Private guest entrance for the SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
Who doesn’t love a little theater now again? Well, we do.
And amidst the styli-verse of L.A.’s SLS, you can find a full-blown production: Sometimes cool and quiet, sometimes funny and warm, and sometimes…breaking out in song at the top of its lungs.
Watch a human parade that will challenge your grasp of what’s cool. Indulge your inner child with whimsical toys, or indulge each other with feathers and pasties. See an olive get broken apart and formed anew as…an olive.
Safe to say, this place is a complete trip.
Lamps beside the concierge desk
The SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills has been in L.A. just shy of a year (replacing the old Le Méridien on the main artery of La Cienega Boulevard) but has already been declared everything from “hot” (Condé Nast Traveller) to “it” (Travel + Leisure). In August 2009, it was given Virtuoso Life‘s prestigious award for Best Achievement in Hotel Design.
And what’s the design like, you might ask? Keeping in mind that this is a Philippe Starck creation, let’s go with “Alice in Wonderland on acid.”
From the outside, SLS is little more than a big white rectangle nestled halfway between a major street and residential Beverly Hills. But inside, just try finding the concierge desk and you’ll soon see that this place is a dazzling maze.
Tres, the private guest lounge
On my first recent visit, I met travel agent Jason Miller of The Accomplished Traveler in the quiet, airy, white-and-beige guest lounge. Hitting the bathroom before our lunch, I was stopped like a deer in headlights by…mirrors. Everywhere, like a funhouse. It’s a room-contained diet plan.
But said airy guest lounge? Delightful. Fancy/cozy chairs, sublime gazpacho, salad splitting poses no problem, and their wine list is chock full of goodies. All this, and just beside us, Cedric the Entertainer kicked back and read the Times.
I swear, sometimes I’m deeply in love with L.A.
After lunch, we toured the hotel from top to bottom. Even before we’d stepped into the elevator, I was intrigued by a couple who’d possibly strayed from an episode of MTV Cribs, all Ed Hardy, dominatrix heels and enormous unisex jewels. The rooftop, guest-only pool here is spectacular, with a scene like a magazine shoot, its pretty young things perched on daybeds. Gilt-framed mirrors serve as reflective set dressing, and lounge chairs rest in the water (a lá Starck’s Miami creation, The Delano.)
On the spare, taupe guest room floors, the vibe is more reserved…or so I thought. There’s an elegant spa and the most stunning exercise room I’ve ever seen; it could make a corpse reach for a stationary bike. There are several sizes of swanky suites, all with plush faux-fur coverlets, white leather furniture, inventive booze storage and the magical flat-screen TVs of the it’s-already-here future. My favorites have a bathtub for two with curves so soft, it’s like a ceramic pillow.
Walking from one suite to another, I was sure I heard a baby cry. But no, Jason assured me…that was no baby.
2:30pm on a Tuesday, and behind closed doors a woman was hollering at top volume in the international language of Afternoon Delight. Inspired by her bathtub, or just uninhibited by the simple act of vacation? Either way, I say good for her.
Needless to say, I immediately booked dinner for the very next week.
Moss at Bazaar
The SLS’s signature concept, The Bazaar by José Andrés (a famous Spanish chef with a phalanx of Washington, D.C. restaurants) overruns the lobby in a glittering marketplace without walls or (immediately obvious) rhyme. If the host/guide isn’t at her perch, I wish you luck finding your way.
My first reaction to the dark and sprawling space with its jumble of kooky lamps and furniture was “WTF?” My second: “Wait, underneath that chandelier we can someday have exquisite, delectable treats for high tea?!” My third: “Oooh, are those action figures?”
There’s a glassy gallery/store by New York City design mavens Moss, full of goods like rhinestone-encrusted burlesque wear, a vase made of real beeswax, and a set of figurines depicting America’s greatest disasters. A dainty patisserie is offset by stainless steel. Long tables and super-low lighting encourage communal mingling at the hopping Bar Centro.
Patisserie at Bazaar
The restaurant itself, Bazaar, is fittingly spread across two color palettes and two moods.
Olive y "liquid olive"
My mood was Rojo, or red. (The Blanca side feels friendly, but also a bit more sedate.) It’s a great big room with a black-and-white floor, sexy red lights and an open view of the bustling kitchen.
The service is warm and friendly and the cuisine, a combination of Spanish flavors and the mad science of molecular gastronomy. The experience begins with the pairing of a single Spanish olive with Andrés’ surprising and delicious “liquid olive.”
From here on, we tapas-ed ourselves into a happy oblivion. The crazy olive grabbed us, so we dove into a Caprese salad with liquid mozzarella. The delicate American caviar cone has perfect pearls of salmon roe. The papas canarias are, as advertised, salty little wrinkled potatoes; served with a bright green herb sauce, they look like miniature rocks and taste like heaven. The carrot fritters with pistachio sauce managed to be at once sexy and comforting.
We could easily eat a week’s worth of meals here before ever repeating ourselves.
Rojo at Bazaar
But besides the two full pages of desserts (oh, Apples Carlota, I miss you), our favorite part was the scene all around us. No paparazzi fodder this night, but in L.A., famous is as outrageous does. Which did we love more…the woman wearing a braided silver fedora and purple eyeshadow, or the girl/linebacker in pink leggings, a leopard-print mini, and Madonna’s hair circa 1985? Beside us, a large group of tiny gay Italian men, all no taller than 5’3″, took their seats, silently, all at the same time. Their crisp, striped shirts and pointy shoes were impeccable. Were they some kind of synchronized supper club?
We’ll probably never know. But we do know that we’ll be back. Heck, there’s probably something crazy going on at the SLS right now.
Wow, ritzy!
Oooh. It sounds lovely. Another reason to come to LA! Luckily, we’ll be there soon, although I have a sneaking suspicion there will be waaaaay more cool things to do then we actually have time for. We’ll just have to come back.