I've always enjoyed being an August baby, however when you live in Dallas, I feel like it limits your celebrations to pool parties or indoor, night-time festivities. This year though, my boyfriend & I thought we should escape Dallas' triple-digit weather and take my party to the west coast. We've visited Santa Monica several times before, and always stay in the same room on the top floor of the Fairmont Miramar. Nothing too spectacular about the room itself, but the view is one of the best in town. This time however, he pulled out all the stops and got the corner suite; same floor, even better view, full bar, two balconies, & a separate seating area.
As if that upgrade wasn't surprise enough, I was delighted to find a deliciously moist chocolate cake with fresh berries and a bottle of Veuve set alongside a birthday card from the hotel waiting for us upon arrival. Let the birthday celebration begin!
After a quick touch up, we hopped into our weekend wheels and cruised Ocean Ave to do a little sight seeing and people watching.
At some point, we decided to ditch the car & explore by foot. Our plan was to have lunch at Elephante, however those plans changed when hunger kicked in. We stopped at a patio restaurant called Plan Check Kitchen + Bar, and I'm glad we did! The dynamite crab dip appetizer was addictively good. My boyfriend had the kale caesar salad, & I had to stop myself from finishing all of the breakfast burrito with chorizo (breakfast menu for a limited time only!). Would definitely recommend this place for the food, drinks, location, and people watching. I was so into my meal, I didn't get any pictures, but if you're in the area, go check it out for yourself!
The next morning I was very pleasantly surprised by a "birthday breakfast in bed" so large it couldn't fit in the bed! Waffle with strawberries and cream, assorted fresh fruits, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and of course, champagne and OJ. Yum!
After eating more than I'd like to admit, we got ready, put the top down, and drove to Beverly Hills to stroll Rodeo Drive. About a year ago, we stumbled into Galerie Michael & left the proud new owners of a Dali and Miro, so we had to see what was new. Right away, a magnificent Marilyn Monroe created from broken records captured my attention. They were displaying several Mr. Brainwash pieces that I absolutely loved, along with Dali's iconic melting clock statue that made me feel as if I was on the set of Alice in Wonderland.
After window shopping down Rodeo, we headed back to the hotel for my next birthday surprise; an hour massage at the Exhale Spa. My masseuse did an incredible job, I left feeling so relaxed. I was eager to start getting ready for dinner, but my boyfriend reminded me I had a present to open!
I was so excited to unwrap a beautiful black and white Christian Dior bag strap that goes beautifully with my saddle bag he got me last year for my birthday! We got ready & headed to dinner at newly opened Mason. The paparazzi snapped some pics as we entered the cozy, dimly-lit room that more closely resembled a speak easy than a restaurant. We started with a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate, accompanied with some of the best oysters I've ever had. We also enjoyed the crab cake, steak frites, and dover sole. Not wanting to start the night too full, we skipped dessert and headed back to the Fairmont to plot our next move.
Our original plan was to get a bottle at Bungalow, but after seeing how crowded it was from from our balcony, we decided to skip that, change into comfy clothes, and enjoy the DJ and the view from our room. There was just one more thing that had to be done... birthday dessert!
Thanks to a recommendation from the hotel clerk, & my boyfriend's research, we found Merci Clement, and were not disappointed. He sang me "Happy Birthday" before digging in. We split a chocolate-covered Belgian waffle under a scoop of cookies & cream ice cream, topped with rainbow sprinkles that still makes my mouth water just thinking about it. As a pre-emptive strike against future munchies, we also bought some house-made popsicles resembling Crunch bars that were absolutely delicious. We rounded out the night laughing and enjoying the phenomenal view and even better company... And ordering a pizza. [Insert ashamed face here]
Sunday morning we got up early for brunch at Ivy at the Shore. We had been once before and had an amazing meal, so we tried some new items this time. To start, a round of blood orange mimosas accompanied by their house muffins. Next came blood orange screwdrivers, and we shared the "famous" lobster scramble, eggs benedict on a sriracha English muffin, and the fig, apricot, and pecan brioche French toast. (French toast was devoured before I could get a picture!) Would recommend all of it!
After brunch we hurried back to the hotel to catch our ride to the airport... or so I thought. Last (& perhaps the biggest) surprise of the trip was that we were not actually headed to LAX, but rather The Private Suite. It's a newly-built private terminal across the runway from LAX. Our driver pulled up to the barb-wired security checkpoint, confirmed our reservation, and the gates swung open revealing a world I didn't know existed. There was at least one of every high-end name brand car in the parking lot- making it appear as if the entire Kardashian family had just arrived. Our checked bags were taken and made their way onto the plane without us ever having to touch them. We were escorted into room #10; a quaint room with an oversized restroom, artwork on the walls, a seating area, TV, and a fully stocked not-so-mini bar.
The team member explained how it all works; this is our private room, equipped with full food menu, everything in the room was complimentary, if we needed anything at all to simply pickup the phone and it would reach them directly.
We would receive a phone call five minutes prior to being taken to the TSA checkpoint, and chauffeured via a BMW 7 Series sedan across the runway, ending directly next to our plane. Talk about the good life! We popped open a mini bottle of champagne and admired the room, as well as the adorable outdoor area great for kids &/or pets.
Before we knew it, the phone rang and we were on our way to the plane! We opted to be the first to board, however given the chance again, I would definitely choose to be last to board... More time in the Private Suite, and then the passengers get to see you pull up alongside the plane and stroll in like the V.I.P.'s we were pretending to be!
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