Around Town - The New and Improved Hotel Bel Air

Why is it that September seems to pass by with not much going
then October hits and it's nonstop activity
It's like the universe sends us a message to come out of hibernation from the heat of the Summer months
and then get back into the swing of things

I've been busy this week with little time for blogging
Already I've been to a private preview of the newly redone Hotel Bel Air
and a viewing the Elizabeth Taylor jewelry being presented by Christie's
So I'll get on with the Bel Air and post about the Liz Taylor loot later this week.


Purchased by The Dorchester Group a few years ago, the Hotel Bel Air was in definitely in need of refurbishing. (The Dorchester Collection includes The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Dorchester in London, The Hotel Plaza Athenee and Le Meurice in Paris, and the Principe di Savoia in Milan)

So, after 2 years and 100 million dollars, the hotel will finally reopen tomorrow. 

To me the old hotel was like an aging dowager, elegant and classic.
In fact it was my favorite hotel in LA just because it wasn't too new and shiny.
Way, way back in the day my husband loved the clubby atmosphere of the bar with it's roaring fire and piano player crooning the standards.  And I used to love the restaurant which was charming for lunch outdoors on the terrace overlooking the pond.   It was an especially heady place for a power breakfasts way back when power breakfasting was all the rage amongst Hollywood honchos and hedgefunders.

Now my classic dowager has had full facelift by way of New York interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud.
Goodbye traditional California Spanish Colonial style
Hello Old Hollywood Glamour with a twist

Here's an example of one of the rooms.

What do you think?

I appreciate the details such as the heated flooring in the bathrooms and the ipads for ordering from room service.

And here is the new Wolfgang Puck restaurant which will serve...

are you ready for this...

California - Mediterranean cuisine...

what a surprise!

Here's the bar.

It's still kinda clubby....kinda.

A new La Prairie has been added

are you curious about the prices for the treatments?

A manicure is $60

a microdermabrasion facial is $270

and

a white caviar illuminating facial is $1,000

So serene but I won't be booking spa services there anytime soon.

At least the pool and and the gardens look pretty much the same.

(my photos.... that's why they are blurry)

The hotel will be open this week for guests and the restaurant and bar will be open to the general public in November.

The hotel's website says the usual stuff about corporate responsibility including low resource usage and core values, but there is a rumor that the Dorchester Group laid off all of the old employees who had worked at the hotel for years and replaced them with younger workers.  I hope that this isn't the case. 

I will miss the lovely blond lady who was the hostess of the restaurant.  She always remembered me and would greet me with "Hello Mrs. R, it's so lovely to see you again".

Certainly beautiful rooms and amenities are important for any high end hotel

but nothing beats personalized service.

Don't you agree?

Away To Rancho Bernardo For a Wedding in a Winery

Sorry about the slacking but it's been one of those weeks...and it's only Tuesday!

Last weekend while Tabitha was off grouse hunting and FF was celebrating her birthday with her fellow Leo's, I was off on a road trip to the Rancho Bernardo Inn.

To be honest, it was nice

but it didn't look anywhere as awesome as in these photos that I snagged off of the interwebs.

I certainly never saw a pool that looked anything like this.

Nor did I see a jacuzzi that looked like this.
Somehow I missed all these scenic spots.
Well no matter, I wasn't there for spa vacation. I was there for a late afternoon wedding at a local winery.
I took some nice photos of the reception on my iPhone but I've been unable to download them, so all I can show you is this bird cage thingy table decoration.  Pretty isn't it?

This was my summer wedding in a winery garb, a Tracy Reese silk chiffon dress, a vintage Celine handbag and some new strappy sandals from the Kitson outlet store in Beverly Hills.

I wore some pink sapphire and diamond jewelry too.
It was pretty.

It's hard for me to believe that the summer is almost over.  It seems to have flown by.

Seeing The City From The 70th Story

OK, so every once in a while there is a welcomed alteration in my Vegas routine.
Last night I was invited to a soiree in one of those uber swanky suites with the wraparound terrace on the 70th floor of the new Cosmopolitan Hotel.
I didn't even know that there were buildings that high in Las Vegas
It was pretty impressive. 

There is no question that the view was superior

but I was also duly impressed with the fur lined hammock in suite's living room

You know a giant jacuzzi for 8 is one thing, but a fur lined hammock...

Really, how many hotel rooms do you know that have one?

After a quick stop at the party it was off to dinner at Joel Robuchon which I will write about in another post.

Another Saturday at the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry Show

Saturday morning in Las Vegas. 
Only two more days of the antique and estate jewelry show...thank god.

Trade shows are exhausting, both physically and mentally.
For someone like me who spends the majority of my work day sitting in front of a computer, being on my feet from 10am to 7pm is difficult.  I have to admit that I'm totally impressed by the chic NY and European dealers who show up everyday in high heels.  How do they stand in heels all day long?
Honestly, I dress for comfort and practicality at these shows...so if you see a middle aged woman in a boring black skirt and shirt and fugliest birkinstocks ever...yes that would be me.  And no, I don't care what anyone thinks about my ugly shoes.

Then there is the mental challenge of dealing with the dealers.  Don't get me wrong, there so many awesome dealers at this show.  If you've never seen an Indian or an Israeli dealer negotiating on the price of a loose diamond, let me tell you, it is a thing of beauty.  They will just stand there and offer a price that they know is well below your asking price just to see if they can wear you down.  It's not even about the money when it comes to a matter of a couple of hundred dollars on a 13 carat diamond...it's about the game. These dealers have superior negotiating skills and they are charming and fun to do business with.  You can learn a lot by observing them in action.

Here's the view from my room at the Bellagio.  Luckily, the Bellagio is conveniently located across the street from the show which is being held at the fabulously faux french, Paris Hotel.  Seriously, could theParis hotel be a little more stereotypical?  The only thing missing is a man on a bicycle with a beret and a baguette.

So what are these shows all about? 
Buying and selling of course...and making contacts and seeing who has what, and understanding where prices are going in the trade....and if you haven't guessed...that would be up.

My days are spent looking at case after case of amazing estate jewelry.  Imagine a huge convention center room just filled with showcase after showcase of bling. I always wonder why anyone would buy brand new jewelry when there is so much pre-owned jewelry out there.

Anyone need a strand of South Sea pearls....or twenty?

Or how about an humongous diamond collar necklace?

Leaving the major bling aside, I concentrate on my niche product which is signed jewelry that is actually wearable and affordable...because really, how many opportunities do you have to wear a humongous diamond collar necklace?
Here's a cool piece from Cartier that I looked at yesterday. I didn't end up buying it because it was priced too high...note the calculator beneath my hand.  I have to buy below a very specific price point in order to be certain that Beladora can offer the most attractive prices on the internet.   It's getting more and more difficult with the rising prices of gold, gemstones and manufacturing.  But, we've picked up some great pieces and overall I'm happy with the show.

The day ends with coming back to the room and getting gussied up for dinner.
Here I am in my room, gussied up, sort of. 
At least the birkinstocks are off and the ballet flats are on.

Not being the adventuresome types, we don't even bother to the leave the hotel at night.
We have a routine and we stick with it.
Besides there are enough restaurants at the hotel that we can try a different one each night. I recommend Yellowtail for sushi and Prime if you want good food with quiet ambiance.
After dinner it's off to the Fontana bar terrace to watch the water show and discuss the business over cognac and cigars.

At about 11pm we go our separate ways.  Since I'm not a gambler, I avoid the casino like the plague.  

The others, I suspect, end up at the black jack tables until the late hours...but I wouldn't know because I'm in my room with a book. I definitely require a decent nights sleep if I'm going to be 10% as sharp as the diamond dealers!

One of these days I'd like to come to Las Vegas when I don't have to work.  I think that spending the day basking in the sun by the pool and going to a show or two might be fun. 

Playing With Polyvore - Dreaming Of Italy

Summer 2011 On The Amalfi Coast

Around Town - A Small Birthday Bash At La Sandia

My girlfriends and I have a tradition of celebrating each other's birthdays by going out to dinner.  Last night we had a great dinner party for my glamorous friend Lillian at La Sandia restaurant located upstairs at the new and improved Santa Monica Place.
You can't be a native southern Californian and not have an appreciation for fine Mexican food. It's nurture food for me because I've been noshing on it my entire life.  But strangely, here in Mexico Norte, or rather Los Angeles, great Mexican cuisine is actually difficult to find.  Mostly we have chain restaurants and taco stands. Fortunately, with Mexico City raised and Culinary Institute trained uber chef Richard Sandoval, we now have La Sandia.

Margarita's and freshly made guacamole were the first course....naturally. Followed by  shrimp ceviche and quesadillas and then entrees of traditional dishes of chile relleno, carnitas, soft tacos, etc.,
and of course more margaritas.

Dessert was a delicious trio of traditional Mexican sweets stepped up a notch with a sparkler.

La Sandia is now my local go to place for margaritas and quality Mexican food.

Hopefully, the next Richard Sandoval restaurant that I try will be Ketsi at the Four Seasons Hotel in Punta Mita.

I can dream...

Roman Holiday or Summer Vacation Italian Style

Now that we've had the time change and the days are getting longer, I'm starting to think about planning a summer vacation.
I'm not sure where I will be going at this point but any trip that I take will probably include Italy
which just yesterday celebrated 150 years of unification... thank you Bluetramonta Style for letting us know about Italy's anniversary.

I haven't been there in over a decade and conveniently, my younger brother will be moving this summer from Spain to Naples.

I'd like to spend some time in Rome, Sicily and on the Amalfi Coast.  But since those places will be so busy and touristy I might instead opt for

Apulia

The Tremeti Islands

and the Italian Alps.
I'm curious, if you were planning a summer trip to Italy, where would you go?

The Trip To Telluride - Part Two

As far as I'm concerned, the place to stay in Telluride was in Mountain Village, not in the actual town of Telluride which was situated in narrow claustrophobic valley.
Granted the Village was a bit removed and a car was required,
but unlike the town it was quiet and had expansive views

The house that we stayed in was part of the Lodges on Sundance
all built with classic Western style log construction.

It was adjacent to the Sundance run

so it had the all important ski in - ski out access

There were windows everywhere so there was plenty of interior light

not that you can tell from this photo

Here's the image from the rental website.

See how bright it was?

I loved the fact that the house was decorated in warm shades of earthy brown with comfy wing chairs, a distressed leather couch, a cozy fireplace and a flat screen tv.

Looking backwards from the living room was an open kitchen with carved wood cabinets and granite counters.  Above it was the open loft-office.

In the corner next to the kitchen was the dinning area with comfortable high backed chairs and a large wooden table.

Since there were six of us staying in the house I appreciated the spaciousness of the interior.
I also loved all of the details in the decoration such as this antler chandelier

and this carved wood armoire

I would definitely recommend the Lodges on Sundance

as long as you can handle the altitude.

Finally, on the topic of altitude, the highlight of my trip was taking the gondola up the mountain to meet up with some friends for drinks then dinner at Allred's Restaurant. 

The food was great and the view of the valley was amazing.

If you go to Telluride, in summer or winter, do not miss Allred's.