Beverly Hills, Family Style

This is the summer of make-up-for-lost-time travel—airports and beaches from coast to coast are packed with people clamouring for a taste of freedom. While we weren’t brave enough to fly or even head out of state, my husband, two sons and I craved a luxurious weekend away to scratch the adventure itch, and to be pampered with good food and excellent service. A stay at the L’Ermitage Beverly Hills was just the salve for our quarantine fatigue.

INDULGE BY DAY

On a leafy boulevard in the heart of Beverly Hills sits one of L.A.’s most discreet luxury hotels. In a town that prides itself on over-the-top opulence, the L’Ermitage is a refreshing counter-point to all that glitz and flash. However, there is nothing austere about this boutique property of 166 well-equipped suites, each with a reassuringly generous footprint. Having not had much opportunity to dress up or apply make-up over the past 15 months, I relished getting ready in the en suite dressing room that featured not one but two full-length, ring light mirrors as well as some top-shelf bathroom amenities. I won’t wax too poetic over the mattresses that feels as though you’re floating on a cloud, but I will say we all clocked a minimum of 10 hours of sleep each night.

Not surprisingly there is a long list of A-listers that call the L’Ermitage their Beverly Hills home-away-from-home. For anyone looking to avoid the limelight, there is a discreet basement entrance to steer clear of the fanfare that is often customary at other L.A. properties. There are also some gorgeous suites that would make the perfect pied-à-terre for anyone temporarily vacating their L.A. mansion to remodel. For the rest of us, the double King suite is a perfect pad from which to enjoy a weekend of museum-hopping and dining, and that is exactly what we did on a recent stay.

ROOFTOP DIPS

After check-in, my lads were looking forward to a dip in the rooftop pool, which I was happy to oblige as I had some magazines I was itching to dive into. The chaises were well situated for maximum shade, which I always appreciate, and the city views were expansive. We easily passed a couple hours here before dinner. The littles were requesting room service but after months and months of dining at home, my husband and I were in the mood to go out. We compromised with dinner at the lobby bar, Avec Nous. Steak frites and a nice Beaujolais for us and cheese burgers for them. We all crashed hard that night and were ready to hit the ground running the following morning.

BREAKFAST IN BED AND BUMBLEBEE

Breakfast in bed is always a good idea and although I stuck to the healthier fare, an honorable mention must be given to the buttermilk pancakes which I tried, unsuccessfully, not to finish off my children’s plates. Following a relaxing swim we took the house car, a discreet X-Series BMW, to Eataly for lunch followed by an afternoon at the Petersen Automotive Museum. The private collection of cars, in an architecturally remarkable building at the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax, features over three floors of some standout wheels belonging to the likes of Batman and Doc, of Back to the Future fame, along with some token super cars, motorcycles and concept cars. My husband and the boys were thrilled by every exhibit, particularly when they saw Bumblebee, the Transformer.

After all that excitement we popped back to the hotel for some relaxation before our early dinner reservation at nearby Mr. Chow. A Beverly Hills institution, it felt like the perfect setup—family style dining with something for everyone and a buzzy dining room so you don’t need to feel bad when your children get rowdy. After a Gambler’s Duck feast, we rolled back to L’Ermitage and directly into bed.

LAZY MORNING BEFORE LA BREA

For our final day, with the help of the hotel concierge, we planned a visit to the La Brea Tar Pit Museum and lunch at Jon & Vinny’s, but first we had a lazy morning in our robes—the kids  watching cartoons and us adults reading the papers. Some room service helped rev the engines and we hit the pool for one last swim before check out.