Destination next: Hollywood
A new hotel with views of the Hollywood sign promises standout Mexican food and retro midcentury smarts.
Plum in the heart of Hollywood, a new “lifestyle” hotel from the Hyatt stable promises standout Mexican food, retro midcentury smarts and a great location one block from Sunset Boulevard.
Many of tommie Hollywood’s 212 guestrooms have views of the Hollywood Hills and that famous sign, but the big attraction is the entertainment spaces, a stylish Mexican restaurant by lauded Los Angeles chef Wes Avila and a huge rooftop lounge and pool celebrating the deserts of the southwest, complete with fringing cactus and yuccas and an in-house honkytonk band.
Located next door to another Hyatt hotel, the Thompson Hollywood, tommie caters to the “young at heart” with a sexy lobby lounge and ground floor cafe. Hyatt’s first digital check-in enables guests to use their smartphone to create a room key at a lobby “key station”.
The mood in the guestrooms, by local firm Studio Collective, is distinctly midcentury, inspired by the Los Angeles houses of the 1950s and ’60s. Hardwood floors, colourful graphic pictures by local artists and handy floating desks are bathed in Californian sunshine flooding through floor to ceiling windows. The hotel’s top floor houses seven suites each with soaring ceilings, separate living areas and long city views.
Avila rose to fame with Guerrilla Tacos, an innovative street cart that eventually became a bricks and mortar restaurant. His newest offering at KA’TEEN has oodles of stylish outdoor dining below a sea of rattan light pendants and is inspired by the Mayan city of Tulum. The menu traverses the vivid flavours of the Yucatan Peninsula, from scallop ceviche tostada to a spot-on Baja fish taco and lamb neck barbacoa.
Desert 5 Spot rooftop bar is named after a dainty lilac and red flower found in the Mojave and Colorado deserts and boasts 360-degree city views, live music and a cool Palm Springs meets ’70s roadside motel vibe.
tommie is the newest offering from jdV by Hyatt (short for joie de vivre), a collection of independent hotels found in San Francisco, Rome, Toronto and Sweden.
Rooms from $US279 ($390).
CHRISTINE MCCABE
Snap decisions
Love or hate his humour (and I swing either way), Ricky Gervais has pulled off some extraordinary TV series, most recently three seasons of After Life (Netflix). It’s dark, depressing, uplifting and ultimately life-affirming, ranging between themes of loss, loneliness, lack of relevance and despair and then bounding back with hope and varying versions of happiness. Tony, the Gervais character, has lost his beloved wife Lisa to cancer and is inconsolable. In the show’s setting of the fictional town of Tambury, he regularly sits on a bench by her grave with his German shepherd dog, Brandy, where he’s joined by Anne (Penelope Wilton) who talks to her late husband, Stan, also buried nearby.
This scenario has led to a surprising movement in England, Scotland and Wales that started last month when 25 park benches were donated to local councils by Netflix and suicide prevention charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) to mark the show’s final season. The first two benches were installed at Highfields Park and the Arboretum in Nottingham and all have been beautifully inscribed with “Hope is Everything” plaques and feature a QR code sign linked to online mental health resources.
Outdoor exercise, especially walking in parks, has been an emotional boon to so many of us during Covid lockdowns and two long years of uncertainty and concern. Those of us lucky enough not to have lost loved ones have still been grieving for the lives we used to know, the places we would go to with such carefree happiness. Social media posts from Britain suggest the benches are being used as gathering places to commemorate, say, the anniversary of a loved one’s passing, or for friends to meet and natter about what irks them and to just bask in companionable silence and give thanks for another day.
Here’s to more such safe little oases where we can contemplate the future. A tour of the park benches of Hertfordshire, where much of the episodes were filmed, would be a good start. And I’m heading back to Hampstead Heath where I once (accidentally) followed local resident Gervais on a foggy morning. Wish there’d been a seat so I could have suggested we pause for a chinwag.
Forward planner
Best known for sailing Europe’s legendary rivers such as the Danube and Rhine, Emerald Waterways has taken delivery of its first ocean-going vessel. The 100-passenger, luxury Emerald Azzurra is heading to Jordan, from where it will embark on its first voyage on March 11. The inaugural sailing explores the Red Sea before the ship transits the Suez Canal for a season in the Mediterranean and Adriatic.
Emerald, part of the Scenic Group, appeals to a reasonably active market, which is reflected in this newest addition to the fleet. Features include an infinity pool, spa with infrared sauna, gym and marina platform, with SEABOBs, paddleboards and snorkelling gear available. Ebikes are also offered to guests who want to explore ashore on two wheels.
Its sleek design is further evidence of its Scenic DNA; just compare it with photos of luxury discovery yacht Scenic Eclipse. Of the 50 suites across seven categories, 44 are kitted out with balconies while the remaining six have ocean views. Top of the range are the 108sq m Owner’s Suites, with separate sleeping quarters, open-plan living and dining area and a huge terrace for taking in the scenery.
The cruise line is offering 25 per cent earlybird discounts on Azzurra sailings. Prices include transfers, gratuities, meals plus complimentary wine and beer with lunch and dinner, as well as various excursions and experiences.
PENNY HUNTER
Spend it
The promise to build “resilience, balance and vibrancy” sounds like a travel mantra and who doesn’t want to put on their best face as well as brim with energetic purpose when getting back on the road. Trilogy Microbiome Complexion Renew Serum is made with gentle but active botanicals, oils and extracts. Two or three drops massaged on to face and neck and after cleansing help restore a healthy, vital complexion and lessen redness. Trilogy’s extensive range of formulations is made in New Zealand with the promise of “clean, natural beauty” and sustainable, responsible packaging. 30ml; $54.95.
SUSAN KUROSAWA
