LOS ANGELES TRAVEL GUIDE

In February we had the chance to travel to California and visited Newport Beach, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles. We are huge fans of Cali and like to try to visit every year. Since we’ve been to Los Angeles a bunch of times, I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite restaurants, where we like to stay, and what we like to do.

Obviously I’ll be starting today’s travel guide with where we like to eat. There are a few spots that we ALWAYS like to make a stop at, as well as some new favorites.

WHERE TO EAT: FORMA

Forma is located in Santa Monica and a new find for this trip. The food was AMAZING and there were lots of fun truffled pizza and pasta options {which happens to be my favorite!}. The space is really pretty and in the back they have these big wheels of cheese where they toss all the pasta. Elle had a fun time watching, and if you love Italian food then this is your spot.

WHERE TO EAT: EGGSLUT

This is a popular chain and perfect for a low key breakfast. They are all over Los Angeles and have an easy menu and casual vibe. The breakfast sandwiches were delish and Elle loved their buttermilk biscuits. We actually ended up going here twice while on this trip because there was one located a block from our hotel.

WHERE TO EAT: CATCH LA

This is a fairly new restaurant and absolutely beautiful! They have a huge dinner menu with lots of delicious choices including: sushi rolls, skewers, and lots of seafood. They also have some tasty desserts including the s’mores pizza pictured below. We went for an early dinner with Elle and shared a bunch of stuff. I’m headed back to LA in May and plan to check out the outdoor deck and bar scene with my girlfriends.

WHERE TO EAT: NATE’N AL OF BEVERLY HILLS DELICATESSEN

This is probably our favorite deli in LA. I’ve been going to it since I was little and have never had a bad meal. It’s located in Beverly Hills right by Rodeo Drive and all the fancy shopping. They have a very casual vibe and I feel like we always see lots of celebrities while dining. We actually saw Jonah Hill and Rashida Jones eating together last time we were there. We always like their breakfast food, sandwiches, soups, and of course their black + white cookies.

WHERE TO EAT: WESTFIELD CENTURY CITY

This is a great outdoor mall to walk around in. They have a super cute food court with a beautiful outdoor dining area and so many trendy options. This time we ate at PETROS which was an upscale greek restaurant. I had an amazing Greek Caesar Salad with shrimp and Steve had a cheeseburger {of course 😉 }.

WHERE TO EAT: THE IVY

This is a classic choice if you’re headed to LA. They have two locations and we’ve been to both. This time we went to the one on Robertson Street and sat outside. They always have the most colorful flowers and decor. Their pasta and pizza options are our favorite and they also usually greet your with a complimentary glass of champagne. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but always great people watching and the food’s amazing.

WHERE TO EAT: NOBU MALIBU

We love this restaurant so much, but didn’t have time to take Elle all the way down to Malibu this trip. She has a bedtime kind of on the early side…even on vacation. Nobu Malibu has amazing food and such a hip vibe. The outdoor area is beautiful and it’s fun to go and watch the sunset out there while dining on delicious sushi. Lastly, there is always great celebrity sightings if you’re into that thing…

WHERE TO STAY: THE BEVERLY HILLS SOFITEL

The past few times we’ve headed out to LA, we have stayed here. We love the location and the set up of the suites. As I stated before in this post, when we travel with Elle we like to get a suite if possible. They have roomy ones here and they even come with balconies. The Sofitel has amazing customer service and last time since our room wasn’t ready, they even upgraded us to a penthouse suite with a bigger balcony which was super nice.

Because of the amazing location, we were able to walk to so many areas including Rodeo Drive {lots of good shopping}, Robertson, The Beverly Center {which was across the street}, and Melrose. We were also able to walk to a bunch of our favorite restaurants including The Ivy, Nate’n Als, Eggslut, and Catch LA. We love to walk and always consider location to be our number one priority when choosing a hotel.

Intersted in camping? Check out the Top 10 Campgrounds and RV parks in Los Angeles HERE.

WHAT TO DO: RODEO DRIVE

This is a classic Los Angeles area. There are lots of fun stores, restaurants, and great people watching. We always like to head to Nate N Al’s for lunch and then walk around after to do some shopping.

WHAT TO DO: ABBOT KINNEY BOULEVARD

I love this area and always try to get down to visit when it’s convenient. We weren’t able to make it this trip, but have been a bunch in the past. It’s a mile long strip of all the latest fashion, art, and food. There are a bunch of cute boutiques and lots of restaurants. Cafe Gratititude is a fun one to try and very LA with it’s hipster atmosphere and earthy menu.

WHAT TO DO: WESTFIELD CENTURY CITY

This is a really pretty outdoor mall to walk around. There are a zillion different stores and the biggest food court I’ve ever seen with lots of fun restaurants and a great outdoor dining area. It’s really easy if you have kids with something to do for everyone.

WHAT TO DO: THE GROVE

This is another fun outdoor mall. It’s a popular fashion, shopping, dinning, and lifestyle destination with the best mix of retail, restaurants, and entertainment. There is also an amazing farmers market right by there that’s open daily.

WHAT TO DO: SANTA MONICA PIER & 3RD STREET POMENADE

This is a bit touristy, but also very entertaining. We used to stay in Santa Monica a lot, but the rooms were way more expensive and a lot smaller. We absolutely love the Santa Monica area {the 3rd Street Promenade is a must!} and always love checking out the beach and walking down to the pier. They have lots of restaurants in the area, an amusement park, a big beach, and so much to do. Some of our favorite restaurants in Santa Monica include: Blue Plate Taco, Ivy at the Store, Water Grill, and Blue Plate Oysterette.

WHAT TO WEAR:

I kept it on the casual side this time around because I knew we would be doing lots of walking and going to more low key dinner spots. You can see a more detailed list of what I packed in this post as well as shop all my styles {as well as Elle’s} below:

WHAT I WORE