A Luxurious Family Stay at The Peninsula Beverly Hills

There’s always a sense of arrival at The Peninsula Beverly Hills: first, when the bellman greets you in the drive, then, in the entry, where a glorious flower arrangement signals beauty, luxe and calm.

The arrival is especially exciting for young children of families participating in Camp Peninsula — a program that makes its debut this summer — because the check-in amenity features a welcome by a teddy bear mascot named Peter Bear, a willing partner for a take-home selfie portrait. Then, a camp counselor accompanies kids to the room, where a surprise awaits: It’s a teepee large enough for little ones to crawl inside, even to nap. There are camp-themed games and fun activities, including a guided, hotel-wide scavenger hunt.

Camp Peninsula Teepee With Kids. Photo: Peninsula Beverly Hills

Kids long loved The Roof Garden, on the fifth floor, like a country club with its long pool, large circular hot tub, private cabanas (with televisions) and restaurant. And, afternoon tea in The Living Room is a delicious time for boys and girls to nibble on tea sandwiches, woof down scones with clotted cream, devour pastries and try to do it all while practicing the good manners they’ve been taught. (There’s also a s’mores set-up waiting in each Camp Peninsula room and that’s also fun, flameless, safe and always yummy.)

Beverly Hill’s illustrious Golden Triangle, with its idyllic urban, pedestrian-friendly streets, is within easy walking distance. The Peninsula is near the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards, two of the three streets (Canon Drive is the third) that border the triangle, so walkers can visit the Beverly Hills Visitor Center and explore Rodeo and Beverly drives — with shops, restaurants, galleries and the kid-friendly Paley Center for Media. The newly renovated Century City — where special events add to the fun of shopping, dining and seeing movies — is also nearby, though I drive (or take a taxi) to it and walk around it.

Living Room at the Peninsula Beverly Hills. Photo: Peninsula Beverly Hills

The Camp Peninsula package includes the use of one of the hotel’s 16 luxury BMW automobiles to explore Los Angeles, perhaps to the beach in Santa Monica or Venice, to downtown’s cultural mecca and the authentic Mexican-style Olvera Street or Farmer’s Market or to Universal City.

Tea at the Peninsula. Photo: Peninsula Beverly Hills

Another Camp Peninsula adult amenity is four hours babysitting service for alone time. In addition to the restaurants in Beverly Hills or West Hollywood, make time to stay in the hotel for a glamorous and gastronomic dinner at the contemporary and art-filled The Belvedere. The recently refurbished and only AAA Five Diamond-rated restaurant in Los Angeles is where the who’s who of Hollywood celebrate personal events. And spend a couple of hours receiving a treatment at The Peninsula Spa, which will have completed a spectacularly sensual makeover by summer.

Villa Suite, Dining and Kitchen. Photo: Peninsula Beverly Hills