The Famous Hollywood Sign

Interesting news in the San Francisco Chronicle this weekend: a developer intends to restore the Byron Hot Springs Hotel, famed playland of Hollywood stars like Clark Gable and Mae West.

If you were wild over Leonardo DiCaprio’s Howard Hughes in The Aviator, where can you find the haunts of screen stars of the 20′s, 30′s and 40′s?

Until Byron Hot Springs reopens, here are a couple of choices…

Open since 1927, the Roosevelt gave comfort to Tinseltown stars like Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Shirley Temple, and Errol Flynn. The hotel also hosted the first (and shortest!) Academy Awards in 1929. Rooms run as a low as $199 per night during the week, up to $499 per night for the luxurious Cabana Suite, overlooking the famed Tropicana Bar.

It’s no longer an operating hotel, but the Knickerbocker at 1714 Ivar Avenue in Los Angeles was home to many of Hollywood’s great hotel stories: Frances Farmer was arrested in her hotel room, Houdini’s widow held a rooftop seance to contact him, and the bar stools supported the bottoms of Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimaggio.

Built in the 1920′s, The Cecil Hotel lacks the romance of drunken starlets or rooftop seances, but it’s a great budget option at only $70 per night for a Queen room or $139 for a family “mini-suite.” A great, affordable jumping off point to explore the Walk of Fame or remants of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

image from wikimedia commons

Wisconsin is a beautiful state that offers both wide open spaces and interesting urban areas. If I ever travel to Wisconsin on a romantic getaway, I am definitely going to try out Sybaris Pool Suites; it looks amazing.

Sybaris is only about 15 miles northwest of Milwaukee, but it looks like one of those places that makes you feel like you’ve escaped to some far-off island retreat. Every “room” is actually a whirlpool or a swimming pool suite and you can book any of them for the afternoon or by the night. Talk about luxury – even the cheapest option, the Country Whirlpool Suite, comes with a courtyard, a fireplace and your very own whirlpool tub. This one can be booked for $69 for the afternoon or for $109-$179 for overnight stays, depending on what days of the week you go.

Ready for a major splurge? Check out the Chalet Swimming Pool Suite. It has a private garage, your own 22 foot heated swimming pool, a waterfall, a hot tub, a steam room, a fireplace, a massage chair, and a water slide which goes from the upstairs bedroom into the pool! Sign me up now, please. This suite will cost you though – be prepared to spend $200 for the afternoon and $400-$550 per night.

Wisconsin Point

Looking for a more reasonably priced romantic hotel? I don’t know about you, but when I think about Wisconsin, I think about the state’s beautiful wilderness, and all the cozy cabins and bed and breakfasts. Something along the lines of the Honeybee Inn, for example. This beautiful Victorian home is less than 1.5 hours from either Milwaukee or Madison, and it boasts four beautifully decorated rooms. Each room has a two-person whirlpool tub, four-poster canopy beds and fireplaces. You’ll be surrounded by nature and beautiful wildlife and there are abundant hiking and water activities nearby. This bed and breakfast ia all about romantic, quiet seclusion.

If you are interested in a luxurious and romantic urban retreat, Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel looks fabulous. This hotel is Victorian in style and it’s located in Milwaukee’s trendy East Side district. For couples interested in a getaway filled with entertainment and culture, Pfister is perfect – it’s only three blocks away from Lake Michigan and is very close to the Milwaukee Art Museumas well as many good restaurants and bars. There’s a great martini bar on the 23rd floor called Blu that affords spectacular views of the Milwaukee skyline. The rooms are outfitted with beautiful wood, large bathrooms and large, comfortable beds. The service is known to be second to none at the hotel.

Photo credit: chefranden

Bellevue Seattle Bridge

Seattle, Washington is a great city, with lots to see and do. On my recent trip there, I was initially staying in the middle of downtown at the Executive Hotel Pacific, but that didn’t pan out so well. The location was great – I could walk to Pike’s Market, restaurants and shops – but the hotel was not that great. Luckily, my boyfriend was in town for a video game convention and he was staying at the Hilton. At first, we were excited because the hotel was supposed to have been booked in the downtown area – but upon checking in we realized that nope, he was booked at the Hilton in Bellevue, a good 15 minute drive away. Oh well!

The drive was definitely worth it though. To get to Bellevue, you have to cross the world’s longest floating bridge. This was a lot of fun, and it was a beautiful drive. The weird thing was that, on the drive from Seattle to Bellevue, the water to the right of the bridge was extremely choppy, but the water to the left was as smooth and calm as a pond.

This Hilton was exceptionally nice. The rooms were huge (as were the bathrooms!) and the beds were super comfy. I made use of the workout room which had every machine you could possibly need, and there was an outdoor pool that we didn’t get a chance to try. There was apparently a beauty pageant happening at the hotel when we arrived, so there were lots of six-year-olds running around with poofy hair and more makeup than I wear on Friday nights, but that’s another story.

Seattle Bay

Thank you to Ramanathan.Kathire san for the photo of the Bellevue Bridge.

Kids in a hotel pool

Pasadena, California is a family-friendly city with plenty to see and do for adults and kids alike, and the city’s proximity to Los Angeles and Anaheim make it a great home base for exploring the region. If you’re planning on staying over in Pasadena with the kids, you’ll probably want a family-friendly hotel – one that’s close to area attractions and which has amenities like free breakfast and swimming pools. After all, there’s nothing like coming back to the hotel after a long day at museums and parks and hearing “we’re bored!” from the kids. The following hotels are good places to start – they all have something to keep both the kids and the adults happy.

For a more high end family-friendly hotel, check out the Westin Pasadena. It’s very close to local attractions such as Old Town as well as a number of museums and good restaurants. The kids will love the rooftop outdoor heated pool! There’s even a Kids Club, which offers programs for children so that the adults can have some time to themselves. Cribs are offered for families with very small children and large suites are available so you and the family can really spread out. Rates start at around $250 per night.

For a slightly more budget-friendly family hotel in Pasadena, consider the Sheraton Pasadena.

Old Town Pasadena

There’s an outdoor heated pool, perfect for hot southern California summers, and the hotel is within walking distance of Old Pasadena. Or, hop on the free shuttle – it takes you anywhere you want to go within a three mile radius. Your family will enjoy being able to dine right on the hotel property at Restaurant Soleil, too – how’s that for easy dinner plans? If you plan it right, you can book this hotel for around $180 per night.

On a really tight budget? (And who isn’t these days!) The Best Western Pasadena is a great family hotel option. It provides most everything you would look for in a family-friendly hotel without the big price tag. There’s an outdoor pool, complimentary breakfast (yay!) and the hotel is close by to area attractions. No bells or whistles here – just a clean, comfortable family hotel. Rates here start at about $100 per night.

Hopefully these family hotels will help you enjoy your next Pasadena vacation!

Photo credits: jakesmome’s and Giodude