Tag Archives: Los Angeles

Route 53 - Life is A Highway, Travels: The Route 53

The Luxe Hotel – Sunset Blvd.

June 3, 2009 erikhom@aol.com Leave a comment

The Luxe on Sunset is a luxury hotel located at the corner of the 405 and Sunset Blvd at the edge of Beverly Hills. Do not be confused as there also is a Luxe Hotel Beverly Hills located on Rodeo Dr. In fact there are several Luxe Hotels in Los Angeles.

11461 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90049 USA
800-468-3541

www.luxehotelsunsetblvd.com

Cost:$$

Hotel Decor: 89 Typical of a Los Angeles hotel, The Luxe has great outdoor lounging areas . You feel like you are in your own private garden eventhough you are right next to a highway. The hotel is older but has very modern decor in the rooms although nothing spectacular.

Hotel Amenities: 88 The rooms are spacious and quiet. There are two levels and the back upper level is probably the quieter although older level. The rooms are also closer to the pool. The resort has a great spa thatmany locals seem to use.

Neighborhood Scene: 91 As you can see in the pool photo, the hotel is situated below and near the Getty museum. nothing is walkable and taxis are not easy to find. You are a 10-15 minute drive from Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood and UCLA. Shopping on trendy Rodeo and Richardson are both very near.

Miscellaneous: The closest airport is Burbank and although closer, renting a car is probably the best thing.

Overall Wow Factor: 89 When I was there, President George W. Bush was staying in the main wing of the hotel. As I waited around the lobby bar in the morning, Justin Timberlake walked through the hotel lobby as did Tom Brady. There seemed to be plenty of classic roadster cars being pulled up to the valet one after another. There wasn’t a single car in that lot under $45K-$50K . The hotel is not flashy, but definitely had the coolness factor which showed that the hotel had all the class in the world with any of the pomp and circumstance. This was old school Hollywood and not the Nouveau Hollywood as the conceierge told me.

: The Room

Route 53 - Life is A Highway, Travels: The Route 53

Review: Marriott Newport Beach Resort

March 7, 2009 erikhom@aol.com Leave a comment

Marriott NEWPORT BEACH HOTEL & SPA

900 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, California 92660
Reservations 866 440 3375 | T 949 640 4000 | F 949 640 5055

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxnb-newport-beach-marriott-hotel-and-spa/

Cost:$$

Hotel Decor: 87 Orange County chic with a nautical feel. Outdoor lounge areas make the resort feel spacious

Hotel Amenities: 83 All rooms have an exterior face. There are large spaciious rooms in the tower overlooking Fahion Islan Mall or the golf course and Pacific Ocean. The lower three-story structureshave smaller rooms overlooking the pool areas.

Neighborhood Scene: 80 Fashion Island Mall is a stones throw away and the beaches are a short drive away.

Miscellaneous: The hotel is about 20 miles from the Disneyland resort and is only a $20 cab ride from the Orange County (John Wayne Airport). The Hotel has a very nice restaurant as well.

Overall Wow Factor: 85 Service and a relaxing environment are key factors here. The resort has three pools and is very clean. There are many oudoor lounge areas with outlets in case you need to work but would at least like to feel like you are getting some R&R in. There are water stations throughout with orange wedges. I even went out for a late night swim and when I got to my towel someone had placed a cool glass of water next to my deck chair.

The rooms in the lower structure are small with glass showers but I found them to be all that I needed to relax while staying there for a conference. With palm trees all around and beautiful sunsets you might even be able to trick yourself into thinking that you are in Hawaii. All rooms have a balcony that make the rooms feel larger.

I found the resort to be fairly quiet, especially in the non-tower rooms. My room rate was a reasonable $159/nt and I’d especially recommend the resort to Marriott Reward members who are looking for a nice place to spend their weekend.

Route 53 - Life is A Highway, Travels: The Route 53

The Chamberlain – Hollywood, CA

February 22, 2009 erikhom@aol.com 1 Comment

CHAMBERLAIN WEST HOLLYWOOD

1000 Westmount Drive

West Hollywood, California 90069
Reservations 800 201 9652 | T 310 657 7400 | F 310 854 6744

www.chamberlainwesthollywood.com

Cost: $ /$$

Hotel Decor: 89 Very Hollywood chic, but not tacky. Remodeled apartment building.

Hotel Amenities: 85 All rooms are studios with sunken living areas. There is a small bar/restaurant and beuatiful roof pool with sweeping views of Los Angeles

Neighborhood Scene: 90 Located between West Sunset and Santa Monica Blvds. If you are looking for nightlife and are into the club scene, this is a great neighborhood

Miscellaneous: Also convenient to the Beverly Center Mall (15 minute walk), theatres and plenty of restaurants

Overall Wow Factor: 85 For me I just like the scene. The hotel room is spacious and comfortable and the roof top pool at sunset on a warm night is a great urban setting.

The Chamberlain is a unique hotel in West Hollywood a few blocks down from trendy Sunset Strip. It is a converted apartment building and caters mostly to male travelers. On several occasions I’ve met screenwriters and other entertainment executives looking for a quiet and economical hotel options. Be warned that prices can increase significantly during the holiday season.

Since my Southern California office is near this location it tends to be my home away from home. I do enjoy the friendly service from Angel (yes, she is a struggling actress) who runs the morning breakfast area to the wonderful poolside service at night where I like to rest in one of the cabanas. it makes me think of starlettes in their white 50s bikinis with big sunglasses and palms trees sipping tropical drinks.

As this used to be an apartment building, each room is a studio apartment with a balcony and a gas fireplace. The bathrooms are fairly tight (a couple I know that stayed there complained about the lack of room for two people), but overall there is ample room. Interesting to note is that there is a beauty bar full of products but most of them are geared toward men which might speak more to the West Hollywood neighborhood .

The king bed option is luxurious and the bed sits in the upper half of the studio and you walk down a few steps down to the living area. A flat screen television sits between the two levels. the room also comes equipped with the standard iHome clock radio which I’m starting to see in every hotel so be sure to bring you Ipod nano along. I personally do not like to put my Nano in the iHome as I don’t want to forget it when rushing out in the morning.

The studio is comfortable for me and makes me feel like it is a place that I could see myself living in if I were still a bachelor. This is important to me as it helps me to get to sleep at night. The brown and blue colors as well as the fabric covered walls bring a nice homey feel to each room which makes it feel less like a hotel.

Close by I recommend getting a little lunch at one of the outdoor cafes and do some people watching on Sunset. If you aren’t from the area, it’ll just make you smile and shake your head. It is just a good way of checking out Hollywood and being part of the scene. You’ll know if there are famous people if you see lots of people with cameras snapping away. Some good places to eat are Caffe Primo at 8538 W. Sunset, Le Petit Four at 8654 W. Sunset and Le Clafoutis at 8630 W. Sunset.