L.A.'S HYATT REGENCY CENTURY PLAZA

Where: Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, California, 90067
Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza is a great place to stay in L.A. If you are a business traveler, then you will fall in love with their Full Service International Business Center, their Hertz Rental Counter, and their Multi-lingual staff for starters. For me and my husband, our stay at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza was for pleasure purposes, and I have to say, it was an excellent choice for us. It's location is perfect- right next to Beverly Hills...so that means we were close to Rodeo Drive, and not far from all of the sights we wanted want to visit when we were in L.A. First Reaction: When you first pull up to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel and walk into the lobby, everything about it is grand (even the address...Avenue of the Stars). The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza is a landmark hotel that first opened its doors back in 1966. Various celebrities, Presidents and foreign dignitaries have stayed here...so it's nice to add yourself to that list too, huh?Room Reaction: After a hard day of work and meetings, or a long day of touring the city, you want a big, plush, comfortable bed to return to...and that's exactly what you'll find here! In fact, the beds at The Hyatt Regency Plaza are referred to as the Hyatt "Grand Beds," and take it from me, they are so grand and relaxing that you will find them hard to get out of. The room decor is stylishly contemporary, yet traditional. Some of the perks in the room that I loved were the iHome alarm clock and 32" LCD flat screen HD t.v. Our room had two private balconies where I got to soak in the beautiful views of L.A. The marble bathroom had over sized bath towels (AMAZING), and deluxe Portico toilet tries.

Business, Business, Business: If you are a business traveler, some of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza's services will quickly become your favorite guilty pleasures. There's 24-hour-in-room service, laundry/dry cleaning, Fast Board (pre-flight check-in), Express Check In/Check Out Kiosks, Currency Exchange, and complimentary wi-fi in all public areas of the hotel. One of the best services they offer is an International Business Center which has faxing, color copying, shipping services, computers with high-speed internet, graphics services, scanners and full service printing.Jet Set Pets: If your pet likes to jet set as well, bring him or her along. The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza has something called the "4Paws" pet friendly program which caters to dogs and cats. They have everything from gourmet treats to toys and beds. Dog sitting and and walking can also be arranged. Your pampered pet will not want to leave this luxury service behind.Pool Reaction: Just re-done last year, the pool area at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza has been transformed into a "backyard oasis." There is a beautiful infinity pool, lined by lounge chairs and cabanas. The look makes you feel like you are in an uber-chic trendy hotel.Right next to the pool is an Equinox Fitness Club with everything you could imagine from work-out equipment to fun classes. There's also a Spa at this Equinox that offers every kind of beauty treatment you would desire. If you are staying at the hotel, the cost to get in is $20.Where to Dine: Breeze is the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza's signature restaurant. Here you can find eclectic California cuisine and a great sushi bar. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.The Lobby Court & Patio are very Hollywood-esque. This is a fun place to go and chill out after your day. This outside area has comfy couches and a nice fireplace. You can also enjoy cocktails and appetizers out here.
Finally, the X bar is an indoor/outdoor California lounge. There's a DJ here on Saturday nights, and this is a great place to grab a drink and enjoy some of L.A.'s nightlife.

Bottom Line: Would we return to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel? Yes, without a doubt, because it offers a good location, great amenities and excellent service. Plus, if it was good enough for President Ronald Reagan and others, then its good enough for me too! Rates start from $259 a night.

RH

If it's not fresh, seasonal, and local, don't expect to find it on your plate at RH restaurant. RH, located in L.A.'s Andaz West Hollywood Hotel gets its abbreviated name from the term "Riot House" (the hotel's nickname from back in the '70s when memorable parties were thrown there by legendary rock stars). But, in my opinion, the letters RH could also stand for "Real Healthy" because everything you eat is centered around the market to table philosophy. Each day Executive Chef Sebastien Archambault goes out to the market and meets with farmers and fisherman, chooses the best of the best and brings it back to the kitchen where he and his culinary team create masterpieces. The food is Southwestern French with a California twist (fitting, since Archambault is California born and French-trained). He also worked under French luminary Alain Ducasse and received a Michelin-Award for a restaurant he ran in Spain.The kitchen is exhibition-style so you can watch your meal being prepared. In fact, everything at RH is on display - including the fresh seasonal ingredients inside of the glass enclosed refrigerators beyond the kitchen.The restaurant is a wide open space with a bar and views of busy Sunset Boulevard. The decor of RH is clean and sleek with two long marble communal tables as you enter the restaurant, and smaller wood tables once inside. You also can't help but notice their fabulous wine collection on display in their see-thru cellar which lines you on either side of the restaurant. Speaking of the wine, their wine list features mostly California wines with a few from France (and, for a restaurant of this caliber, very reasonably priced).We ordered a bottle of their Stewart 2006 Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley area of California. It was both fruity and spicy and medium bodied...just perfect for what we were about to eat. The cost- $60 (and that was slightly more expensive than other bottles on the menu).Now to the incredible food...following RH's market to table philosophy, your meal begins with a plate of fresh vegetables. This includes tri-color carrots, purple cauliflower, radishes and cherry tomatoes (produce you don't often see in New York). The crudite is served with a sweet, yet tangy, yogurt dip with fresh mint.I ordered the Perigord Tourrain soup (traditional chicken veloute with garlic and egg whites)which came highly recommended by the staff. It reminded me of traditional egg drop soup, but was much richer and creamier. The soup is topped with small crostinis which give it a nice crunchy bite.My husband, Rich, started with the Perigourdine poached egg with field mushrooms, foie gras and black truffle appetizer - a brilliant combination of simple and exotic flavors that is impossible to describe and utterly amazing.For my entree, I tried the 12-hour cooked boneless suckling pig with artichokes and rosemary jus. Because the meat is cooked for so long and at a low temperature, it was nice and tender and it felt like it was melting in my mouth. The rosemary gave it a nice earthy flavor, not at all overpowering the dish, and the artichokes added the right amount of texture to the dish. The sliced pears on the side were the perfect sweet accompaniment to go along with every bite you take of the pork. This dish was superb!Rich ordered the homemade crispy hudson valley duck leg confit with sauteed potatoes, green onion, garlic and parsley. Another winner, this dish was perfectly cooked and balanced.Chef Archambault surprised us with his Cassoulet with duck confit. Everyone had talked about this dish when we were trying to decide what to order, and boy we were glad we got to try it. It's a traditional dish from Southern France described to us as something "your grandma would have made for you" (if you were lucky enough to grow up in the South of France). It has beans, sausage, bacon and duck confit and is topped with bread crumbs to give it a nice crunchy top. This is comfort food at its best!Warm, friendly, informative, service- in an elegant, yet relaxed way- rounded out a divine dining experience. Everything was amazing!