Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills

Marilyn Monroe slept here. Mae West and Lucille Ball, too. When it opened in 1948, the hotel then known as the Beverly Carlon lured all the Lalaland cognoscenti with its chic interiors and doting service. On that front, nothing has changed. Reimagined by Kelly Wearstler and other boldface names, the hotel is as megawatt and mid century inspired as ever. Guest rooms are adorned in custom furniture in a calming turquoise and white color palette, with marble-lined bathrooms, rainforest showers, Nespresso machines, Apple TVs and Aesop amenities. The Deluxe Double Double rooms are lovely, but we find it’s worth booking a first floor Studio for a kitchenette and outdoor patio…exactly the kind of place we imagine a young Marilyn Monroe sipping her morning cuppa.

A longtime celeb getaway reborn for today, with 84 dreamy guest rooms, a cabana-lined pool, airy restaurant that teems with locals, well-stocked gym, and loaner bikes.

Just for humans. Bring your fluffball: the hotel is so pet friendly they provide cushy dog beds and abundant treats.

The hotel offers on-site Tesla Model 3 rentals, and you want to zip around town like a movie producer with back to back power meetings.

During aperitivo hour at Viviane, the hotel’s sceney indoor/outdoor restaurant, everyone you see looks a bit like an up-and-coming movie star. Still, it’s your table you can’t stop staring at—the pineapple infused house margarita, the truffle fries—all of it cinematic to the core.

Viviane - poolside restaurant offering classic American and European cuisine as well as creative cocktails