Two weeks ago, O and I snuck away for a week split between Malibu and Los Angeles. I still can’t believe we pulled it off. I was actually back in L.A. this weekend for a girls trip to Beverly Hills but more on that later. For now, here is everything we wore, ate and loved on our trip and a breakdown of the two hotels we called home for a week.

Malibu
where to stay:
While we’ve spent so much time in southern California, we had never visited Malibu and I’m hooked for life. We Stayed at the Malibu Surfrider hotel which exceeded every expectations. I shared what I loved about it in a post here(spoiler-there was a LOT to love!) so I’ll just share the only downsides right here. 1. We chose the least expensive room because we knew we would literally only be in our room to rest. I’m not sure if it’s just our room (the bottom room with an outside wall) but it was incredibly loud. We decided we must have been under the restaurant because the noise was more than just humans could have produced. Thankfully, we both don’t mind noise too much and actually found the sound of water rushing though the walls sort of soothing (ha!) but if that is really irksome to you, I’d ask while booking to be on the second floor if possible. 2. If you forget something (cotton rounds, a shower cap, toothpaste, q-tips, a sewing kit…) they won’t have it. There are fantastic soaps and lotions in the room but you can’t call to the front desk for things like that.
Literally that’s it. That’s the end of the “cons” list. The hotel is absolute perfection and we always love a hotel that allows you to borrow one of the cars on site so you don’t have to call a ride-share service, the beach being a thirty second walk away, the rooftop restaurant, the stunning bougainvillea–it was all a slice of paradise.

where to eat:
We found it best to take the hotel car and swing over to Santa Monica to stop at Erin McKenna for our favorite gluten free/vegan treats, to Sweet Laurel Bakery for my paleo treats and then to Erewhon next-door to that for groceries. We always pick up water bottles, salads and yogurts and things to keep in the fridge and snacky things like nuts and chips to have on hand. Best grocery store in the entire world. I need to learn how to recreate their Asian Chicken Salad right this minute because I had it every day.
For restaurants actually in Malibu, we loved Nobu Malibu and Malibu Farm. Both are absolutely divine-but a tip for Nobu: I tried to make a reservation three weeks before our trip but they are booked at least a month out so they told us to show up at 5pm and be prepared to wait until 6pm for a table. We did just that and at 5:55, we were able to sit right by the ocean and it was one of our favorite moments of the trip. Both of these restaurants are within a 10 minute walk of the hotel.
what to do:
rest. seriously. They give you the hotel Netflix account so we spent nearly 40% of the waking hours in bed with snacks snuggling and watching ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive.” I can’t recommend anything more than that setup right there. We also scheduled a couples massage at Cure which is a tucked away spa right across the street from Nobu and it was fantastic. We visited El Matador Beach for sunset one evening but mostly just stayed at Surfrider beach right across the street to stare at surfers, find shells and throw a football.

what to wear:
No matter what time of year you visit, you’ll want to have a sweatsuit (preferably Aviator Nation or The Great-just trust me) light layers, a swimsuit and all the linen your heart can muster.
what I actually wore:

what I would wear:

In the City
where to stay:
If you’ve been here a while, you know our love for 1Hotels. We’re superfans. Any time we can stay at a 1Hotel location, we jump at the opportunity so we spent the second half of the trip on 1Hotel in Hollywood. I shared my favorite part of that here so I’ll share the single downside here: the location isn’t the friendliest for traffic and walkability. There you have it. That’s it. Everything you could ever want or need exists in this hotel and pretty much everything you want to eat is just a quick Postmates away. Warning: you’ll leave with a hankering to redecorate your home the second you leave-it’s just a fact.

where to eat:
Once again- Erewhon is our best friend. O loves to get a deep dish vegan pizza from Masa and we love the famous vegan Mexican restaurant Gracias Madre which is right around the corner.
what to do:
Oh friends. This is where you shop. You’re a quick Lyft away from the Grove, Rodeo Drive and so many boutiques and flagship stores right on your street. DO NO miss the gym or pool on the second floor of this hotel because it is a treasure. We’ve also brought the kids to this hotel and the gym is the perfect “get those wiggles out” spot. Also- spend as much time in that robe as humanly possible, you guys. Promise me that.

what to wear:
You’ll find that L.A’s answer to this is “not much.” lots of booty shorts and bra outfits and even more full-on 90s gear. L.A. looks like what I imagine a walking TikTok to be-but here is what I love to wear for a summer trip to the city-
what I actually wore:

what I would wear: