CHECKING INTO THE KIMPTON LA PEER HOTEL

Hello and thanks for visiting! Today we’ll be checking into the Kimpton La Peer Hotel, located in West Hollywood, California. In truth, I wasn’t the one who checked into this hip new luxury hotel located in L.A.’s exclusive Design District. Rather it was my son, visiting from Washington, DC, who had the pleasure of staying at the La Peer during a recent visit to Los Angeles. Because his quick trip west didn’t allow time for him to come up to Lake Arrowhead, we instead visited him, spending a wonderful afternoon over a leisurely lunch and tour of his suite. Located on a narrow tree-lined street called La Peer, it’s nestled between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue, and is one of only a few hotels in West Hollywood’s Design District.

Stepping into the chic, modern lobby it quickly became evident why this hotel was ranked as “One of the Best New Hotels in the World” by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine in 2019. It felt unhurried, quiet and private. As we entered we were immediately greeted by a young woman offering to direct us. We felt welcome and comfortable.

The Lobby

Tour The “Design Suite”

Our son occupied one of the 725 sq. ft., 1 bedroom “Design Suites” containing a separate bedroom and living room. The impressive 20 ft ceilings in the Living Room and massive windows gave us a great view of the Pacific Design Center just a short walk away.

I was taken by the unique and attractive natural log coffee table. I wish I could find the source for these, as I’d love to incorporate one of them in my current Big Bear cabin renovation project.

The bedroom had gorgeous hardwood floors laid in a herringbone pattern.

A gold, Jeff Koons Balloon Rabbit sat on the nightstand. It’s apparently like the one that recently sold at auction for more than $91 million dollars! Find one like it here.

The spacious Bathroom had a large rain shower and a deep, free-standing, Americh soaking tub with Waterworks fixtures.

The shower and tub were both tucked inside a seamless shower door enclosure.

IHG Hotel Group & Rakuten

Kimpton Hotels are part of the IHG Hotel Group. I recently enjoyed stays at the Kimpton Hotels in NYC and London, where I earned 3% of the cost of my stay in the form of a rebate from Rackuten. Are you a member of this fantastic rebate website? If not I highly recommend a free membership. Just click here to join and start earning cash-back just by doing your normal shopping, nothing more, no strings attached. I love it when my “Big Fat, Cash-Back Check” arrives.

Viale dei Romani Trattoria

Located just off the hotel lobby is the beautifully designed Viale dei Romani restaurant. This modern trattoria was created by award-winning Chef Casey Lane. Inspired by his trips to the mediterranean coasts, the seafood-driven cuisine highlights Italian cooking with Southern French and North African influences. The food, as you will see, was nothing short of wonderful, and I can’t wait for another visit. If I lived in the Los Angeles area I have no doubt that I’d make this a regular dining spot, as both the food and atmosphere were just my style. And I can’t even begin to tell you how perfect the service was: highly attentive and intuitive without being overbearing.

I loved the cozy looking, mustard-colored velvet banquettes in the main dining room from which you can enjoy a view of the open kitchen.

The Menu

Our son had made arrangements for us to dine in a lovely private dining room just off an outdoor terrace. From it large glass doors opened into a lovely courtyard. I regret that I didn’t get a photo of this pretty room. But I did snap a pic of the place-setting complete with a custom printed menu of the items our son had preselected.

The Starters

There was enough food to serve an army, with each dish you’ll see prepared in triplet, served Family-Style to our party of 7. For starters we enjoyed this delicious Avocado Toast, prepared with a crunchy whole grain bread, lemon and sprouts. The presentation was also lovely, served on a rustic wooden tray.

There was also a delicious, crisp, Little Gems Salad, sprinkled with fried chick peas and dressed in a tahini vinaigrette.

Next came the Pizza Margherita, made with Di Stefano Mozzarella, San Joaquin Tomatoes and local Basil. Baked in a wood-fired oven, the bubbly, crisp crust was to die for! And I loved the presentation, served on a pizza peel on top of a metal riser.

Get a pizza peel like it by clicking here, or a pizza riser by clicking here. In case you’re inclined to make your own pizza after seeing this one, try my recipe for Olive Oil Pizza Dough.

The Entrées

Viale dei Romani specializes in wood-fired seafood. Our Branzino had a delicious smokey flavor and was accompanied by a 3 lemon sauce, fennel and crunchy hericots verts. Crispy Rosemary Garlic Potatoes were served along side.

Our second Entrée was Wood Roasted Chicken over a bed of bread salad with mustard frill. Again, it was mildly smoky and delicious.

We were also served Spaghetti Alla Nerano, made with a wonderful olive oil zucchini, basil sauce. I failed to photograph it because I was too busy digging in to its deliciousness. I did get a pic of the Padron Peppers (Pimientos De Padrón), a Spanish delicacy our family has enjoyed countless times in Spain. My father also grows them in LA with seeds from Spain. But, I must admit, these were my only disappointment of the meal, as they were covered in a sauce which detracted from the way these peppers are authentically prepared, simply fried in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.

The Dessert

For dessert we were served a luscious Chocolate Pot De Creme. Alongside was Vanilla Gelati accompanied by chocolate sauce and Spanish Marcona almonds. It was a wonderful way to end a stupendous meal.

So, are you hungry yet? I am and I can’t wait to return!

So there you have it: CHECKING INTO THE KIMPTON LA PEER HOTEL

Thanks so much for dropping in!

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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission. This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. It’s what helps to make this blog possible. Thanks very much for your support.