At the end of this blog post you can find my recommendations for Venice, Santa Monica and Malibu – where to stay, to eat & drink, to shop and what to see and do.

WHERE TO STAY

The Rose Hotel: Located between Venice and Santa Monica, just a few steps away from the beach and in walking distance of everything you want to see and do in the area. Simple yet cool rooms (with shared bathrooms or ensuite baths).

Santa Monica Proper Hotel: Stylish new luxury hotel with a rooftop pool, restaurant and bar.

The Surfrider Malibu: Beautiful rooms and a roof deck (with a bar and restaurant) overlooking the ocean.

WHERE TO SHOP

LCD: Great little shop with a cool selection of hip brands on Abbot Kinney Blvd – generally, this is the best and most well-known shopping street in Venice, where you can easily spend a few hours. (There’s also an Erewhon market nearby!)

Logan Hollowell: If you’re into fine jewellery with an esoteric touch, this is your brand! They have a small studio and store hidden in a backyard on Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Med Men: Cannabis and CBD store on Abbot Kinney. You can buy cannabis everything (gum, chocolate, cookies, pre-rolled cigarettes, …) – or just observe this gigantic trend and industry of California.

Artists and Fleas market: A great place to shop vintage fashion and products by local designers, held every Saturday.

General Store: Beautiful concept store for fans of natural design!

Reformation: In case you missed Reformation in Hollywood, there is another store on Main Street in Santa Monica.

Mohawk: Super cool fashion store (women’s and men’s) with a beautiful cactus garden.

Love Adorned: Another cool store (mainly jewellery and fashion) on Santa Monica’s Main Street (right next to Mohawk).

Santa Monica Farmer’s Market: A must for foodies and anyone who is interested in local produce.

Malibu Country Mart: A shopping area in Malibu, where you can find stores such as Madison, Maxfield, Sephora and many more.

WHERE TO EAT

The Rose Venice: A hip restaurant which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Café Gratitude: All vegan. Amazing breakfast – basically anything you wish for. I came here several times.

Gjusta: A bakery and deli, which is famous for its sandwiches.

Plant Food + Wine: The place to go for a special vegan dinner.

The Butcher’s Daughter: My favourite place for vegan and vegetarian food in Venice. I came here several times because I loved the breakfast so much!

Cha Cha Matcha: The best (iced) matcha latte (or any other matcha drink) you’ll ever have.

Gjelina: Cool place on Abbot Kinney Blvd. I came here for Pizza and an aperitif one night and it was super delicious!

Great White: Pretty place for a healthy lunch or coffee near the Venice Sign. (Weirdly they don’t have a bathroom, like most restaurants around the Venice Sign).

Shutters on the Beach: If you like oldschool luxury hotels (I do), this is a nice place for dinner or a sunset drink by the beach.

Malibu Farm: Organic restaurant and café on Malibu Pier – touristy and popular, but for a reason.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO

Shopping on Abbot Kinney Boulevard: Venice’s main shopping street, where you can find all kinds of hip stores, cafés and restaurants (see above).

Walking along the Venice Canals: a must when visiting Venice!

Biking, running, walking or rollerblading along Venice Beach (best time: in the early morning)

A trip to Malibu: drive along the Pacific Coast Highway, enjoy the sunshine, visit Malibu Pier and Malibu Lagoon, enjoy the beach (if you’re a surfer, you’ll want to spend the day here) and stroll around Malibu Country Mart for some shopping (see above).

Eames House: If you want to visit Ray and Charles Eames’ house in Pacific Palisades, you can sign up for a visit online (you need to book in advance!).

The Getty Center (and Getty Villa): No, the Getty Center is not located in this area, but further in the north. However, the Getty Villa is – and you can see both museums in one day (and save parking costs, because you only have to pay for parking once). I absolutely love the Getty Center, its architecture, its art and its amazing view of LA.

Find more travel guides here

I also decided I wanted a convertible as my rental car, so I could make the most of the LA sunshine – even when driving (and you drive a lot in LA). And furthermore I signed up for a tour at the Stahl House in advance (scroll down for more info). Especially when travelling on my own I like to keep busy and to see and do as much as possible (I’m pretty bad at doing nothing, anyway). So for instance I’d drive to Griffith Park in the morning, in order to start my day with a hike up to Griffith Observatory, then I’d have breakfast at “Sqirl”, a café I really wanted to try. Later I’d go vintage-hunting, and in the evening I’d take a class at “Barry’s Bootcamp”, near my hotel.

But let the photos do the talking. Scroll down for where to stay, eat, shop and what to do and see in West Hollywood. Part 2 of my travel guide will follow soon, with lots of recommendations for Venice, Santa Monica and Malibu.

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel 850 SVB: An absolute gem in West Hollywood. Beautiful rooms, the comfiest beds and pillows, rooftop terrace, perfect location and a super friendly staff!

Petit Hermitage: Neighbour of Hotel 850 SVB with a rooftop swimming pool and vintage-style rooms.

1 Hotel: Modern luxury on Sunset Boulevard, but a lot bigger than the previously named hotels.

Chateau Marmont: A legend. You don’t come here for the rooms, you come for the history and image of the hotel. Or just come for lunch or dinner in the restaurant.

WHERE TO SHOP

Erewhon Market: Organic supermarket de luxe! You’ll find everything and anything healthy, supplements, CBD and beauty products, snacks, a coffee and juice bar as well as cold and hot food to takeaway (many vegan options as well). I came here numerous times.

Isabel Marant: The store on Melrose Place has one of the coolest store designs ever. Generally, Melrose Place is a very nice, albeit expensive street for shopping.

Rebag: Vintage designer bag heaven on Melrose Place. You will find everything – Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Fendi, … you name it.

Glossier: Close nearby you’ll find Glossier. A must for beauty lovers!

Reformation: The coolest sustainable brand around! Reformation also offers an amazing shopping experience in store, as you can digitally order any products or sizes into your dressing room.

Fred Segal: A classic. You can find this small department store in two locations in West Hollywood. They have fine jewellery by several of my favourite LA designers.

Maxfield: A great selection of luxury fashion as well as luxury vintage.

Opening Ceremony: A fun mix of contemporary and luxury fashion.

Madison: A great place to shop brands such as Re/Done, Golden Goose, Mother Denim and fine jewellery.

Wasteland: A big vintage and second-hand shop where you can find anything from vintage denim and T-shirts to bags, accessories, shoes, dresses, …

Varsity: This shop is located in East Hollywood, but I have to inlude it. It is famous for its vintage T-Shirts. You can find real treasures, but expect to pay between 50-200 $ per shirt.

Filthmart: Another amazing vintage shop (especially T-Shirts!). Sadly it was closed when I  wanted to visit.

House of Intuition: If you’re into crystals, this is your place.

WHERE TO EAT

Body Energy Club: A juice and smoothie bar where you can also get delicious Acai bowls – more of a takeaway than to sit place.

Whole Foods & Erewhon Market: Speaking of takeaway food or an easy meal: I love both Whole Foods and Erewhon Market for healthy, delicious, vegan food. They aren’t cheap either, but less expensive than restaurants.

Sunset Tower Hotel Terrace Bar: A classic. Come here for dinner or drinks in the terrace bar to enjoy an old Hollywood vibe and amazing views.

Zinqué: Trendy restaurant and a nice place to sit (and to watch people). I saw Miles McMillan here while I was having lunch, so I will always love Zinqué from now on. Haha

Joan’s on Third: Deli, food shop and café. Breakfast, cakes, sandwiches, salads and more.

Sqirl: This place is worth the trip to East Hollywood. The breakfast is amazing!

WHAT TO SEE AND DO

Hollywood Bowl: Check if there are any interesting concerts on when you’re in LA – or plan your trip around a concert you really want to see (like I did). This venue is so special! You can bring your own food and have a picnic or even full dinner before the gig.

Griffith Park & Observatory: A must-do in LA: a “hike” to Griffith Observatory, to enjoy an incredible view of the city (and of the Hollywood sign). I started on the Ferndell Trail, where you can stop at the Trails Café after your walk.

Runyon Canyon: Another classic LA “hike”. Usually very busy, but that’s kind of the fun of it, too.

Stahl House: This breath-taking private house is open for visits, but you have to book a tour well in advance, as they are very popular and the groups are very small.

Barry’s Bootcamp: If you’re in the mood for a proper workout (not just an outdoor-walk in the parks), book a spot in one of the classes. A great way to start or end the day, if you ask me.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my travel diary in which I will cover Venice, Santa Monica and Malibu!

]]> https://rosycheeks-blog.com/2019/10/travel-guide-los-angeles-west-hollywood.html/feed 3 https://rosycheeks-blog.com/2019/07/travel-diary-barcelona.html https://rosycheeks-blog.com/2019/07/travel-diary-barcelona.html#comments Sun, 14 Jul 2019 17:57:44 +0000 http://rosycheeks-blog.com/?p=7736 Read More]]> After relaxing in Catalonia and on the Costa Brava we returned our rental car and took a train from Girona to Barcelona. Our home for the weekend was “Casa Bonay”, a stylish little hotel in the Eixample Dret neighborhood in the centre of Barcelona. Part of the hotel are two restaurants, a coffee shop, a rooftop bar – and a mediterranean rooftop garden which is reserved for guests of the hotel.

We stayed in a “Courtyard Large Terrace” room, which includes – the name says it all – a private terrace with sunloungers and an outdoor shower (now, if I ever have my own garden, I will definitely install an outdoor shower in it!), a little living room area, and a yoga kit. It was so nice to stretch on a yoga mat on the terrace in the evening, after a long day of exploring Barcelona! I loved the attention to detail at “Casa Bonay”: the personal welcome card, the bathroom products by “Malin+Goetz”, the fans as well as AC in the rooms, the super friendly staff members who were happy to share recommendations … All these things made our stay even more enjoyable.

We spent Saturday strolling around the Eixample area, ate ice cream at “El Nacional“, went shopping, had an aperitif at the “Mandarin Oriental“‘s rooftop bar and dinner at “Parking Pizza“. On Sunday we took a taxi to “Park Güell”, did our best to stroll around despite of the heat and the masses of tourists, before heading to the “El Born” area, where you can find a lot of small, individual shops, bars and restaurants. In the afternoon we relaxed on our hotel’s rooftop terrace, where you can order up food and cocktails from the restaurant by phone, before going out for tapas.

Two – or rather one and a half days, because we only arrived Saturday afternoon – definitely weren’t enough time to explore Barcelona. I think we’ll be back!

All photos: my own

The hotel is located right next to the ancient Ruins of Empuries in a pretty little Costa Brava bay. You can easily walk along the coast to other bays and beaches – perfect when you’re in need of some barefoot-days!

All photos: my own

The starting point for our trip was the tiny village of Villadamat, around 35 km from the city of Girona, to which we flew from Germany. The farming village of Villadamat consists of a few sand-coloured houses, a church, one grocery store, one bar – and the beautiful B&B “Les Hamaques“, which was created by an interior designer and his wife, a journalist and stylist. … and their small hotel has turned out even more magical than you can imagine. A wild garden with a salt water pool, the sounds of the birds, a greenhouse, which is attached to a community kitchen, where breakfast is served in the morning, and wonderful, friendly hosts made our stay one we will never forget.

From this perfect base we drove our little rental car to medieval villages, small bays, beaches, along winding roads and along golden fields. My must-sees near Villadamat: the villages of Sant Marti d’Empuries, Peratallada, Pals, Ullastret and Begúr. The countryside in between. The bays and beaches of Aiguablava, Sa Riera and Sa Tuna. The Dalí house and museum, if you’re interested in his Art.

I’ll tell you more about our Spanish holiday – and about our second beautiful hotel (this one directly on the beach) in my next post.

All photos: my own

We stayed at The Hoxton Paris, which is conveniently located within easy walking distance of le Marais, the Louvre, the jardin de Tuileries, jardin du Palais Royal, île de la Cité, Galeries Lafayette, … and several other places we wanted to visit. The hotel’s courtyard and restaurant is a popular meeting place for Paris’ hipster crowd, and you can find all kinds of trendy restaurants, bars and shops near the hotel.

We had deliberately not made many plans ahead of the trip – apart from our visit of the Musée du Louvre (we bought the tickets online in advance, in order to avoid the line in front of the museum). It was simply so lovely to be back in Paris in spring! We spent most of our time just walking around the city, we did some vintage shopping, had cake at Ladurée (I just had to), stopped by Hotel Ritz for an apéro, ate truffle pommes frites and salads (French cuisine isn’t too veggie friendly after all, but Paris is the one place on earth where I’ll happily order pommes frites), and we admired chic Parisians on their scooters. Sadly we did not visit Notre-Dame this time … Who knows when it will be possible again.

Here are some impressions from our stay. I’m sharing a few discoveries at the end of this post.

Stay:
The Hoxton Hotel

Shopping:
Bobby Vintage
Valois Vintage
Kilo Shop
Maison de Vacances
Le Drugstore Parisien

Eat:
Season
Ladurée
Bambou
Hotel Ritz
Café Kitsuné

– Let me know if you need more recommendations for Paris, I have created my own map on Google –

Fivelements in the South of Ubud is an amazing, tranquil place, which achieves all of the above. The eco-conscious hotel focusses on Balinese healing, vegan and raw food, as well as meditation and wellness rituals. I decided to end my Bali holiday in this hotel to unwind, read, enjoy the vegan cuisine and to recharge my batteries.

The food was some of the best vegan food I have ever tasted. It was so fresh, varied, surprising and super delicious! From smoothie bowls and juices in the morning to Indonesian and international dishes to raw chocolates and desserts. The hotel treated me to a three-course tasting lunch, which is a great and very delicious way to get to know the hotel’s cuisine, and to a Fivelements Sakti Ritual, a wellness treatment, which I highly recommend: a deep muscle relaxation body massage, followed by a sea salt body exfoliation infused with basil and lemongrass, and toped off with a wonderful bath. I enjoyed it so much and felt incredibly relaxed afterwards!

I spent my days swimming, reading by the pool, wandering around the beautiful garden, watching an Agni Hotra fire ritual, … and looking forward to dinner.

And if you feel ready to return to the busy buzz of Ubud, there’s a free shuttle into town three times a day.

Read more about my Bali experience here!

Thank you to Fivelements for this wonderful stay

I started in Ubud, then spent for nights in Canggu and ended my trip in a beautiful eco resort in the South of Ubud (which I’ll tell you all about in my next Bali post). Here are some things I learned about Bali: Balinese people are very friendly and kind. It is an island where five religions co-exist peacefully (Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Protestantism and Catholicism – of which Hinduism is the dominant religion). Most locals on Bali are still farmers and the average income is between 150 and 200 USD per month, but as a tourist you can stay in the most luxurious hotels (if you choose to do so), you can find fine-dining-restaurants, hip cafés and beautiful boutiques which resemble those in L.A. or Paris … it’s fair to say that the island is full of contrasts.

There are rice fields, beautiful beaches, a lot of jungles, mountains, waterfalls, a volcano … and a lot of environmental and political problems as well. Plastic pollution (obviously a global problem but it always becomes more apparent in places without proper waste disposal), jam-packed streets with far too many scooters and cars (more than 4 million tourists every year, including me, contribute to the problem), a lack of animal protection, corrupt politicians, … Bali was one of these places which gave me a lot to think about.

Nevertheless, I’d like to share some of the things I did, saw – and ate.

Above: my first hotel, Alam Ubud Villa, a beautiful hotel in the North of Ubud, surrounded by jungle, a river and rice fields. I had my own spacious villa with a terrace by the river, and there are two pools, innumerable stone stairs, peaceful reading nooks and many more beautiful spots to discover on the hotel’s grounds.

In my hotel I rented a scooter and drove (very slowly and, obviously, with a helmet) into Ubud to see temples (I loved Pura Taman Saraswati!), to walk along Campuhan Ridge Walk and Sari Organic Walk through the rice fields, to visit Ubud Market (a must-see and the best place to shop souvenirs), and to eat in vegan cafés.

From Ubud I hired a driver to take me to Canggu, a popular beachside town which is all about surfing, hip cafés, restaurants and bars, and shopping. Of course, you can also visit yoga or gym classes, treat yourself to a massage, facial or pedicure, or whatever else the young, urban traveller’s heart desires.

I took the first surfing lesson of my life, hung out at beach clubs (with my books), had breakfast two times a day because there are just too many amazing options, walked along the beach, had a massage, went on a day trip to Uluwatu temple and Padang Padang beach, drove around on my scooter, shopped some souvenirs for friends, and just went with the flow.

When it was time to leave for my eco hideaway, I was actually a little sad to leave.

Luckily this didn’t ruin our mood and we really tried to make the best of our first time in Lisbon. We bravely explored the city, walked from Alfama, where our B&B was located, to the city centre, along the river, to Bairro Alto, … we stopped for coffee and pastel de nata (1,40 Euro for both), had Sangria and ice cream and pretended it was summer, visited a flea market, bought ceramics, photographed a lot of tiles, went to an old-school Portuguese restaurant, rode around in an electric Tuk Tuk, checked out some hip coffee places, drank Ginja and ate more pastel de nata, … It was a lot of fun!

I’ll share some of the places we’ve been to below the photos.

Where we stayed:

• Mi Casa en Lisboa – beautiful B&B in a modern house in Alfama, overlooking the city. Breakfast is served on a long table and includes different sweet and savoury food every day

Where we ate:

• O Pitéu da Graca – traditional restaurant with fish and meat dishes
• Ao 26 Vegan Food Project – vegan burgers, salads, desserts and more
• Time Out Market – huge food court with any kinds of food and drinks
• Fauna & Flora – hip café with a delicious breakfast menu (try the pancakes!)
• Dear Breakfast – another hip and chic coffee place
• Bruta Flor – cosy, little restaurant with many vegetarian options (and the best chocolate cake)
• Several small, traditional places in Alfama which I don’t remember the names of … Just explore!

Where we went:

• LX Factory – an area with shops, cafés and restaurants, must be especially nice during summer

Last weekend my boyfriend and me were invited to a wedding in London and we happily arrived a few days earlier to spend some time in one of our favourite European cities. We stayed at a real gem of hotel: Artist Residence in Pimlico.

It is very conveniently located near Victoria Station, includes an amazing restaurant and cocktail cellar, and has less than ten rooms (if you follow my travel posts, you will know that I always prefer small hotels, as they feel so much more intimate and cosy). We stayed in the Club Suite, which sports an absolute dream of a bathroom. I was thrilled to have a lot more space than I have in my own bathroom (bathrooms in Hamburg are usually tiny!), and obviously I had to soak in this gigantic bathtub one afternoon (not before instagramming it, I admit).

Dinner and breakfast at The Cambridge Street Kitchen, the hotel’s restaurant, were dreamy, too. And I’d love to throw a party in the hotel’s private event space some time.

By the way, the hotel’s name derives from the very first Artist Residence in Brighton and from the idea to feature art by young local artists in every room. Perfect for Art lovers and so much fun!

Hope to see you again soon, Artist Residence (and London, of course)!