Hollywood glamour at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Century City
By CAT GRAY
Having only visited America once when I spent a fantastic weekend in New York, I jumped at the idea of visiting some of the best destinations in the West. With LA, Las Vegas and Santa Barbara to explore, and two states to drive through, we headed off on the ultimate mini road trip!
The first stop on our trip was the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles. As California’s largest city, this place has a real buzz about it and you could quite easily bump in to a massive movie star as you walk down the street. We stayed at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Century City hotel, which is just minutes from the city’s major entertainment studios, Beverly Hills’ world-class shopping on famed Rodeo Drive and the sun-soaked beaches on the coast.
The hotel itself has a feeling of grandeur and old Hollywood glamour boasting high end rooms and suites offering city views. The on-site restaurant serves a fantastic choice of food for lunch and dinner, from sumptuous salads to fresh fish.
Should you prefer a more relaxed meal then the lobby lounge serves a great menu of small plates throughout the day along with fantastic signature cocktails. Considering my Celtic roots, I also noted that they have an extensive whisky collection that any Scot would be proud to see!
If rest and relaxation is what you’re after, the hotel has a beautiful spa offering a variety of treatments ranging from face and body to feet and hands, and everything in between. The 24 hour health club also boasts a fantastically equipped gym and sauna, as well as a lovely outdoor infinity pool and Jacuzzi.
As a city, you’ll never be short of things to do in LA. Head up into the hills to see the Hollywood sign and take a stroll along the Walk of Fame to see the stars of celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Julie Andrews and Leonardo DiCaprio. You can also visit one of the city’s major entertainment studios, such as Warner Brothers or Paramount, to see where all your favourite films and TV shows are made.
Beverly Hills is a world-renowned icon of luxury and sophistication full of designer shops and exclusive restaurants, and no trip to LA would be complete without a trip to its famed Rodeo Drive. Home to every designer boutique you can think of such as Prada, Lanvin and Jimmy Choo, I could easily have spent an entire day here, and with the Intercontinental offering a free taxi service direct to Rodeo Drive that would have been easy to do!
If some serious retail therapy leaves you feeling peckish, then grab a table at the famous 208 Rodeo, which offers a varied menu and great outdoor seating to enjoy the sunshine. If you want to experience the buzz of Beverly Hills in the evening then I would recommend heading to Mastro’s Steakhouse for some great food and live music, but make sure you book as it’s extremely popular!
My first experience of Los Angeles was everything I expected it to be – vibrant, sophisticated and glamorous. With such a great base at the Intercontinental Century City hotel, we were able to explore so much and really got a feel for the LA lifestyle. Though, I do feel in our two days there that we barely scratched the surface of what this fantastic city has to offer and that’s why I’ll be back in no time at all.
Book the Intercontinental Century City hotel online at http://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/los-angeles/laxha/hoteldetail or by calling 0800 770 0858