The welcome
Compared to the brand’s other hotels, this Peninsula looks more like a large mansion, set back from South Santa Monica Boulevard off a small circular driveway and surrounded by landscaped grounds. Check-in is easy, and soon after being shown to my room, a fresh juice of my choosing arrives on a silver platter. I’m most delighted by my pillowcase, which is monogrammed with my initials (something that the hotel does for frequent or VIP guests).
The neighbourhood
Near the relatively quiet intersection at Wilshire Boulevard, The Peninsula is up there with the nearby Beverly Wilshire in the Hollywood firmament, albeit a little more removed and hence more private (the villas will appeal to families from our region). Rodeo Drive is a 10-minute walk away, or take a ride in the complimentary Rolls-Royce.
The room
My deluxe room is like a bright, small apartment, with French doors and a Juliet balcony overlooking the tops of lemon trees. My bed is decorated with a princess canopy, in the same flower-print fabric as the curtains. The room has a fax machine and printer (a Peninsula standard), and if the Bose CD player doesn’t do the trick, you can borrow a Beats by Dre Bluetooth speaker and wireless headphones.
The service
Warm and smoothly efficient, from the white-capped page boys on up. The concierge works the phones to get me a coveted spot at celebrity manicurist Olive & June and prints detailed directions for a morning walk in Runyon Canyon.
The scene
A mix of Old and New Hollywood, with power breakfasters in The Belvedere restaurant and platinum-blonde ladies who lunch under umbrellas at The Roof Garden, near the cabana-lined rooftop pool. In the run-up to the Oscars this month, the Peninsula is a hub for celebrities, where designers, seamstresses and a jeweller set up shop to style them for the ceremony. The Peninsula Academy also offers guests Hollywood-themed experiences for an extra cost.
The food
The Mediterranean menu at The Belvedere, which underwent a revamp last year, includes well-rendered Middle Eastern dishes such as shakshouka (US$18 [Dh66]) and grass-fed lamb tagine with golden raisin couscous ($40 [Dh147]). The charred Caesar, with crispy Brussels sprouts and kale ($19 [Dh70]), is the best and most inventive dish I have had in ages. Afternoon tea in The Living Room, with musical accompaniment by a harpist, is the kind The Peninsula is known for; order the Imperial Tea ($78 [Dh287]) and it comes with a caviar canapé and a Peninsula “page boy cap cake” wrapped to take home. Breakfast is served in The Belvedere or The Roof Garden: try the heaping huevos rancheros with corn tortillas ($22 [Dh81]).
Loved
The list of Best Picture Oscars, dating back to 1929, which you can order to watch on the Blue-ray Disc player. Mine was delivered with popcorn that had real truffle shavings.
Hated
My room didn’t have a Nespresso machine or similar, but there was complimentary coffee for takeaway in the lobby.
The verdict
One of The Peninsula’s most unique properties, this A-list oasis makes you feel at home in Beverly Hills.
The bottom line
Rooms at The Peninsula Beverly Hills (beverlyhills.peninsula.com) cost from $690 (Dh2,534), including taxes, Wi-Fi and flexible check-in/out.
This review was done at the invitation of the hotel.
mgannon@thenational.ae
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Brief scores
Day 1
Toss England, chose to bat
England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
SPECS
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 750hp at 7,500rpm
Torque: 800Nm at 5,500rpm
Transmission: 7 Speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 332kph
Fuel consumption: 12.2L/100km
On sale: Year end
Price: From Dh1,430,000 (coupe); From Dh1,566,000 (Spider)
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
Bahrain GP
Friday qualifying: 7pm (8pm UAE)
Saturday race: 7pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
WITHIN SAND
Director: Moe Alatawi
Starring: Ra’ed Alshammari, Adwa Fahd, Muhand Alsaleh
Rating: 3/5
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.6-litre turbo
Transmission: six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp
Torque: 240Nm
Price: From Dh89,000 (Enjoy), Dh99,900 (Innovation)
On sale: Now
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
The Witcher - season three
Director: Various
Stars: Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra
Rating: 3/5
A Little to the Left
Developer: Max Inferno
Consoles: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch
Rating: 4/5
Common symptoms of MS
- Fatigue
- numbness and tingling
- Loss of balance and dizziness
- Stiffness or spasms
- Tremor
- Pain
- Bladder problems
- Bowel trouble
- Vision problems
- Problems with memory and thinking
MATCH INFO
FA Cup final
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Champion v Champion (PFL v Bellator)
Heavyweight: Renan Ferreira v Ryan Bader
Middleweight: Impa Kasanganay v Johnny Eblen
Featherweight: Jesus Pinedo v Patricio Pitbull
Catchweight: Ray Cooper III v Jason Jackson
Showcase Bouts
Heavyweight: Bruno Cappelozza (former PFL World champ) v Vadim Nemkov (former Bellator champ)
Light Heavyweight: Thiago Santos (PFL title contender) v Yoel Romero (Bellator title contender)
Lightweight: Clay Collard (PFL title contender) v AJ McKee (former Bellator champ)
Featherweight: Gabriel Braga (PFL title contender) v Aaron Pico (Bellator title contender)
Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh (pro debut) v Emmanuel Palacios (pro debut)
Women’s Lightweight: Claressa Shields v Kelsey DeSantis
Featherweight: Abdullah Al Qahtani v Edukondal Rao
Amateur Flyweight: Malik Basahel v Vinicius Pereira
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
More from Armen Sarkissian
Bridgerton season three - part one
Directors: Various
Starring: Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 3/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Brief scores:
Scotland 371-5, 50 overs (C MacLeod 140 no, K Coetzer 58, G Munsey 55)
England 365 all out, 48.5 overs (J Bairstow 105, A Hales 52; M Watt 3-55)
Result: Scotland won by six runs
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)