SPRING FLING Life is hard enough, childhood shouldn't be. With that in mind, we dedicate this issue of On Tippy Toes to celebrating Spring with simple but gorgeous children's clothes and comfy kid's shoes in Style. Scroll down to our Food section where we feature a zucchini hazelnut salad from Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi restaurant. Yum! Inspired by the latest super hero craze, in Trend we bring you the coolest robot toys, gear and design elements to decorate the next kid's birthday party, upgrade a toddler room and protect your iPod. For the grown-up princess (aka mom), in Beauty we highlight a handful of our favorite magic wands, er, mascaras. Looking for an easy Getaway? Look no further than Santa Monica and check in at the gorgeous Viceroy hotel, which ignites the senses with punchy colors, delectable cuisine and a breezy indoor/outdoor atmosphere. LIKE US, FOLLOW US & WIN Don't forget to sign up for our email newsletter, delivered directly to your Inbox. And to win great prizes every month, Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter. Tweet

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viceoy santa monica

Sophisticated with a touch of whimsy, a retreat at the Viceroy Santa Monica ignites the senses with punchy colors, delectable cuisine and a breezy indoor/outdoor atmosphere. Candlelit dinners in poolside cabanas, a staff that goes above and beyond to please, and a vibrant bar scene complete the picture.

What to Do
1. Watch the Sunset. Ride the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier and get a bird’s eye view of the city at sunset.
2. Take a Hike. The hotel offers invigorating Saturday morning outings that combine 30 minutes of hiking the Santa Monica Mountains with 20 minutes of yoga followed by breakfast at Whist.
3. Drink. Starting in April, Viceroy’s Cameo Bar will create $15 house barrel aged cocktails such as Lynchburg Lemonade.
4. Shop. Head to pedestrian-only Third Street Promenade and do as Angelenos do: eat, shop, see and be seen.
5. Surf. Ask the concierge to arrange a one-on-one surfing lesson with Malibu Makos. Private lessons cost $100 per person.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. That’s what I tell myself as I drive towards the boxy white building that is the Viceroy Santa Monica. It may not be particularly impressive on the outside, but things perk up considerably as a Paul Smith wannabe model ushers me through the oversize front doors to the lobby.

And what a lobby it is! I feel like Dorothy stepping into vibrantly hued Oz for the first time. Designed by Kor Hotel Group muse, Kelly Wearstler, the lobby is a study on glamour and drama. Parrot green and canary yellow splashes of color pop against a palette of mostly black and white. Caramel colored Chesterfield loveseats and leather upholstered club chairs surround glass coffee tables, above which hang white chandeliers. Displayed on a black wall is a collection of whimsical china while another is covered in gorgeous damask patterned wallpaper. And there are mirrors, lots of them.

I am eager to see what my room looks like, but alas it is not ready. Apologizing profusely, the lovely woman who checks me in offers a cocktail, her treat. Don’t mind if I do. Inspired by the sunny décor of the Library—everything from the rug, sofa and lamps are yellow—I order a Champs Elysees, a potent concoction of cognac, yellow chartreuse, angostura and fresh squeezed lemon juice.

The rooms turn out to be just as fanciful as the rest of the hotel, with lavish 100% Egyptian cotton bed linens, Neil George bath products, and sitting areas with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the pool, palms or ocean. In my room the fresh cut yellow tulips match the sofa.

Whist is the on-site Mediterranean-inspired restaurant helmed by a Top Chef alumn, Chris Crary, who sources local ingredients for dishes like the mouth-watering lamb tenderloin skewers served on a bed of faro and a date and pistachio salad. For dessert, the zesty Meyer lemon tart is a must.

It’s a pleasantly warm and sunny day—is there any other kind in Los Angeles?—so I make my way to the pool, or rather, pools. Like royalty holding court, young pretty things lounge in private poolside cabanas with glasses of champagne in hand and untouched canapés on pretty plates. Come nightfall, micro dresses and spiky heels will replace teensy bikinis and sunglasses; there will be merriment and dancing, perhaps with just a hint of naughtiness—a fitting description for a sojourn at the Viceroy.

Book it on Jetsetter.com

TRAVEL GEAR

Stow ‘n Go
There's nothing worse than driving around with toys, sippy cups and binkies rolling around the floor of your car. This organizer, which attaches to the back of the driver or passenger seat, helps keep everything organized and easy to find when you need it. Stow 'n Go features seven full sized pockets and two drink holders in a washable, waterproof fabric. It is designed to fasten around the headrest with a velcro strap and at the bottom of the seat with nylon cord. While this may work great in an SUV or other car with big seat backs, in our Mitsubishi the whole thing ended up dangling instead of laying flush against the seat.

{ Fiat 500 }

La Dolce Family Vita

Small is the new big. At least, that's what many car companies have finally figured out. There's the NIssan Juke and Cube, there's the Ford Fiesta, the VW Beetle and, of course, the Mini Cooper. Last year Fiat reentered the U.S. market with a car that oozes personality in a way no SUV can. The Fiat 500 (otherwise known as the Cinquecento in its homeland of Italy) is small, cute and affordable. But, does it work for a new family with baby (or toddler) in tow? That's what I ventured to find out when

It's just as adorable on the inside as it is on the outside, with an option to swap out the black surround for the HVAC and stereo controls for creamy white. You like white? You can have all white, if you choose, including the steering wheel, the column, the windshield wiper, blinker stalks and even the trim around the gauge cluster. And what a beautiful gauge it is. Submarine-inspired, the gauge is all concentric circles that display the fuel level, date, time, engine temp and exterior temp. Wrapped around that you see the tach and the speedo.

For $15,995 the 500 base trim level, Pop, comes with everything you need and nothing you don't: power windows, locks and mirrors, seven airbags, air conditioning and cruise control. The Sport costs $17,995 and adds 16-inch wheels, unique fascias front and rear, a Bose sound system and red brake calipers. For two thousand bucks more you get the Lounge, which adds a six-speed automatic, a fixed glass roof, alarm, satellite radio and leather-wrapped steering wheel. While the glass roof is certainly pretty, it does knock a few inches from the headroom. So skip it if you're tall.

Love color? So does Fiat. So go ahead and choose from 14 different interior trim colors and 14 exterior colors, including two reds, yellow, orange, two different browns, and two greens. There are also some 50 accessories including interior lighting kits and roof racks to a variety of exterior graphics. Chrome elements, two-tone seats, and a dashboard that perfectly matches the body colour combine with handy storage compartments and small details, like a fragrance dispenser, to create an environment that is both elegant and functional. And one that can accommodate four people -- albeit two of whom must be under four feet.

Attaching the car seats in the small back of the 500 turned out to be the biggest challenge. But once we managed that, my three-year-old daughter discovered she could easily climb in and out of her seat on her own. Scrunching my five-foot-ten frame behind the passenger seat to get my one-year-old son in his seatwasn't super easy but certainly manageable. Seatbelts buckled and iPod plugged in, we were ready to go.

Just as its shape might suggest, the 500 is fun to drive -- as much fun as 101 horsepower will give you, anyway. The low-speed steering is fast, the brakes are reponsive. The car fuses the perfect balance between controlled handling without the firmness of a harsh ride. Parking the 500 is obviously a breeze, which makes it a great pick for urban parents. Kids under six or seven will fit in the back without any problem, but there won't be much room for luggage. Picnic basket? Yes. Frisbee and soccer ball? No problem. But forget about cross-country or even cross state border trips. This darling little car is a great starter-car for a new family.