Who knew that “tranquil” and “West Hollywood” could be written in the same sentence?! Certainly not me. Until recently.
On my last visit to this part of LA that has layers of hidden elements to surprise and delight, I stayed at the Chamberlain Hotel. The minute the taxi turned into Westmount Drive I felt like a movie star who had found a private piece of tranquility far from the paparazzi.
The street is entirely residential and leafy. It’s quiet and narrow with not a speeding boy racer nor groupie in sight. In fact the hotel used to be an apartment block, hence the low key, four stories. But don’t be fooled, as soon as you step into the lobby you’ll swoon, as I did, at the upscale design by David McCauley, mentored in styley hotel design by my girl-crush Kelly Weastler of Viceroy hotels fame.
My bedroom at the Chamberlain
You can see their mutual love of rich textures and sumptuous furniture with lashings of gold, chocolate and bronze. A dramatic black and white zigzag floor has you walking on a virtual chess board to the reception where, should you fancy dinner or shopping within a 3 mile radius, the house car will be summoned to take you there at no charge.
Don’t get me wrong about the celeb thing though, magazines are prone to have fashion shoots here on the stylish furniture, draped over loungers at the rooftop pool or propped in a trendy corner of the long bar.
The rooftop pool edged in beautiful people quietly enjoying the sun
There are 114 incredibly spacious suites, thanks to this building’s former life as an apartment block. Mine had a gas fire and even though it was warm enough to have my balcony door open, I had to zoop it up just for ambience to serve with my glass of wine. I loved the retro chic lounge furniture and my bedroom was divided by a screen wall with one step up. You might call it a bijou mezzanine even! The bathroom was the complete width of the bedroom – huge and decorated in marble and glass. Oh and did I mention the free WiFi?
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For more ideas for things to do in WeHo, jump here to Visit West Hollywood
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