A few weeks ago I took a long weekend trip to Los Angeles with my friend Monica. It had been years since I visited LA, so I wanted to share my recommendations and a mini Los Angeles travel guide as a starting point for any weekend trip to downtown LA.

We stayed at The Conrad Los Angeles, which I cannot recommend enough! You can read my review of The Conrad Los Angeles property, restaurants, spa, and pool in my blog post. This was my first time staying in downtown Los Angeles, and it was a nice change of pace from Beverly Hills or the cost. The Broad and MOCA were walking distance from our hotel and both had fantastic (and free) collections. Other places we explored downtown included Grand Central Market, The Last Bookstore, and Hauser & Wirth galleries where we had brunch at Manuela.

No trip to LA is complete without a meal at Sugarfish, which was our first stop upon landing. Everything on the menu is fantastic, but the “Trust Me” lunch is a personal favorite. While we stayed downtown for most things, we did venture to Beverly Hills for some hard-to-beat meals. The patio of The Ivy is hard to say no to, so we stopped by for dinner before enjoying a nightcap at the Rooftop by JG. The views from the Rooftop by JG were incredible and I am dying to go back during daylight for another look. It is also impossible to say no to lunch at the Polo Lounge, especially the McCarthy salad, which disappeared in record time.

It has always been on my LA bucket list to see a film at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary. They were showing Almost Famous, one of my favorites, while we were in town so naturally we made an evening of it. The Conrad Los Angeles generously let us borrow a blanket and we made ourselves a picnic at Bristol Farms.

Recommendations from previous trips and followers include Griffith Observatory, Mulholland Drive, Hike to Hollywood Sign, LACMA, The Hollywood Bowl, Alfred Coffee, The Beverly Hilton, Sunset Tower Hotel, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, and day trips to Venice Beach, Marina Del Ray, and Santa Monica. xoxo

If you follow along on Instagram, you saw that I recently spent a long weekend in Los Angeles with a friend. While we ate fantastic food and enjoyed the much cooler weather, our hotel, The Conrad Los Angeles, was easily one of the best parts of our trip. The Conrad Los Angeles is located in downtown LA and is a part of The Grand LA, a Frank Gehry-designed retail, residences, and hotel development. The Grand is a stone’s throw away from The Broad Museum, and MOCA, and directly across the street from the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Every inch of the hotel was perfectly designed and felt cozy yet upscale at the same time, but this particularly applied to our room. I booked a premium view one king bedroom, and we had the perfect view overlooking downtown and the rooftop pool. The room was complete with a sitting area, smart TV, mini bar, blackout shades, extra closet and counter space, and Byredo Mojave Ghost bath products.

All of the restaurants on the property were fantastic! Our trip started with a late breakfast at San Laurel, where chef José Andrés won us over with Spanish-style eggs. We were excited to try new items on the San Laurel menu every morning and our waiter, Daniel, always had our coffee waiting for us. The afternoon we spent at the pool was completed by delicious shareable plates and service from Airlight. We also enjoyed the view and signature cocktails at both Agua Viva and The Beaudry Room.

Since The Conrad Los Angeles had just opened a few days prior, the spa was not entirely up and running. I worked with Alina, the director of the spa, to book a 60-minute intuitive massage, which was long overdue post-pandemic. My masseuse, Anna, provided a relaxing experience as well as one of the best deep tissue massages I have ever had. The spa also offers facials, notably from celebrity facialist Angela Cagila, an infrared sauna room, and recovery lounges.

The concierge was extra accommodating and very helpful. We planned to see a movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery but needed a blanket and picnic. I stopped by the concierge desk and the concierge there at the time sent a blanket, and picnic supplies to our room, and even provided information for other film-related events we might be interested in. I look forward to future stays at The Conrad Los Angeles! xoxo