A Weekend Getaway to L.A.

{The Rooftop at The Chamberlain Hotel in West Hollywood}

Last year, American Express generously gave me 150,000 Membership Rewards Points and the opportunity to craft my own, little weekend getaway using those points. The last six months have been crazy busy and after accepting my new job in August, I no longer have the freedom to take off at the drop of a hat. I originally posted about this fabulous opportunity from American Express in July and eight months later, the stars have finally aligned for me to take a fabulous little weekend jaunt to Los Angeles! I’ve been to the City of Angels many times, mostly for work and design events, but my husband has never been so I am very excited to show him around the city I have come to love so much.

{The Lobby at the Chamberlain}

Membership Rewards can be redeemed for so many things, the points never expire, and anyone with an American Express card is eligible for the program. The points can be applied towards airfare on 20 major airlines, hotel stays, cruise and rail tickets, vacation packages, and car rentals. I used my 150,000 Membership Rewards points for round trip airfare, an Executive King Suite at The Chamberlain, and a car rental. The points covered almost everything. We just had to pay for Fabian’s airfare—not bad! I’ve stayed at The Chamberlain before and loved it. The décor is gorgeous, it’s really well located in West Hollywood, and while it’s close to everything, the hotel itself is secluded, quiet, and has one of the friendliest staffs I’ve encountered.

{Stunning Tilework in a Guestroom at The Chamberlain}

We’ll be in L.A. for a long weekend, just after the Design Bloggers Conference, which I am sad to miss due to a very busy work schedule. Anyhow, my husband and I both work in the design industry and while he loves design and décor shops, I don’t want to make that the main focus of the trip. I could happily spend a few days at the shops along La Cienega, but I’m sure he’d rather we spend our time otherwise. I know my way around West Hollywood and Beverly Hills pretty well, so I’m sure I’ll take him around to some of my favorite places that I think he’d enjoy—we’ll definitely be stopping at Joan’s on Third for a little nosh!

 

 

This is where you come in, my dears. Do you have any recommendations for fun things we can do in L.A. during a long weekend? We’d rather not do anything too touristy and as I said, I know my way around fairly well. I haven’t been to Malibu and I’ve always wanted to go up to the Griffith Observatory for the view. Would you recommend either? I have a list of restaurants that I’ve been to and loved, but welcome any recommendations for restaurants and especially for fun places for us to go for drinks.