Holiday Goddess editor and author Julie Miller fulfils her Pretty Woman fantasies in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
It’s not often I fantasise about being a hooker. But damn you, Julia Roberts, for the past 21 years, every woman who has walked down Rodeo Drive or entered the hallowed lobby of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel has wanted to be in your streetwalker f*-me boots, being whisked off by a handsome Richard Gere gazillionaire.
I am walking the palm-lined streets of this very swanky area of Los Angeles, but I’m wearing flip-flops and jeans instead of heels, and no one is offering to buy my services for the night. Instead, I’m finding out what celebs shop where, who lives in what house, and what scandal took place on which corner on a self-guided walking tour mapped out by the Beverly Hills Convention & Visitor Bureau. It’s all very informative, but unfortunately it’s unable to deliver what we all really long for – a celebrity sighting. In fact, as we gawk in the shop windows on Rodeo Drive there seems to be more of us (tourists) than them (celebrities). Come on, famous people, where are you hiding?
I continue to keep a sharp eye out that evening as we dine at the legendary Beverly Hilton, the home of the Golden Globes and the Grammy’s after party. Our host, the PR rep for the hotel, regales us with tales of the badly behaved and simply adorable (no names mentioned … much!) … but alas, Bradley Cooper made an appearance yesterday, of course, and forgot to leave his number for me.
We also have no luck at Urth Caffé, as seen in Entourage and where I’m told every celeb and his dog buys his/her morning coffee. We do share a joke about the size of the cappuccino cups (soup-bowl size) with a woman who appears to be wearing pyjamas – such laid-back style is surely the hallmark of a famous screenwriter, if not a producer in disguise. Surely?
Our accommodation for the night has as much movie-star glamour as you can possibly imagine. Maison 140, located just around the corner from the Hilton, was once a boarding house for struggling actors owned by legendary silent film star, Lillian Gish. Recently renovated with stylish Parisian interiors by Kelly Wearstler, this 44-room boutique hotel is sheer perfection, from its comfortable cloud-like beds to its exquisite and impossibly romantic bar, Bar Noir, featuring a martini “tasting plate” menu guaranteed to give you sweet dreams of blue-eyed Bradley…
Filmed in 1990, Pretty Woman probably did more for the Beverly Wilshire’s reputation as the ultimate celebrity hang than any of its former guests, including Elvis, John Lennon and Warren Beatty, who lived here for 10 years. Back then, the hotel didn’t have a day spa … but if Pretty Woman was filmed today, it would definitely be first place Julia Roberts would head for. This is an absolute haven of tranquillity; make sure you treat yourself to a massage from one of its highly trained, magic-handed therapists. A treatment includes use of a steam room, Caribbean rain shower and the divine relaxation room – guaranteed, you’ll emerge feeling less hooker, more movie star!
Further information: California Tourism, www.visitcalifornia.com
Maison 140, www.maison140beverlyhills.com
Beverly Hilton, www.beverlyhilton.com
Beverly Wilshire, www.fourseasons.com/beverlywilshire/
