L'Ermitage Beverly HillsBeverly Hills, CA

The west-coast capital of business and entertainment, Los Angeles is known as the City of Angels. Originally a sleepy little town, Los Angeles grew slowly until the discovery of oil at the close of the 1800s. But it was the silver-screen era that turned Los Angeles into a boomtown – with the idyllic Southern California climate allowing filming to take place outdoors all year round. The exclusive community of Beverly Hills is midway between downtown Los Angeles and Pacific Ocean beaches. Simultaneously a small town and a highly sophisticated city, Beverly Hills is both a glamorous, trend-setting destination for shopping and dining and a quietly elegant residential enclave favoured by Hollywood’s elite. Within this tree lined residential neighborhood stands L’Ermitage, Beverly Hills, the setting for world-famous Rodeo Drive, as well as other dynamic shopping areas on Robertson Boulevard, Melrose Avenue and Third Street. Just as close to major business centers, L’Ermitage provides best-of-both-worlds convenience.

The sun-soaked City of Angels offers comfortable temperatures year-round. Offshore breezes keep the coast cooler in August and September, while city-centre temperatures reach close to the mid-80s°F (30°C). Winter temperatures, 65°F (18°C) on average, are cooler in the early morning and warmer by mid-day.

Within a 5-minute drive of the Hotel

THE MUSEUM OF TELEVISION AND RADIO: The Museum offers a complete history of radio and television at its new Beverly Hills location.

RODEO DRIVE: Located on the west side of Los Angeles' metropolitan area, Rodeo Drive is a legend in itself, providing an exciting spot for people-watching, dining and upscale shopping.

Within a 10-minute drive of the Hotel

LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART: The grande dame of Los Angeles's Museum Row is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. More than 150,000 works from around the world are featured in the museum's permanent collection, including paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures by masters such as Rembrandt, Monet and Matisse. Major exhibitions of ancient Roman artworks, bronze sculptures from southeast Asia, 16th-century texiles, decorative arts and photography attract 600,000 visitors each year. The museum hosts more than 30 special shows annually; recent exhibitions focused on Picasso, Chagall, David Hockney and Frank Lloyd Wright.

SHOPPING CENTERS: There are a number of shopping centres just minutes from the Hotel, including the Beverly Center, the Century City Shopping Center and the Grove, featuring stores such as Bloomingdale's, Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

RANCHO PARK GOLF COURSE: The course is nearby public with driving range, putting green and pro shop.

MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE: Focusing on issues of intolerance, both domestic civil rights and worldwide prejudice, the Museum features artifacts from Auschwitz and personal items once belonging to Anne Frank; photographs and video testimonies by Holocaust survivors are particularly hard-hitting.

PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM: Recognized internationally for its innovative design, it is dedicated to the interpretive study of the automobile and its influence on our life and culture. Encompassing more than 300,000 square feet (28,000 square metres), its exhibits and lifelike dioramas feature more than 150 rare and classic cars, trucks and motorcycles.

Within a 15-minute drive of the Hotel

UCLA HAMMER MUSEUM: Paintings by old masters, Impressionists and Post-impressionists are featured, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Cassat, Monet and van Gogh. The UCLA Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, which is also part of the museum, includes prints, drawings, photographs and artist's books from the Renaissance to the present.

SHUBERT THEATER: The Theater offers top Broadway musicals.

GRAUMAN'S CHINESE THEATER: Hollywood comes alive as visitors stroll the Walk of Fame, which commemorates celebrities whose names appear on bronze stars on the sidewalk, or compare footprints of the stars in the courtyard of Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Within a 20-minute drive of the Hotel

HOLLYWOOD BOWL: The summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and also hosts outdoor concerts by top classical, popular and jazz artists.

HOLLYWOOD SIGN: The 50-foot-high (15-metre) Hollywood Sign is one of Hollywood's most famous landmarks, stretching across the top of Mount Lee.

PANTAGES THEATER: A classic Hollywood theatre featuring Broadway and off-Broadway plays and musicals.

OLVERA STREET: The birthplace of Los Angeles over 200 years ago, Olvera Street is today a bustling cobblestone street filled with colorful shops selling Mexican wares and restaurants serving tasty Mexican cuisine.

THIRD STREET PROMENADE: Located in Santa Monica, the Promenade has shops, movies and restaurants.

VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK: Featuring everything from the wild to the bizarre, a "must see" while in Los Angeles, with one-of-a-kind shops. High-speed in-line skaters, musicians and all walks of life enjoy this mile-long stretch on the Pacific Ocean.

SANTA MONICA AND MALIBU BEACHES: Two popular beaches are those at Santa Monica and Malibu.

OTHER OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: in the area include horseback riding in Griffith Park and hiking on Mount Wilson.