Montauk

The first stop in the Hamptons was the very tip of Long Island (to avoid traffic) - fabled Montauk. An old surf town, Montauk has really become the 'cool' young hang-out of the Hamptons with the best beaches and a laid back feeling in contrast to the other areas.

The coolest place to hang out is the charming 'Surf Lodge'. The vibe here reminded me a lot of the Soho Beach house we stayed in in Miami - old school, perfect and trendy: sort of like a photoshoot from the store anthropologie come to life.

Full of cool spots to hang out, such as the sunken living room filled with books and records, or the bar with fun game tables, this is where you want to spend the heat of the day while not eating in the chic restaurant or relaxing on the adjacent lake.

We were there early in the morning to avoid crowds so I was able to snap these pictures to give you a feel for the space.

Adjacent to the main building is the block of hotel rooms facing the lake. I love the private decks on each room with individual hammocks!

An outdoor shower is the perfect place to rinse off before heading into the restaurant.

The bucolic lake really was tempting though: inside or outside, that is the problem.

Even the transportation was stylish: I loved this coral painted retro bicycle outside.

The small beach town has a lot of restaurants, one of which had this sign which caught my eye. Now, do you think the piano player has to be able to multitask or hopefully, these functions would be done seperately!

On the way into East Hampton from Montauk is the oldest horse breeder in the country, dating back to the 17th century. What a perfect place to learn how to ride, right on the beach too! In the next few posts I'll show my highlights from the towns in the Hamptons, including the Hamptons Designer showhouse which was the start of the whole trip to begin with. Stay tuned!

Mondrian Hotel, LA

While in LA last month, we stayed at the Mondrian Hotel on the Sunset Boulevard strip in West Hollywood.

While alarmingly trendy and popular a few years ago, the hotel has calmed down (a bit) and was a comfortable and pleasant place to stay.

The lobby featured this fun lounge area and bar off to the side of the entrance. The hotel was originally designed by Ian Shrager in 1996 and was more recently freshened up by Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz. I loved some of the details such as the ball and claw foot stools and the Venetian white glass sconces.

Our room faced the strip with lovely views of the Hollywood Hills (and the restaurant Katana above). Per that time of year, fog romantically shrouded the hills each morning.

Looking down the strip you could see the Sunset Tower Hotel (on the right) where we spent the majority of our time in the lovely restaurant and bar. Just across the street from there is the Chateau Marmont.

The room was enormous, by any standards, and featured this sitting area above seperated from the bed by a bizarre 'stripper pole' with framed tv set behind mirrored glass.

While a cool feature, it was a bit uncomfortable to watch yourself lounge in bed or on the couch staring at yourself. I wish there was a way to turn the mirror off when the tv turned on! Above you can see the reflection of the bed in the tv mirror.

The bed area was draped on one side against the windows while the other side was draped to hide the enormous CLEAR glass shower which could easily hold 4 people at once (or more). Can we say peek-a-boo? Fun feature but hard to maintain privacy in a shared room.

A desk area greeted you as you entered the room via a long hallway with a 12' long kitchenette behind (bigger than my kitchen at home!).

The bathroom had amazing lighting (with a lot of control) including a lamp on the double vanity; a feature I love! The hotel offers Malin & Goetz products which I came to love -especially the rum body wash. While I'm not sure I would stay here again as it's just not my style, it was really a fun hotel and a great location. Be sure to check out out if you make it to Hollywood!

The charming Chateau Marmont

While in LA, friends stayed in a bungalow at the famous Chateau Marmont and we spent a lazy afternoon lounging at the pool. I just had to share it with you!

Nestled into the Hollywood Hills above Sunset Boulevard, the hotel offers extreme privacy and actually feels more 'east coast' then Hollywood.

Right under the disturbing billboard James Franco put up in honor of Brad Renfro (seen above) is the pool where we had bottles of rose and fresh cherries delivered while dangling our feet into the near bathwater temperature water; heaven.

Built in 1929, the hotel feels like a relic stuck in time, in the best way possible. I loved this patio furniture.

The bungalows are behind the pool along a series of heavily planted pathways with charming surprises around each corner like this little water feature.

The doors have arched sidelights and beautiful stained glass which look to be inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. The front door leads directly into a casually furnished living room .

The design throughout speaks of the arts and crafts movement and every little detail could be original to the hotel's building.Each bungalow has a small kitchen that I imagine myself spending most of my time.

Love the high painted wood wainscoting and wallpaper.

No dishwasher here - we're back in time afterall! I'm not sure I'd want to cook a full meal on this vintage stove, but it's a charming place to warm up water for tea or leftovers. My grandparents had a similar stove and refrigerator in their basement that were original to their house and I always just loved the look of them.If you ever find yourself in LA, I highly recommend a stay at the Chateau! For more pictures and information -visit the post by HabituallyChic from last year HERE.

The William Penn Hotel

Since opening in 1916, the William Penn Hotel has been the cultural hub for many of Pittsburgh's more elegant social events (my parents were married here as well as having their high school proms on the upper level ballrooms).

While the hotel might be a tad bit shabby these days, I never miss a chance of having a drink in the Terrace Room off the lobby seen here, and last weekend was no exception. Elegant crystal chandeliers, great old details and wood paneling, not to mention the sense of history here, all draw me in (as did the bartender's heavy pour!).

Do you have a favorite local hotel that you haunt?

The Biltmore Hotel

Located in Coral Gables, a historic neighborhood within Miami, the Biltmore Hotel has become a famous luxury hotel after years of neglect.

When the hotel was opened in January 1926 by George Merrick, the original developer of Coral Gables, it was to combine a luxury hotel with world class outdoor amenities such as a golf course and swimming pools and become the headquarters for Miami society. Schultze and Weaver, the architects of other hotels in the Biltmore chain (as well as New York's Grand Central Terminal and Miami's Freedom Tower), designed the hotel to have the most modern of conveniences while fitting in with Merrick's playful Mediterranean Beaux Arts style.Breaking records, the building was for a number of years the tallest structure in Florida and had the largest swimming pool in the world.
In fact, the pool was more famous than the hotel! Synchronized swimming was a big draw in the 20s and 30s and afterwards the guests would stay to dances in one of the many ballrooms.The actor Johnny Weissmuller was actually 'discovered' while a swim coach and performer here at the Biltmore.
The hotel was converted into the Army Air Forces Regional Hospital in 1942 and remained a hospital through the nearby University of Miami's School of Medicine until 1968.The windows were sealed shut and the marble floors covered with cheap linoleum, converting the lovely hotel into what was probably a very awkward, but elegant hospital. The Biltmore sat empty from 1968 until 1983 when it was restored and converted back into a luxury hotel again, opening in 1987.However, the bright side in this hospital conversion and abandonment was that the building was never modernized, saving many of the lovely old features and details.

The small structure behind the main hotel block was probably my favorite part; the very beaux-arts rational plan centered on an open courtyard, seen in the photos above.It reminds me so much of the Pan American Building by Paul Cret because of the open courtyard with dual processional staircases up to a grand ballroom that I wonder if it was a precedent to the architects?Stepping inside the enormous lobby, you're immediately confronted with 2 blanking birdcages, seen above. Such a nice lively touch I think! Have you ever seen an 8' tall birdcage like that before? I love the travertine floors, much prettier than the linoleum that covered them for 50 years!This little staircase in the corner of the lobby was probably my favorite feature -is that a Gremlin? haha I loved the blue painted spanish terracotta tiles and the wall finish is amazing.

High tea is offered in the opposite corner of the lobby and I'm sure it's becoming a tradition with mothers and daughters from all over Miami!

An Arabian Nights fantasy of a groin-vaulted ceiling fills both sides of the lobby, split in half by a more Spanish styled polychromed wood ceiling, seen below.A display case holding memorabilia from the heyday of the hotel, such as china, programs and hotel silver sits next to the front door.My favorite of the ballrooms is located directly off the lobby and features this amazing fireplace, big enough to walk into and polychromed wood ceilings.I'm not sure if these chandeliers are original, but they fit in nicely.I just can't get enough of these ceilings!Behind the lobby and adjacent to this ballroom is the Cortile Loggia, which surrounds the outdoor Fontana restaurant below.
This feels incredibly Spanish to me with the tilework and colorful stuccowork.I love seeing the patina on the old mouldings, wood window frames and stucco.The courtyard is filled with palms and in the winter Miami weather is really the perfect place to enjoy a meal. I loved the light fixtures on the lower level with the star shaped rosettes.

The courtyard is open ended and looks off into the well manicured golf course beyond a tiled terrace.These must be the best rooms with the balconies overlooking the golfcourse.I hope you enjoyed this visit to the Biltmore with me! While we didn't stay at the Biltmore (staying instead at the Soho Beach House on nearby Miami Beach, read about that fabulous hotel on Heather's blog HERE) I think my next trip to Miami may include a night or two here.

Read more on the history of the hotel and see period photos HERE.