US - Los Angeles

What a great city. Fuck living there, but what a cool place to visit. It’s like seeing a TV show happen right before your eyes. People love to talk in LA, I think because you never know who somebody is and they might be your shot at making it big. I have been introduced to plenty of people calmly eating breakfast or having a beer who were major casting directors or producers. I kind of love that about LA, some people are fucked up and annoying, but most people are behind the scenes…powerful and unassuming. It also doesn’t hurt that there are beautiful girls everywhere!

LA is giant. Too big. It’s really annoying. It’s right next to the beach but it’s like a 75 dollar cab ride to get there. Speaking of which, Beverly Hills is right next to Hollywood but it’s also a 50 dollar cab ride. It’s really crazy.
Seriously though, we felt bad for the line of cabs outside of the Mondrian on our most recent trip, it was 22 bucks to go to our destination, and 8 bucks to get back in an uber…not to mention the ridiculous quote we got from the cabbie at the airport before hopping in a an uber that cost us half the price.

Notes to self:

-Not that we want to go again, but under no circumstances should you ever go in the winter, yes it’s not that cold there, but it’s still very seasonal, and you will care if you’ve traveled anywhere.
-Walking around Venice beach for an hour is fun, but don’t think that there’s more to see…there isn’t. The major area is all you need.
-Beverly Hills is boring and Rodeo drive is a joke of a street. They should brick it over or something.
-West Hollywood has great hotels and restaurants but can also get a little clubby
-I actually like the walk of fame, but it goes on for………………………………………………………………ever.
-Have dinner or drinks at the Chateau Marmont (must make reservations a maximum of 14 days in advance). Lunch is good and I love the setting, but there are more stars and paparazzi at night. (they also cover the entire patio during the winter so be careful when making the rez off season, it was fine, just not the same as being outside)
-Have brunch at the Ivy…it’s just cool and so LA…it’s ridiculous and fun. People are looking at other people more than they’re eating.
-Get drinks at SkyBar. Great setting and view.
-Laurel Hardware in WEHO may literally be your favorite looking restaurant at this time. Great place.
-The Nice Guy was fantastic once we made them move us to a better table (thank you pregnant wife!)
-Weekend brunch at the Mondrian was fantastic. Regular breakfast or brunch at the SLS really blew us away, in a quiet romantic, awesome food kind of way.
-I mean, yes it’s vegan, but Crossroads Kitchen was f’ing MONEY. That’s like winning an oscar from a carnivore.

The Mondrian LA - Jan 2017, Aug 2014, Nov 2009

I happen to be a big fan of the Morgans Hotel Group…and the Mondrian is no exception. They exude cool everywhere you go. The pool area is hard to beat. Fantastic views, great layout, open air restaurant right next to it. The “skybar” is built right off the pool and always reminded me of a tree house for some reason. A really nice, modern tree house. I have to mention, and it’s strange that I care, but they do plants and trees and pots and hedges better than almost anyone. It’s just a pleasant scene from start to finish. I especially like that you can sit in one of many alcove areas right next to the pool and have a drink, while staring at an amazing view of LA on one side and an amazing pool and bar scene on the other. The pool area is perfect, clubby and fun at night, chill and hip during the day.

I like the location here too. Seems like West Hollywood has grown up around it…or maybe it’s the other way around.

The rooms are always cool at Mondrians, the way they hide the TV’s in freestanding mirrors is badass.. Rooms are huge (got a studio suite most recently). Huge couch/lounging area. Total pornstar shower that you can see in to the bed or watch “TV” while in the shower (the shower also has really nice touches like being large enough for a sliding door so water doesn’t drip everywhere when you open and close it, and it’s got multiple heads that work at the same time…usually you only get to choose one if there are options). Hard wood floors. Great mood lighting, great beds, white flowy curtains everywhere, really nice. View is perfect if you are overlooking the pool. Absolutely perfect. Being on the 3rd floor can be troubling because of noise, but it can be wonderful for the view. Floors at 5 or higher can have balconies, and the rooms at the hotel make kind of a crescent shape so if you are on the interior side, your balcony and room kind of looks into every else’s balcony and room. Crazy stuff. The small voyeur inside me was not disappointed.

Mini bar is well stocked. Pay per view is good including 24 hour action. Room service menu is good and is 24 hours…but my burger kind of sucked (even the late night menu is good though…wings, clubs, etc.).
Most recent room service in 2017 was great.

Notes

-They cover the entire outdoor area during the winter. It’s nice if the weather is borderline, but it’s annoying if it’s nice out and you truly want to be outside.
-Sunset can be hard to beat at night. Plenty of women and lots of stuff going on.
-The weekend brunch is killer, and the french toast was redic…oh and bottomless mimosas for like 2 bucks more than a single mimosa…yup

W Westwood - Aug 2014, Jul 2008

This is a great hotel, but I’m not totally sure why W put a hotel here. Maybe I just don’t know enough about LA. It is right next to the Playboy Mansion…but sadly I saw none of that action. I really liked the lobby and bar area. They have an outdoor section that is both private and social, depending on what you want. I’ve also seen this location on a number of episodes of Entourage..so ummmmmm, yeah.

Spectacular Suite – Very big. Separate bedroom which makes for a huge living room area. Bathroom was actually pretty boring with a sub W standard shower. TV’s in each room (modern pay per view including 24 hour action). Good mini bar stock. Room service menu is really good and 24 hours (even the late night menu is pretty damn good). Fully carpeted rooms which can be fun, given the right circumstances.
Pool area is somewhat weak at this hotel. It’s not bad, it’s just not rockstar (though it does get crowded on weekends). The menu at the pool is shit. Complete shit. They have a small “roll” section and I got a lobster roll. BUT, they don’t mean sushi rolls, like one would expect in a W, or in LA, or anywhere logic runs rampant. They mean lobster rolls, like from New England. And they serve theirs on a hot dog bun. Not a fun hot dog bun mind you, but a straight up Giant grocery brand kind of stale piece of shit hot dog bun. Embarrassing. Even the waitress was embarrassed.
Lobby is cool and the area is UCLA-ish, which means even though the W street is dead, there are numerous things close enough by.

Notes

-The internet in the rooms was fine…but by the pool it was shit.

SLS LA - Jun 2013, Oct 2010

Oh SLS! When oh when did you get taken over with families and children. How did it happen? Was that a goal? One of the coolest hotels in LA going family was very upsetting to me. This place had everything, awesome pool with two depths so you can lay or wade, great view from the pool, great area for food and drinks right off the pool, a dark as shit lobby filled with cool artistic touches and mirrors, rooms that are as sexy as they get with beds in the middle of the room, sliding mirrored walls to separate the bathroom from the bedroom, mirrored walls that turn into TV’s. I mean, I loved it, and now I’m not sure I can go again…to stay.

I will however always go for The Bazaar. That restaurant is close to perfect in my eyes. Multiple rooms all with great lighting and great seating (I do prefer the patio though). Waiting to be seated is what I hope for because I think the waiting and bar area is so cool. Moving on after dinner to the dessert area is also cool and extremely unique…kind of like a museum of sweets. Plus, the food is interesting and great. I really wish he hadn’t started opening these places all over the country, but obviously that’s to be expected.

Not the best location unless you really want to stay in boring Beverly Hills…

Notes

– Had the breakfast recently in 2017 in the lobby restaurant…and we loved it. Sat next to a fireplace and had amazing food. Their continental buffet looked dumb…a la carte was where its at.

W Hollywood - Aug 2012

Had a “Marvelous Suite” here…and it was definitely nice. View left something to be desired but the room had a huge living room area with a monster couch, all separated from the bedroom by a giant chain mail like curtain. Nice bathroom too.

The bar is fantastic and the pool area is really modern and cool. The problem is, for whatever reason, this crowd was just not right for me. Not my scene as they say. The W in DC is kind of like that. Love both places, but timing is everything.

Sofitel LA - Mar 2008

I like this hotel. Sofitel in general does a really good job, but I really only found myself here because I was scheduled to stay at the Thompson down the road, but while their website indicated a sweet ass rooftop pool and bar, it had definitely not been completed or opened upon my arrival…so I moved.

The Sofitel has a nice bar and I got a suite which had a porn star shower right next to the bed, um, which I loved.