doesn’t
mean much to me. It was neat to say I got to talk to her, and I loved the
moment that hotel management came in and saw me dining and immediately thanked
me for coming to stay with them and comped my meal, to which Kim looked at me
like “WHO are you? Should I know who YOU are?!”. That was a pretty cool moment in
my career. I also saw David Spade dining in The Cabana Café, and Josh
Hutcherson who portrays Peeta Mellark in “The Hunger Games” while dining that
afternoon. If I had any need to check off a celebrity sighting, I sure as heck
accomplished that at The Beverly Hills Hotel.
From there I was notified that my room was ready. And oh boy – was I in for the royal treatment. A 525sf Deluxe Guestroom, gorgeous luxe bathroom, with a huge furnished balcony. Appointed beautifully and with fine details, I felt like a queen dancing around the room.
For lunch I got to meet with the
lovely sales directors Ceara & Aiko and
another good friend/colleague, Mina Shaifee, for lunch at The Polo Lounge.
We had so much fun swapping stories, and
getting to know each other. One of my favorite meetings for sure. That evening Katelyn
O’Shaughnessy and the CEO of Coastline Travel Advisors, Jay Johnson, came to
have dinner and drinks with me in the Polo Lounge again. I had known when I
signed on with Coastline Travel that this was the Virtuoso family I had longed
for. Full of kind, and helpful people wanting to see you succeed. Jay was
awesome; down to earth and the kind of real leader I want to be associated
with. It was another super great night where I just had to sit back and take it
in, reflect and be thankful for everything.
I was sad to check out the next morning, but it was on to my
next adventure – Montage Laguna Beach. Armen from 1st Choice Towncar
& Limousine picked me up in style for the hour and a half transfer to
Laguna Beach. I am a huge fan of Montage Deer Valley in Park City, UT – so I
was very curious and excited about staying at Montage Laguna Beach for two
nights, and it did not disappoint. Set on an oceanfront bluff with sweeping panoramas of the Pacific Ocean and striking Craftsman-style architecture, this 248-room luxury beach resort commands 30 lushly landscaped acres in the heart of the picturesque arts community of Laguna Beach. Immediately upon entering the lobby and
through to the lounge – one takes in absolutely breathtaking, sweeping views of
the ocean and Laguna Beach. My Ocean Coastal King room was beautiful, with a furnished
balcony looking out to the grounds and ocean. True to Montage standards the guestrooms
offer turn-of-the-century décor complete with custom dark wood furnishings, a
muted color scheme and early California artwork and architectural detailing.
After finishing up inspections I headed over to lunch at the
Mosaic Bar & Grill where I was seated right next to Nick & Vanessa
Lachey and their sweet son. I told Vanessa her baby bump was too cute and that
she looked beautiful, to which she thanked me and told me I was “too sweet”. I wandered around the grounds after that,
taking in the fresh sea breeze, being absolutely amazed by the HUGE bushes of
aloe vera plants, sweeping bushes of the gorgeous indigenous bougainvillea and
the impressive chef’s herb garden. I went down and walked along the beach, with
my toes in the sand, breathing in the surf and was so grateful for my life and
career. I truly have the best job in the world and I’m so appreciative of all
of the opportunities that have been presented to me.
The next day I was excited to meet with one of my
destination brides from Lander, Wyoming who now lives ten miles from Laguna,
Amanda Dorf. We headed over to The Loft for an afternoon of wine and fancy
cheese’s from their exquisite cheese gallery. We had a great time catching up
and laughing. It was wonderful to see her for a few hours.
After she took off, and I was good and primed on wine – I went and changed into my swim suit and headed down to the beach to take a dip, and watch the sunset for my last night in California. I stayed until dusk burned off, and the stars came out.
That night I went out to dinner with another colleague, Dave
Petray. He took me to Javier’s in Newport Beach. Best described as “gourmet
Mexican” I had Dungeness Crab enchiladas that were to die for. I may dream
about that meal for some time. And then for desert we zipped over to Mastro’s
Steakhouse & Ocean Club for their famous “Warm Butter Cake”. It
was a culinary tour, and I was so appreciative of Dave showing me the hot spots
in Long Beach. Super fun night.
After she took off, and I was good and primed on wine – I went and changed into my swim suit and headed down to the beach to take a dip, and watch the sunset for my last night in California. I stayed until dusk burned off, and the stars came out.
After a lovely transfer with VIP Limousines & Coaches I
was back to LAX and survived a treacherous day of canceled flights, and delays
and finally made it home to home-sweet-Montana that evening. It was an awesome
trip, filled with many highlights and I can’t wait to return.
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