Vacations Blog

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

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

1. Give 5 adjectives that you would use to describe the “feel” of your town and its residents.
Diverse. Creative. Vibrant. Open-minded. Fun-seeking. (I know, that was actually seven words. I guess that rules out ‘mathematically-inclined.’)

2. What is your favorite neighborhood in your town?
There are so many neighborhoods I love, it’s hard to choose just one. So I’m going to totally bend the rules and pick two. I’m lawless like that.

My first pick would have to be the neighborhood I grew up in and where my mother still lives in the home where she raised me and my four siblings: South Central. Okay, I chose it mainly for sentimental reasons, but also because I feel it’s an area that’s been given a bad rap that it doesn’t always deserve. It’s the home of the Museum of Natural History, the amazing Watts Towers and the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Not to mention the fact that one of my favorite movies, John Singleton’s “Boyz In The Hood” was filmed on my block. That’s money right there.

My second pick would be the Miracle Mile neighborhood, where I spent most of my twenties and that really defines my single years. It’s well known for the L.A. County Museum of Art, (LACMA) but I’m particularly fond of the stores and restaurants that line La Brea Boulevard; Nancy Silverton’s famous La Brea Bakery and her Campanile restaurant, and the local favorites Café Midi and Purans. And I have some wonderful memories of the late, great Pik-Me-Up Café, one of the first authentic coffee houses in L.A.

3. Which cuisine do you think your town does best? What is the runner-up?
Hands down, L.A. does Mexican food the best. Runner up would be Japanese, and dinner parties with both enchiladas and sushi on the table are not unheard of.

4. What is the best free thing to do?
The Getty Center. For just the price of parking ($8) you’ve got access to the museum, the amazing gardens and my favorite cafeteria in the city. It’s an even better deal if you can cram twelve people into your Prius. Not that I recommend it, but I’m just saying.

5. What is your favorite type of entertainment?
Not to sound lazy or gluttonous, but anything that doesn’t require a great deal of walking and is in close proximity to good food. (Wow – that sounded totally lazy and gluttonous.) Obviously backpacking with freeze-dried rations is out, but I can have an amazing time at the ArcLight Cinemas with their cafés and coffee bars in the lobby, and a nightclub with a good steak on the menu is heaven to me.

6. List the best family friendly activity.
The beach! Fun, free, healthy and relaxing. There’s something for the whole family in there – the kids can run around, play in the water and be as loud as they want to be, while my husband and I can relax and listen to our iPods or dive into a good book. As I mentioned in my answer to #5 above, it doesn’t require a lot of walking and, if I pack a nice lunch, is in very close proximity to good food.

7. What spot would you send a couple, looking for a romantic weekend?
The W Hotel is one of our favorite spots. But keep in mind that for my husband and I, both designers, the sight of a Phillippe Starck sink and a beautiful brushed steel elevator really gets us hot. For you more traditionalists, Shutters On The Beach in Santa Monica is very romantic, and you’ll probably see a few celebrities there, too. What could be more romantic than seeing Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore together? Besides Ashton Kutcher alone, that is.

8. Describe a perfect day…one that captures what your area/city is all about. In 3 sentences or less.
Breakfast at an outdoor café. A few lazy hours at the beach with friends and family. Dinner, a movie and then a stroll down the Third Street Promenade. (This would take place in February, while the rest of the country is freezing.)

9. Tell us about a place that you love to go, whether it is in the guidebooks or not.
Disneyland. And that is the strangest answer coming from me, because in all honesty I loathe amusement parks. But I love going to Disneyland because I’ve never seen my kids happier than when we’re walking through the turnstiles heading towards Main Street or getting on the Pirates of the Caribbean. I hope they remember this when they grow up and return the favor by wheeling me over to Costco once in awhile.

10. What should we have asked, but didn’t?
What is the most overrated activity that I tell visitors to avoid like the plague?

Shopping on Rodeo Drive. Rude people, bad service and will cost you thousands. And all that’s just the valet parking.

From guest blogger, Marsha Takeda-Morrison, of Sweatpantsmom.

My husband and I have never been known as ‘plan ahead’ kind of people. We’re usually the ones who breeze into town without hotel reservations and then try to explain to our kids that we’ll have to keep driving for another two hours because who knew there’d be a Tupperware convention hogging all the rooms?

So Valentine’s Day has always posed a problem – without reservations and some stealth planning skills you’re likely to be stuck spending the night in a truck stop off Highway 5. (I realize that may scream romance to some of you, but try and keep that to yourselves.)

Which is why we love the W Hotel. Reservations are recommended, but, its location in a residential area on the edge of Westwood Village means it isn’t as crowded as some other high-profile L.A. hotels. Still, it’s hip enough to attract the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Reese Witherspoon and Britney Spears, who, coincidentally was recently hospitalized at the UCLA Medical Center psych ward which is a short walk from the W. File that under ‘Fascinating Travel Trivia.’

Getting away for a romantic, kid-free weekend is rare, and I like the experience to be as adult as possible; no child-latches on the toilet and nothing resembling a chicken nugget on the room service menu. The W fits the bill – it’s sleek and modern, and the rooms definitely not kid-friendly; glass tables with sharp edges and even condoms for sale in the mini-bar. That’s right – I like my hotels begging for a visit from Child Protective Services.

The W has one of the most stylish bars in the city, Whiskey Blue which is owned by Rande Gerber (Mr. Cindy Crawford!) On our last visit my husband and I lounged here, sipping martinis and snacking on calamari in the late afternoon. When we returned from dinner the place was packed – it’s a big late-night hangout for the Hollywood scene. But we pushed right past the bouncers by flashing our room key – you don’t have to be Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie if you’ve got that little piece of plastic with the magnetic strip.

Although the W also boasts a first-class restaurant, there are three excellent establishments within walking distance: The Palamino, Napa Valley Grille and my favorite sushi bar, Tengu. Order the drink made with mint, cucumber and vodka and it’ll be your favorite place, too.

Breakfast at the W is served poolside and is incredible, but if you’re willing to drive for fifteen minutes you’ll arrive at one of the most popular breakfast spots in the city: Broadway Deli on the Third Street Promenade. I swear they have French Toast the size of a doormat. And excellent coffee, which for me is the perfect ending to a romantic weekend.

The best part? With Valentine’s Day only forty-eight hours away I still see plenty of rooms available on the W online site. But better hurry, before the Tupperware convention gets here.

What is your favorite last-minute Valentine’s plan? We promise if you share we won’t all try to make reservations!