HotelChatter

The next morning when you wake up, take a (thankfully) short walk down the block to the Starbucks at the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica, appropriately called the Wilshire Triangle due to the odd shape made by the intersection. If you were to continue southwest on Santa Monica, you’d hit some of our other Bev Hills haunts like the Peninsula and Maison 140, but we’d suggest staying on Wilshire for a more meaningful meander.

You have to delve into the wilds of Beverly Hills for such high-fashion names as Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo and Versace. However, you can find quite a few fancy outlets right on Wilshire itself, such as Barney’s New York, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Façonnable and Burberry. If you get far enough, you might just arrive at the Thompson Beverly Hills for a sushi lunch at BondSt.

All that shopping is sure to work up an appetite, so try a few of our favorite places in the nearby neighborhood like Hawaiian revival-chic Luau, or over-the-top Caesar’s Palace-ish Villa Blanca. To get the inside scoop, though, try eavesdropping on deal-making agents at Enoteca Drago, and you just might spot some celebrities, though that’s more likely at the Pinkberry on Beverly Drive, near all your usual shops like Banana, Club Monaco, Gap and Crate & Barrel. Then again, you could save your calories and splurge at everyone’s favorite cupcake bakery, Sprinkles, right on Little Santa Monica Boulevard and Bedford Drive.

Part of the beauty of the Beverly Hilton is the fact that it is in Beverly Hills, but not in Beverly Hills. That means the hotel is set apart from all the hubbub (except during awards season, of course), but that you can still walk to all the fun, fancy, and yes, touristy, attractions Beverly Hills has to offer. It's not a pretty walk as Wilshire is a sort of main vein that runs through Los Angeles but you'll move faster than the traffic. Plus, you get to stay at one of the city’s most iconic hotels, all for rates starting at $275.

[Photo: MoToMo]