I arrived at The Thompson quite early, 8am to be exact. Wade was taking his level 1 sommelier class down the street at The Montage. I couldn’t check in yet so I was let up to the rooftop pool and gym. It was so beautiful and quiet at this hour. No one was around but me and a very sweet staff member I’ll call Carlos. The sun was just starting to peek through the marine layer and sparkle on all of the skyscrapers and houses. There is a 360 degree view of Los Angeles from the roof and at that early hour, with the sparkle and the quiet there was a beautiful innocence about the city that I had never experienced before. I stood up there taking it all in before having Carlos let me into the gym. One thing I loved about The Thompson is that they make great use of their views. There were two walls of windows in the gym that were so distracting, I worked out twice as long as usual! At this point, my stay had been fantastic and I hadn’t even checked into my room yet. I am starting to like this early bird business. As much as I hate getting out of my warm, cozy, husband and cat filled bed, when I am forced to see the sunrise and experience the peacefulness of the morning it is pretty incredible.

After a good, long workout I switched gears, got my bikini on and hit the pool. It started out quiet and relaxing and then a DJ showed up at 11:00 and the pool par-tay began. This is something they do on Sundays throughout the summer. The vibe was good, the music was fun (not obnoxious) and I made some new friends. I ordered spicey tuna tar tar for lunch and it was perfect, fresh, light and just what I wanted. The cocktails were pretty spectacular too. I had a lemon basil concoction that was incredibly refreshing.

A few hours later I got a call that my room was ready. I couldn’t wait to get in there and check it out! (I love hotels!!) I had a King Premium room (thanks Claudia) and it was awesome… small but awesome. I was prepared for this because they have the room square footage on their website. The room also had a nice little balcony with a great west facing view of Los Angeles. I loved the modern decor and the fashion photo by Steven Klein on the wall. The furniture was a little on the worn side but for around $200 a night it is a great value for Beverly Hills. The bathroom was stocked with products by Ren, a company I know and love. At this point, I decided it was time to test out the bed and take a nap until Wade got out of class.

When Wade returned from class we were both ravenous and decided to try the hotel restaurant Caulfields for dinner. We shared a frisée salad with bacon and a poached egg on it (delicious), short rib ravioli (the pasta seemed homemade which is always a plus, and it was delicious but a bit salty), and a cheeseburger (delicious but a tad overpriced at $15). All in all it was a good meal but a bit over priced in an LA, hotel American Bistro kind of way. The decor was cute, relaxed and diner-y and they played good music. Our waiter was especially charming and had an uncanny  resemblance to Carlos, the nice guy by the pool in the morning.
We finished off the night with a cocktail at the rooftop bar. They have cozy seating, great drinks, fireplaces and an amazing view of the city of lights. It was the perfect end to the perfect day.

When I got up on Monday I was sad to have to check out. I had gotten pretty cozy pretty fast. Thats easy to do at The Thompson. I packed up, left my bags with the bellman and spent another beautiful afternoon by the pool eagerly awaiting the news from Wade as to wether or not he passed his test. The news finally came, HE PASSED…YAY!!! I had to say goodbye to my fun week-end and the gorgeous rooftop pool. I would definitely come back to The Thompson Beverly Hills and I look forward to staying at one of their other 9 hotels in my travels!