It’s hard to top a scenic coastal drive if you’re the kind that knows to appreciate life’s simple pleasures, though the Peninsula Beverly Hills wouldn’t be the cutting-edge address they are if they stopped short of providing anything less than a Rolls Royce for your Californian expedition (not that they didn’t also offer fabulous towels, but you won’t need to bring them for this day at the beach).
A new experience available exclusively to guests staying at the brand’s Los Angeles hotel is a sure treat for petrol heads and wine lovers alike, and, needless to say, we had our GPS set on it. Waking up in our green garden suite, we were chaperoned to the Peninsula’s driveway, where Rolls Royce’s latest luxury offering awaited us in the early morning sun, audibly roaring with excitement. Sparkly white and of tank-like proportions, the Cullinan SUV is what we’d call a castle on wheels – in any case, it did make us feel like road royalty.
We dared not touch our boxed breakfast lovingly prepared by Chef David Codney until after we’d taken the Cullinan for a few spins at Ocean Dunes beach north of LA (what true auto-phile would?). From the beach, it was on to a vineyard drive around the grand Tolosa winery, home to viticultural expertise and an excellent 1772 Sauvignon Blanc that brought the wild ride theme right down to our taste buds.
Tolosa provided a private tour around its estate and a luncheon, too, both of which made for a perfect excuse to sip on some more of their fine wines. Not that we needed an excuse to booze: a private flight from the airport across the road returns guests to LA in no time, so you can enjoy all the vino you want without risking a DUI driving the Cullinan back down.
www.peninsula.com | www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
Photography by James Lipman, courtesy of the Peninsula Beverly Hills
