Staycation Issue

You love her (or him) dearly. But let’s
face it, after seven years, or 10, or 20,
the spark no longer appears as quickly
as it does on a good gas stove.
West Hollywood is the perfect getaway
spot for rekindling a romance, even
for those of us who already live here.
Just read the gossip blogs about those
who travel from afar for that purpose
42 STAYCATION SUMMER 2017
— REMEMBER CALVIN KLEIN HOOKING UP
WITH ESTRANGED BOY TOY NICK GRUBER
AT THE CHATEAU MARMONT AND SELENA
GOMEZ AND JUSTIN BIEBER LOOKING FOR
LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG WEHO PLACES?
Before you embark on this honeymoon,
take a few steps to increase its
likelihood of success. The first step is
to make sure you and your partner
agree that this weekend will be about
you and your partner.
Set up a bounce back email that tells
Please
DO NOT
D ISTURB
THE RED SUITE BY JONATHAN ADLER: PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDAZ® WEST HOLLYWOOD
your friends and business associates
that you’ll get back to them once the
weekend is over. And don’t answer
those text messages or telephone calls.
In fact, record a new voice mail message
that explains you are too far away
to respond to calls this weekend. While
that might not literally be true, you
will be far away in your mind, because
that’s what this staycay is all about.
Now, where to stay? If you’re going
to devote 48 hours to rekindling a
romance, you might consider the Chateau
Marmont, which a few years ago
made NBC News.com’s list of top 10
places where celebrities go to hookup.
If it works for them, why not for you?
A list from Trip Advisor, the online
travel booking website, lists The London,
the Chamberlain, the Mondrian,
Petit Ermitage, Le Parc Suite, Le Montrose,
Sunset Tower, the Grafton on
Sunset, the Sunset Marquis and Sofitel
as WeHo’s most romantic hotels. But
let’s face it, all of West Hollywood’s hotels
are about romance, whether it be
for a day or for a lifetime.
If you’re a sugar daddy or sugar momma
you might consider the $25,000 a night
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LONDON WEST HOLLYWOOD
suite designed by Vivienne Westwood
at the London. The two-level penthouse
is so expensive that it made TheStreet.com’s
list of “Top 10 Most Expensive
Hotel Suites in the World.” That is
pricey, but consider that No. 1 on The
Street’s list is the Royal Penthouse suite
at the Hotel President Wilson in Geneva,
priced at $67,000 a night (not clear
whether 11 a.m. is a firm checkout time
for that suite).
If you think you’ll be spending all
your time in that Vivienne Westwood
bed wondering how you’ll pay for it,
there are cheaper romantic options at
the London and elsewhere. For example,
the Andaz offers the visually stimulating
Red Suite, styled by noted designer
Jonathan Adler. Located on the
12th floor, it offers a great view south
of West Hollywood and Greater L.A.
You’ll not only feel comfortable because
of the view and the design (Adler
has described the bedroom as a “floaty,
dreamlike space”), you’ll also feel good
because 30% of the rate charged for
your room goes to (RED), the organization
established by Bono and Bobby
Shriver’s AIDS organization.
Once you’ve booked your hotel, consider
dining in the restaurant there or
in a restaurant at another hotel. That
makes it less likely that you’ll encounter
a neighbor or local friend who will
drag you back into your day-to-day life
and out of the romantic cloud that this
staycation is all about.
43
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GRAFTON ON SUNSET