I never paid much attention to breakfast as anything more than just cereal and milk or eggs and toast. But for the last few years, it has, as it should, become my most important meal of the day. On weekends specially, I like waking up late to a lazy Southern California morning and heading out for a good brunch. Here are my five faves in Los Angeles:

Uncle Bill’s in Manhattan Beach

Uncle Bill’s Pancake House is a family owned establishment and has been around for a long time. Steps from Manhattan Beach, this is the ideal place for a weekend breakfast or brunch. They serve breakfast or lunch till 2:30p so be aware that it is not open in the evenings.

Food is great. My favorites being JD’s French Toast and Mitch’s Scramble. Orange Juice is fresh. Prices are very reasonable too.

This place is so popular that anytime you go on weekends, you will encounter long lines outside.  And they don’t take reservations, so when you get there, put your name on the wait list and go for a walk on the beach.

Blu Jam Cafe

Blu Jam Cafe is a very unique spot for breakfast. Located in Beverly Hills off Melrose Ave, Blu Jam is another privately owned joint run by owner Kamil Majer who also happens to be the chef.

The decor is casual and fun with brick walls and dark wood furniture. Service is fast and friendly and the place is relatively inexpensive. Expect to spend about $35 for two.

As for the menu, the French Brioche Toast with Yogurt, Blackberry Jam, banana and strawberries is perhaps the best French toast you will ever have. The Eggs Florentine will also tickle your taste buds.

Jinky’s Cafe

Jinky’s has a huge menu and it gets confusing at times. Once you figure out what works for you though, they are consistent and you will find yourself returning often. They have 3 locations in SoCal (Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks and West Hollywood) so you can head to the one closest to you.

While I have found service to be a little slow, they have great stuffed pancakes with bananas and blueberries stuffed inside the pancakes. It comes very hot and goes great with a little syrup.

Jack n’ Jill’s

This place is really good. It is slightly expensive, but considering it is smack in the middle of Beverly Hills (there is also a location in Santa Monica) with a view of the finest cars outside its windows, it is perfectly reasonable.

The food is amazing. Specially the Beverly Frittata and the Cinnamon Croissant French Toast. Portions are large so you might be able to share with friends.

Service is quick, but the wait is long. Be ready to put your name down and go for a walk. Expect to run into some of the Hollywood elites at this place too.

Free 2 hour parking is available up the street on Beverly Drive.

Toast Bakery and Cafe

Toast is a bakery and cafe in the heart of Beverly Hills, a few blocks east of the Beverly Center.

First, parking was a pain. They have valet parking but it is quite expensive ($5.50) given that I went for breakfast.

I was surprised to find it was so busy for breakfast even during a weekday but fortunately, we were seated after 10 minutes.

We ordered the eggs florentine, which came on bread rather than the usual english muffin, but it was creamy and delicious. It had extra emphasis on the spinach so you know what to expect.

We also ordered the Stuffed French toast which is apparently one of their specialties, and while the banana pudding and the sliced bananas were great, the french bread itself was a little dry – needed to be a little moist.

Overall, a good place for a Sunday afternoon brunch.

Happy brunching!

Winter is upon us, and ski operators and resorts are gearing up for some busy months ahead when ski and snowboard enthusiasts frequent the slopes in search for fresh, soft powder. The ski destinations below, are my top picks for North America (in no particular order):

Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, featured in the Jim Carey comedy classic “Dumb and Dumber”, is the place to be if you want to ski with the rich and famous. Aspen is an ideal upscale ski vacation destination for all types of skill levels.

Banff National Park, Alberta
Banff is one of the most spectacular looking mountain resorts in the world. With Sunshine Village and Ski Norquay in close proximity, Banff is the tallest place in Canada. With plenty of nature and slopes, Banff has a lot more than winter sports. In fact, it has one of the best golf courses in North America as well.

Banff National Park, Alberta

Vail, Colorado
With a slogan of “Like nothing on earth”, Vail surprisingly lives up to its name, and then some. It is one of the largest ski terrains in North America with 5,289 acres of ski terrain. In fact, only Whistler/Blackcomb eclipse Vail’s ski area in size. In the heart of Colorado, a couple of hours from Denver, Vail is one popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia
Consistently voted “Best North American Ski Resort”, Whistler is a winter destination for anyone and everyone. Skiing, shopping, golfing, pampering and culinary experiences, Whistler offers all that and a great social scene with plenty of night life. And of course, it is the largest ski terrain in all of North America.

Whistler Mountain, British Columbia

Park City, Utah
Utah is a surprising consideration for conferences and gatherings. But one look at Park City and you will know why. Park City consists of three main resorts – Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort, and The Canyons Resort. The Park City and Deer Valley ski resorts were the major locations for ski and snowboarding events at the 2002 Winter Olympics even though they receive less snow and have a shorter ski season than do other destinations in this list. The biggest draw of Park City is that it is the primary location of the Sundance Film Festival. Among its other accolades – it is also the home of the United States Ski Team. Just one thing I should warn you about. Utah has strict laws regarding alcohol consumption. As such, all drinks served are typically diluted and have a much lower percentage of alcohol.

Taos, New Mexico
In north New Mexico, near the Colorado border, lies Taos Ski Valley, with one of the best Ski schools in the country. Until recently, snowboarding was prohibited here but in 2008, that restriction was listed. Family owned and smaller than most of the other ski destinations on this list,  Taos has an equal ratio of expert and beginner terrains, but don’t let that fool you. The terrain seldom straightens out and remains steep for the most part.

Mammoth, California
Mammoth Mountain is home to the tallest ski resort in California. It is notable in that it gets an unusually large amount of snow, about 400″ annually.  At 3,500 acres, it’s more than three times the size of the so-called “Beast of the East”, (Killington), and certainly lives up to its name. Mammoth lies in close proximity to the Oregon stateline to the north and Nevada to the east. So it is accessible by road from major cities like Sacramento, Portland and Reno.

Killington, Vermont
Killington is considered the largest ski area in the east. It offers the largest variety of terrain with seven interconnected mountains which makes it a haven for snowboarders and cross-country skiers.

Beaver Creek, Colorado
The third Colorado favorite is Beaver Creek, which has won the Best Overall Customer Service Award from the National Ski Association four years in a row. This is a quaint area which, while not as vast as Vail nor as celebrated as Aspen, remains a fast fave for those looking for peace, seclusion and skiing with their families. At the base of the slopes lies a large skating rink, the Family Ice Arena, where kids and adults can warm up before heading to the slopes.

So, now that winter is here and you have this list of top ski resorts, where will you be going? Book now to get great deals on ski vacations.

For those who are unfamiliar with the vast array of hotel offerings in the Southern California area, it is often a daunting task to pick the right one. How does one get the best comfort and cool? Well look no further, because The Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica, California is the perfect hotel for the trendy and single.

A single person’s dream, this hotel stands tall, a block away from the warm sandy beach of Santa Monica. The view from this high-rise is nothing short of breath-taking and the crowd here is young professionals including lawyers, actors and entrepreneurs.

A few years ago, The Huntley Hotel was simply the Radisson Huntley. Aside from its great location and its height, the hotel was an embarrassment to the area. Its musty corridors and stale carpeting, along with lack-luster food and service made it a sloppy choice for a place like Santa Monica. In fact, the only reason I ever went to this hotel as a local was to listen to a ZZ-top look-alike perform rock and roll at its roof-top restaurant called Toppers.

When Preferred Hotels bought this property from Radisson (in 2005-06), the $15-million renovation under the direction of designer Thomas Schoos completely changed the look and feel of the hotel.

Now the hotel is a happening place. With its dark wood and white contrast furniture, it boasts a succinct Los Angeles feel. Toppers is now the Penthouse and it is a hot spot for straight and gay singles. The view of Malibu’s beaches as they welcome the gentle waves of the Southern California coastline under a sliding-top open-air restaurant/bar with white furniture and dark trims, a huge fireplace and expensive drinks make the Penthouse an ideal place to meet new people after a hard-day’s work. Of the many celebs that frequent the Penthouse, I have run into Luke Wilson and Dean Cain myself.

I won’t bore you with the amenities and room sizes. You can get that off any decent website. However, I will admit that rooms are pricey, but then it is Santa Monica. Also, the food isn’t the best, but that is not a problem. The hotel is minutes away from the Promenade in Santa Monica and the Santa Monica pier, so there are plenty of alternatives for the hungry traveler.

Book a room at the Huntley Hotel for your next visit to Los Angeles.