Santa Monica’s Palihouse Hotel is the perfect starting point for a romantic, beach-y weekend.
stay: Opened in June by the storied Paligroup, this 1927 hotel just off Santa Monica’s beach and shopping promenade might be the best-curated concept we’ve found in the U.S. From awesome shopping bags to C.O. Bigelow amenities, three types of custom wallpaper and interesting vintage pieces, we felt right at home. With a full kitchen (and a nearby Whole Foods to stock the fridge), a dressing room and vanity, our room felt like a pied-a-terre for a starlet. Play boules in the front yard or sip lemonade in the shaded tiled courtyard while watching the comings and goings of a Euro film industry-type crowd. Palihouse Hotel, 1001 Third St., Santa Monica, 310-394-1279, palihousesantamonica.com
breakfast: Enjoy Palihouse’s guest-exclusive cafe, which features breakfast and lunch items from its all-day menu, or venture out to explore the Cali culinary scene. Uber over (or rent one of the hotel’s Linus bikes and peddle) to Gjusta, bakery sister to the famed Gjelina, just 15 minutes away in Venice beach. Gobble up smoked fish and pastries while sitting on a milk crate in the courtyard with the local haute hippies and their dogs. Gjusta, 320 Sunset Ave., Venice, 310-314-0320, www.gjusta.com
beach: Annenberg Community Beach House is a Hearst family mansion turned modern pool, event space and restaurant. Take a free yoga class, rent a deck chair, order great salads from Back on the Beach Cafe and soak up the good vibes. (If you like, pack a lunch using one of PaliHouse’s cool picnic baskets.) Back on the Beach Cafe, 445 Pacific Coast Hwy., Santa Monica, 310-393- 8282, www.backonthebeachcafe.com
lunch: When jeans shopping at Fred Segal (a Santa Monica fashion institution), slide across the street for a fortifying Umami Burger (we ordered the “Manly” edi- tion, and looked extremely feminine doing it). Umami Burger, 500 Broadway, Santa Monica, 310-451-1300, www.umamiburger.com
happy hour: One of our coolest Santa Monica discoveries was the Huntley Penthouse, atop an historic hotel and accessed by a glass elevator with astonishing views of the beach and pier. Happy hour spe- cials like crispy calamari and French rosé were a welcome start to the eve- ning in this cool and crisp aerie in the sky. Huntley Hotel, 1111 Second St., Santa Monica, 310-394-5454, www.thehuntleyhotel.com
download: The Palihouse’s free “Palifornia” app has a well-curated selection of local shopping and eating. itunes.apple.com
—Sarah Bancroft
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