Travel gems by Miss Sophie

Some travel gems, some luxury and some inspiration
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  • Tag: California

    • Exploring Beverly Hills & Hollywood

      Posted at 2:14 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on January 1, 2018

      This year we decided to visit and explore Los Angeles and California during the holidays. It was a good decision, we had a wonderful time.

      We stayed 4 nights in Beverly Hills, at Mr. C which is a member of The Leading Hotel of the World. The hotel was situated quite good in Beverwil Drive, not to far from Rodeo Drive.

      Rodeo Drive was dressed up for the holiday season, and I loved this area of the city. So clean and beautiful decorated. It felt safe to walk around alone, both in the shopping street of Rodeo Drive, and also the whole street while I one day walked all the way from Beverly Hills Hotel in Sunset Boulevard down to Wilshire Hotel.

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      Sunset at Rodeo Drive

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      Christmastree at Rodeo Drive

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      Beautiful signs

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      Rodeo Drive

      The visit in LA was very good, but not everything was as expected. For me Beverly Hills has been a very positive surprise, while Hollywood for me was a turn down. I had expected that Hollywood was more glamorous, but appeared to be a “tourist trap” with very little charm – from my perspective. I understand that people would like to see the Hollywood sign and the Stars on Walk of Fame, but there is nothing else to see or experience. The area appeared dirty and with a lot of people trying to force you to buy everything from a sightseeing trip to a CD. For me it was quite fussy.

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      Luckily we had this Best of Hollywood Food Tour the second day, were we had a private tour guide telling us a lot about the history of Hollywood. That added some value.

      Trisha, our private guide, had picked out some very nice places for us to visit and dine. First, she guided us around the Hollywood Boulevard area and taught us a lot about the history of Hollywood and the history of the different theaters.
      After a good hour, we started to drive to different restaurants. interesting places we would not have found or chosen by ourself. We had the best pizza ever from the Pizza Mozza 2go – try it if you are in the neighbourhood.

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      At Mr. C we enjoyed the accommodation and the balcony. One morning we had breakfast on the balcony after view the sunrise.

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      Bellini welcomedrink

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      The Bar

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      Christmastree

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      Breakfast with a view

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      Sunset

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      Mr. C – Hall

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      Lemons in the garden

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      Continental Breakfast

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      Restaurant

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      Sunrise – Looking at Los Angeles Downtown

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      Breakfast on the balcony

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      Sunrise

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      View Los Angeles Downtown

       

      One of the days I strolled around in Beverly Hills, and visited some of the beautiful hotels. Had tea at wonderful Peninsula Beverly Hills and had a very good lunch at Beverly Hills Hotel (Dorchester Collection).

      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Wilshire Hotel - Four Season
      Wilshire Hotel – Four Season
      Wilshire Hotel - Four Season
      Wilshire Hotel – Four Season
      Wilshire Hotel - Four Season
      Wilshire Hotel – Four Season
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Peninsula Beverly Hills
      Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection
      Teatime at Peninsula
      Teatime at Peninsula
      Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection
      Christmastree at Peninsula
      Christmastree at Peninsula
      Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection
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      Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection
      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection

      A very good dining option in Beverly Hills area, if you do not want to spend too much money on a meal is Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Drive. The driver who picked us up on the Airport recommended us Cheesecake Factory, and we are glad she did. They have a large selection of dishes, and even have their own “slim” menu. The portions are huge, and are ideal to share. We ordered one dish each, and it was way to much food. On our third visit we had enough experience to just order one dish each, and share instead.

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      Another restaurant we visited and were very pleased with was Il Pastaio in Canon Drive. An Italian restaurant with very good ambiance and good food.

      We visited Cheesecake Factory in Farmers Market (Grove) and in Macy’s in San Francisco too.

      Our total experience dining in California or the country as whole, is that the food mainly is quite heavy and unhealthy. A lot of fat, especially for Breakfast were they mainly serve A la Carte.

      If visiting Universal Studios, the recommendation is to buy First in Line tickets. It is a bit more expensive, but the time you save is worth it.

      We would love to go back to Los Angeles, a big city and we did not have enough time to explore everything. But we would minimize the time spent in Hollywood.

      We also had a wonderful time at Santa Monica, see the link below;

      Hotel Casa Del Mar at Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles, California

       

       

       

      Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged architecture, bar, beautiful, beauty, Beverly Hills, California, Christmas, city, decor, Dining, holidays, Hollywood, hotel, Hotels, inspiration, LA, Leisure, life, Los Angeles, restaurant, Rodeo Drive, travel, travelling, usa, View
    • Hotel Casa Del Mar at Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles, California

      Posted at 5:43 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on December 30, 2017

      Casa Del Mar – This is my new favorite hotel, everything was perfect from start to end. Hotel Casa Del Mar is perfectly situated at Santa Monica beach, by the Pier. Beautiful setting to look at both the sunset or the sunrise. The hotel itself is beautiful with classic interior and decor in maritime colors. The hotel is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.

      Even if we arrived early in the morning, they had the room ready for us for check-in. They had even upgraded our room, to sea view and view to the pier. A wonderful room with good size, with a large bathroom. A lot of amenities in the room, and the I loved the quality of the bathrobe and all the attention to details in the room.

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      Loved the decor in the room, felt more like a living room at home than a hotel room

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      View from the Room #1

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      View from the room #2

      After the turndown service in the afternoon, there were wine and snack awaiting for us in the room

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      One hour bike rental was included in the rate, and it was a wonderful ride from the Santa Monica Pier to Venice Beach and back. Since we visited in December the temperature was a bit low for relaxing on the beach. But it was perfect to enjoy and explore the surroundings without a crowd of people.

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      The Beach side / Front side of the Hotel Casa Del Mar

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      Free bike rental handled by their sister hotel “Shutters” situated just a few meters from Casa Del Mar

       

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      From the Pier, were trail 66 ends.

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      The beach a sunny day in December..

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      The interior of the hotel, The Lobby and Restaurant

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      The beautiful entrance of the hotel

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      The Restaurant ready for Breakfast time

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      Wonderful Cabanas

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      The Lobby

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      Coffee available for early birds before breakfast

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      The Lounge with the restaurant in the back

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      The Bar

       

       

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      Breakfast

       

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      Beautiful sunrise view from the breakfast table

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      The Exterior of the hotel with the pool area, and some pictures of both sunset and sunrise..

       

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      Early morning

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      Soon sunrise

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      Quiet and wonderful

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      Sunrise

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      Sunrise at Santa Monica Beach

       

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      View at the Pier after sunset

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      Casa Del Mar in the dark

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      Sunset

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      Sunset at Santa Monica Beach and the Pier

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      The Pier at night

      If you want to learn more about this fabulous hotel visit their webpage Hotel Casa Del Mar or let me know if you have a ny questions.

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      Beautiful views and surroundings every hour of the day

      Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged architecture, beauty, California, casa del mar, casadelmar, Christmas, Colors, decor, Dining, gem, holidays, Hotel Casa Del Mar, hotelcasadelmar, Hotels, inspiration, Leading Hotels of the World, life, Los Angeles, LosAngeles, luxury, luxuryhotel, nature, restaurant, santa monica, santa monica hotel, santamonica, travel, travelling, usa, View
    • Apple Farm Inn – San Luis Obispo, California

      Posted at 11:10 am by mylifemyworldrg, on December 30, 2017

      When visiting California, and driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco, we wanted to explore a genuine American Inn that would give us a specific ambiance and still a touch of high quality.

      It took a lot of time searching on the internet to try to find the perfect place, and also with a reasonable distance from both LA and San Francisco. Then Apple Farm Inn popped up, and it looked very charming on the website.

      We are so happy we discovered and explored this charming gem. As you see in the pictures below, the attention to the decor and details is great, and especially the Restaurant gave us the ambiance and feeling of an authentic American Inn.

      This is a gem that I have no doubt to recommend and is a perfect spot if you need a stay over when driving highway 101 or highway 1 between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

      The entrance from outside in both daylight and night;

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      Main building and Lobby – When checking in they served a glass of chardonnay from the Winery of the Month, they also had a wine tasting in the afternoon included in the rate. A non-alcoholic option was apple cider. Four fresh, homemade cookies we got at checkin as well. 

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      The entrance to the Restaurant and the Shop

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      We visited Apple Farm just a few days before Christmas

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      A beautiful car outside the main entrance, dressed up for the holidays

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      All the lights made the Restaurant look warm and inviting, it was so charming and beautiful during the blue hour and when the dark sneaked in.

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      The Room, a charming Queen Specialty room with both sitting area and fireplace. We stayed at room 328 in the Inn. Be aware that not all rooms are in the main inn, there are rooms in the Millhouse and Garden Rooms.

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      The Restaurant was traditional with fun decor. The team of waiters was friendly and helpfull.

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      Gingerhouses

       

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      Sidesalad to the Turkeypai

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      Turkeypai

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      Apple Farm red wine, a good Cabarnet Sauvignon. San Luis Obispo County is a growing wine county with some good quality wine

       

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      Breakfast..

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      Blueberries Pancake

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      The corridor to the rooms in the Inn and the Lobby;

       

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      Christmas tree in the Lobby

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      Decor in the hall

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      If you need to rest by the stairs..

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      Corridor at the 1st floor, to the Inn rooms in the main building

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      Happy Holidays

       

      The Shop and the Mill;

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      For further information, look at their webiste; Apple Farm Inn

       

      Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged applefarm, architecture, beauty, California, Christmas, decor, Dining, gem, holidays, hotel, Inn, inspiration, Leisure, life, restaurant, san luis obispo, sanluisobispo, slo, travelling, usa, wine, Wine county
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      Beautiful morning 😍 Birds singing, amazing clouds mirroring in the water, sunrise
      Sunrise in black and white..
      Sunday morning blues..
      Love to start a new week enjoying the silence and beauty of nature 💕
      When you are in love with nature.. There are so much beauty in nature every day, if you just take time to look for it.. At least for me 🌳☁️🌅
      A wonderful weekend stay at Amerikalinjen 🤗
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