Find Your Happy Place at the Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel
Centrally located hotel with Mid-Century Modern design and retro charm
You shun the notion of a “working vacation.” On the contrary, your only objective when you take time off from work is to let your hair down and play. For just a few days, you don’t want to be responsible for anything - other than having fun. So, you rarely plan what you’re going to do while on vacation, preferring instead to arrive at your destination, and play it entirely by ear.
Of course, this means that you need centrally located lodgings, and bonus points if you can do most of your playing without needing a car. In this case, the Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel serves at your pleasure.
One look at the hotel, and you know you’ve chosen the right place. Situated on the palm tree-lined corner of Fairfax and Beverly in mid-city Los Angeles, you notice two things immediately. First is the retro teal-colored neon sign which welcomes you to your home for the next few days. Second is the adjoining, throwback classic Swingers Diner. It all looks so quintessentially LA.
Walking through the glass lobby (the result of a major renovation in 2016 of the family-owned, Mid-Century Modern property) you immediately feel as though you’ve stepped back in time to a perhaps more carefree era. With a cozy sitting area, and a friendly greeting from the concierge, you’re already feeling relaxed.
As you follow the black and white tiled walkways to your room, you take time to soak in how absolutely fabulous the courtyard pool area is, all lit up in the evening hours. It’s surrounded by lounge chairs, while teal and white striped umbrellas provide shade for seating areas. The entire courtyard is aglow thanks to pretty uplighting effects of the trees, and colorful pinks, blues, and peaches illuminating the potted landscaping. It’s all kinds of whimsical and wonderful, and you can’t wait to soak in the sun, and enjoy the heated pool tomorrow.
Inside your Standard King Room you exhale as the remaining weight on your shoulders, and all thoughts of work and responsibility fade away. After all, perched atop your King bed along with a colorful throw blanket, rests a bonafide smiley-face throw pillow - it practically dares you not to smile. The rest of the room is equally sunny and vintage cheerful. There’s a large framed photograph harkening back to the 50s hanging above your bed. One entire wall is painted bright yellow, the tops of nightstands are bright blue, and your white work desk boasts a little potted succulent. It is unequivocally adorable.
Your bathroom is equally groovy - tiled entirely in blue, with a walk-in shower, lighted vanity, loads of counter space, plenty of towels, and sweet grass scented toiletries. You’ve also got a mini fridge, coffee maker, and a safe should you need it. Though you have no intention of answering work emails while on vacation, it’s admittedly nice to find that the free Wi-Fi works well. After a quick search for local restaurants, you find that there’s a place that sounds perfect for dinner no matter which direction you head from the hotel.
You make mental notes of all the delicious looking restaurants on nearby West 3rd Street, including Joan’s on Third, Mercado, Gusto, and The Little Door. You also decide that you’ll start with breakfast at Toast Bakery & Cafe, before picking up sweets to munch on while laying by the pool tomorrow.
In the meantime, you know you can’t go wrong with heading to The Grove, which offers restaurants including Umami Burger, Maggiano’s Little Italy, and Bar Verde along with countless other dining options at the adjacent Original Farmers Market.
Plus, there’s a number of bars nearby, including The Fountain Bar, Mixology 101, and Molly Malone’s Irish Pub, in case you feel like topping off your evening with some drinks. And for any late night cravings, the famous Canter's Deli is open 24 hours and Swingers Diner is open till 4am.
Because you have no schedule to follow, no meetings to attend, and no work to do, for the next several days you’ll fly by the seat of your pants, without any planning. Maybe you’ll explore LACMA and visit the La Brea Tar Pits. Or maybe you’ll take a short ride share to the Beverly Center or Westfield Century City for shopping. Perhaps you’ll stroll along Melrose Avenue or catch a midnight movie at Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema.
There is no shortage of culture, entertainment, dining and nightlife easily accessed from the Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel, and you couldn’t be happier to see where the wind takes you during your blissfully carefree LA vacation.
Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel
8018 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles 90048
(800) 947-7666
