The Beverly Hills Hotel

So if any of you have the app 'Timehop' and have ever been on a half decent holiday, you will share my excruciating pain when it comes to "revisiting what you did this time last year" year after year. It's a feeling far from pleasant...

This time last year i had just begun the trip of a lifetime with my best friends in Los Angeles to what was the very start of a month travelling the West Coast of the USA. Being a big believer in 'splashing out' and never doing things by half, we decided to book in to the Beverly Hills Hotel a few days in to the trip, just off Sunset Boulevard for brunch in the world renowned Polo Lounge, and to of course sneak around the twelve acres of landscaped gardens and bungalows to see if we could spot someone by the likes of Joan Collins or George Clooney.

 I had seen photographs of figures such as Greta Garbo and Elizabeth Taylor on the loungers beside the pool and scenes from American classics which depict the forties Hollywood interior design however i wasn't remotely prepared for what i was about to encounter.

Turning off Sunset Boulevard and up the driveway dressed in palm trees and banana leaf, pastel pink and leaf green rendering marks the frontage of the 1912 building. Instantly, the time warp effect is in full swing. This continues when walking in through the main lobby. This entrance plays a vital role in giving off the best impression for the guests and visitors of the hotel. The 1995 renovation of the Sultan of Brunei owned hotel was evidently driven by the intention of creating this time machine effect for visitors.

 Out through the hotel to the Polo Lounge and the pink patio, it's pretty hard to ignore the rest of the hotel decor. Banana leaf print by Martinique line the walls with the occasional gold bell boy trolley dotted about with Louis Vuitton casually slumped on top of each other. Feeling rather financially inferior by this point...moving on...

 After brunch, we walked out through the back of the hotel out to the pool area to suss it all out. Instantly greeted by a sign which prohibits any photography in the pool area. Probing the very question as to why and who we are not to be photographing? The pastel pink lounge padding marks this iconic watering hole for Hollywood stars whilst the white linen cabanas shade the movie stars from those harmful ageing rays.

 The design of this pool area could be described as dated however i think in this case it just works. Whereby taste and design has evolved since this original fit-out, it has been preserved through meticulous upkeep, enabling us to appreciate it for what it is. Unlike other hotels in the Dorchester Collection and those that tower over London and Dubai such as the Shangri-La which are renowned for the extremely extravagant interiors of marble and gold, the Beverly Hills is far more innocent and understated with its decor.

 If anyone is planning on making a trip to Los Angeles in the future and either has an eye for interiors or an appetite for eggs Benedict and buttermilk pancakes with champagne then The Beverly Hills Hotel is perfect for you.

 So basically, i really need to visit again. I often find myself in places where there is too much to take everything all in and i need a second visit...anyone buying this excuse?

I hope that one day i am in a financial position which would enable me to pay another visit to the hotel and stay in one of the bungalows or rooms off the pool area to really live the Beverly Hills experience. Keep dreaming...! I also hope to go back to take in the decor and interior design once more. I wouldn't mind a glass or two whilst lounging by the pool.

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