We packed up Saturday morning and left the city around 10:00 am. We arrived just in time for lunch. Even though it wasn't time for check-in yet, the women at the front desk were so sweet and accommodating and found us a room that was available for early check-in. We dropped off our bags and Luca (sorry Luca!) and headed for lunch.
The room was bigger than our condo, I kid you not. There was a living room with a fireplace, a kitchen, two bathrooms and a huge master bedroom with sitting area. The space is pretty ideal if you have kids. In the room was a dog bed and bowls for Luca. Any hotel that is so accommodating towards pets is a winner in my books. There is nothing worse than fighting with a hotel that he's a service dog and they don't have a choice (thank you, next).
We had dinner at Morada, the restaurant in the Inn. The decor is rustic and cozy. It kind of reminds me of a Ralph Lauren store. The menu had so many options for me, which is rare (I'm a pescetarian, fyi). Chef House came over and offered a tasting menu. It was the first tasting menu I could actually enjoy, since normally I can't eat half of what is brought out. My favorite dish was the bass.
After dinner, we didn't feel ready to head back to the room. We took a seat at the Huntsman Whiskey Bar and started chatting with Dutch, the mixologist. I complained to him that I never know what to order, and always end up ordering one of the following: Aperol Spritz, glass of champagne, glass of rose, Dirty Martini or port. I've never sat down with a mixologist to find creative drinks that I'd like. He was so patient and asked me tons of questions to figure out what I like and what I don't (which was surprisingly difficult for me, since I'm not quite sure when it comes to hard alcohol). He created a drink for me, and a few for Ray. It was the perfect end to our evening.
Sunday morning we started the day with a couples massage. I don't think I've ever had a massage first thing in the morning. Normally, I book them for the later afternoon before dinner. I have to say, it was SUPER relaxing. The bed was heated (a dream in the morning) and the massage therapists were incredible. We then spent some time having tea in the lounge before heading back to our room to pack up and go back to LA.
People always ask if we travel a lot around LA. The thing is: 1) it's expensive, and 2) we work (duh). But seriously, it's not so easy to find a place that is relatively close by, making a 24-48 hour trip worth it, and that's in our price range. The Inn totally satisfied our criteria, was relatively well priced and close to LA. We can't wait to make this an annual trip and go back next year...or maybe next summer, if I can convince Ray ;).
