W Scottsdale Hotel & Residences

The W Scottsdale Hotel & Residences in Scottsdale, Arizona is helping you get frisky this Valentine’s Day! This incredibly upscale, beautifully appointed establishment is offering exclusive packages for a romantic rendevous. Guests staying between February 11th and February 15th will enjoy a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, breakfast in bed for two, and an upgrade to a Spectacular Room, starting from $259.

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Once a year several spots around the Southland are transformed into scenes from a Canadian hockey film, if you squint really hard and just let someone slam you into the glass.  Otherwise, you’ll simply find yourself skating along on temporary ice skating rinks while the sun beats down on you and palm trees sway in the background.  Also?  Most likely nobody else can ice skate, either, so you don’t have to worry about making a fool out of yourself.  Everyone else is doing it.

The only way I'll ever ice skate.

Most famously and traditionally, Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles plays winter this year until January 18.  The location is home to the Winter Holiday Festival on December 12 and 13.

No need to leave the Valley (San Fernando) if that’s where you’re staying.  This is the first year that Woodland Hills Ice operates at the Westfield Topanga Mall until February 2010.  Special events, birthday parties, and open until midnight on Christmas Day.

Over yonder on the West Side, there’ll be no swimming in the pool at the W Hotel for a while.  That’s because they ingeniously turned it into a skating rink!  The outdoor restaurant/bar will serve up wintry goodies, too.  Frozen until January 24.  In Santa Monica, meet your friends at 5th and Arizona for some ice skating by the ocean until January 31.

If you’re in more southern areas of Southern Cal, there are opportunities to trip the ice fantastic down there, too.  Seaside Ice Rink Redondo Beach boasts a large parking lot and proximity to the fabulous Portofino Hotel.

Photo:  Pershing Square website

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

In spite of the desperate pleas of my ten-year-old, we are not (yet) a dog family.  So it goes without saying that we haven’t had any occasion to find accommodations for man’s best friend while traveling, although I have plenty of friends who wouldn’t think of leaving home without Fido or Mr. Pugs.  I dedicate this post about finding pet-friendly lodging in Los Angeles to them.  Mostly out of admiration for their loyalty to their four-legged friends, but also in hopes that I’ll never have to hear the words, “Oops! Sorry about your couch.”

The first one that caught my eye is the Loews Hotel chain, because I read that they offer room service for pets.  I imagined a rawhide bone and a bowl of Alpo being delivered on a silver tray, and it doesn’t look like I was too far off the mark.  Here’s what their website says:

All pets receive their own gifts including a pet tag, bowl and a special treat to start their vacation. Owners receive a detailed brochure with information on hotel pet services — such as our Loews Loves Pets room service menu, local dog walking routes, and area pet services.

I’m curious as to what the “treat to start their vacation” might be, since the last time I checked most pets were always on vacation.

The Sofitel Hotel is also pet friendly, although their description is careful to say, “Pet Allowed” as in singular, not plural.  In other words, don’t show up with your sled and your 16 dogs on the way to the Iditarod.

If your pet is a hip scenester and likes to party like a rock star, then you’ll want to take him/her to the W Hotel in Westwood. How’s this for swank?  Their pet info page lists the following amenities:

• Custom W pet bed
• Food & water bowl with floor mat
• Pet-in-room door sign
• Special treat at Turndown

(Special treat at turndown?  Would that be a piece of mint-flavored kibble?)

I’ve seen celebrities there of the two-legged variety at the W, but I’ll bet your tabby would find some movie star feline to rub elbows with.  Your scratching post or mine?

You may bring Spot to the Four Points Sheraton Westside, but only if he’s been watching his little doggie waistline; they only allow pets up to 50 pounds.  Also, guests with pets are only allowed on the first level. So if you were hoping to slim down his paunch with some stair climbing, you’re out of luck.  Better stick to dogercise in your room, or better yet switch to Purina Lite a few days before your trip.

The Residence Inn in Burbank allows pets, and it appears most in the chain do as well. However, they do require a $100 non-refundable sanitation fee, which seems pretty steep; most hotels I’ve seen charge an average of $25 to $30 per night.  I guess the Residence Inn fee is only a bargain if you’re staying a few nights.  Otherwise it’ll cost you a paw and a leg. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Photo: Stock.Xchng.com

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

If you only visit Sea World when you go to San Diego, you’re missing out on a lot. Besides, how many times can you watch a whale jump through the air chasing a sardine? On your next trip, check out these romantic hotels – one of them is great for hookups, of both the romantic and the internet kind…

We recently stayed at the Sheraton Hotel & Marina, and while I know my husband chose it for its beautiful pool with cascading fountains and their cafe on the water, I know he also picked it for that one thing he knew would make me swoon: a plush internet lounge with WiFi. Because nothing says ‘I Love You’ like free Internet connection with a killer download speed.

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of Sheratons, but because we’re part of the Starwood program we decided to give the chain another try while on a recent visit to San Diego. We were pleasantly surprised – the hotel was in a beautiful location overlooking the marina, appeared to have been recently renovated and had excellent service. After lounging by the pool, we moved to the outdoor patio for a romantic evening sipping martinis by one of their outdoor fire pits. One definite buzzkill was the room service breakfast bill the next morning – how is it possible to spend almost $80 on a mediocre meal? I’ll tell you how – by cleverly hiding both a delivery charge and a room service fee in the bill, on top of which I unknowingly added a very generous tip. Luckily I was able to console myself with some quality time at Link, the internet lounge.

But one of our favorite places to stay is still the W Hotel located downtown. We love the modern, sleek rooms and the hip vibe – although if they heard me using the words ‘hip vibe’ they’d probably set me up in a room with a tub of Epson salts, a glass next to the bed for my teeth and a DVD boxed set of the Golden Girls. The Sand Bar on the roof is amazing – grab a private cabana, wiggle your toes in the (real) sand and sip a Mai Tai next to the one you love. You’d swear you were alone on a deserted tropical island if it weren’t for the techno music blaring on the speakers and the waiter who keeps showing up to ply you with expensive booze.

Not quite in San Diego, but close, is the Surf and Sand Resort in Laguna Beach. We haven’t been there for years, but it was one of the first hotels my husband and I stayed at together when we were dating (Yes, unmarried and in the same room! Sorry, mom.) This place truly is spectacular, and if you get one of the rooms on the upper floor of the main tower you’ll have a breathtaking view – a perfectly framed, unencumbered view of the ocean, sky and clouds. Now if that doesn’t scream romance I don’t know what does.

Photo: W Hotel, San Diego