CasaSugar

Home Away From Home: The Madonna Inn

CasaSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:30:01 -0800

Looking for a kooky, kitschy hotel experience? Then check out San Luis Obispo's own Madonna Inn. This 51-year-old hotel is an absolutely unique experience for visitors, featuring an overwhelming pink color palette and rooms with themes including "Love Nest," "Caveman," and "Portugal."

If you're in the market for a unique wedding reception venue, the Madonna Inn can handle your reception. Fully equipped with a steak house, day spa, convention center, and bar, the Madonna Inn can supply all of your needs - especially if those needs involve gaping at the Swiss-Alps-meets-Old-West decor. One last piece of advice: don't forget to direct your male friends to the rocks and waterfall urinal if they need to take care of business - it's apparently a tourist must-see.

Take the full tour.

Home Away From Home: A Skate-Inspired Hotel Suite

CasaSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:00:30 -0800

Skateboard label Etnies is rolling into the world of hospitality. The California-based brand has designed a skate-inspired hotel suite in Laguna Beach's Casa del Camino. But you won't find any Etnies logo monogrammed sheets here. "We didn’t want to make it look like a trade show," said VP of marketing Don Brown. "We focused more on the culture of skateboarding, taking the movement, curves and shapes and injecting that into the design."

Elements include wheel tracks on the ceiling, a mirror framed with skateboard wheels, mounted skateboards for guests to use, and "Go Sk8" artwork in the bathroom. My favorite piece is the God Father Lounge Chair, a leather chair and ottoman inspired by Eames's iconic Lounge Chair, made of pieces which remarkably resemble a skateboard deck. It's part of the Skate Study House collection, which I wrote about back in 2008. Continue reading.

Home Away From Home: Stockholm's Hotel J

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:00:41 -0700

Stockholm's Hotel J is a super chic chalet influenced by the fine craftsmanship of yachting with a distinct Scandinavian twist. Bright and airy, the interiors' chairs and sofas are upholstered in thick white wrinkly cotton and also feature clean-lined contemporary light oak furniture. The hotel has a gorgeous view of the Stockholm harbor, and guests can rent sailboats or taking sailing lessons.

"Nautical by nature," the hotel is filled with boating accents throughout, such as sail remnants and model sailboats, but knickknacks are kept to a minimum. I love the calm vibe of the hotel. Beds are dressed in blue and white stars and stripes, but not in a kitschy way. Stockholm, here I come! Take a tour when you read more.

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Home Away From Home: Sarah Jessica Parker's Favorite Hotel

CasaSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:00:43 -0700

In a Q&A in the October issue of Metropolitan Home, Sarah Jessica Parker revealed that her favorite hotel is The George V in Paris. And I can't really fault her for the choice. The hotel, an eight-story landmark 1928 building, offers 245 guest rooms, nearly one-quarter of which are suites. The hotel is so overwhelmingly Carrie Bradshaw, and so absolutely decadent, that I wish I could hop a plane (watching Sex and the City DVDs the whole way) and book a room at The George V right now. My first point of business would be to book a massage at the hotel's spa (shown here), and then finish off the treatment with a dip in the whirlpool or a sweat in the sauna. Then, I'd take a walk and enjoy some of the local attractions, since the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, The Eiffel Tower, and other gorgeous spots are a half hour or less away by foot. The hotel itself is only steps away from the Champs-Elysées. With private terraces, a gorgeous courtyard, an impressive collection of objets d'art, and a two-Michelin-star-cuisine restaurant, it's hard to see how you could go wrong with a stay at The George V. For a complete tour, read more.

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Betsey Johnson to Design an Eloise-Inspired Suite at the Plaza

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:27:56 -0700

Betsey Johnson is diving headfirst into her first hotel collaboration with a suite inspired by Kay Thompson's Eloise for New York's most prestigious address, The Plaza Hotel. Once the dust of New York Fashion Week settles, she is due to begin designing a two-bedroom suite in the character's signature pink-and-black palette. This shouldn't be much of a stretch for the designer, who dressed her own Manhattan penthouse in head-to-toe pink (shown left). The suite, as you might expect, will balance Johnson's notoriously wild style with the Plaza's brand of luxury, and should be a treat for adults and young guests alike. Of the collaboration, Johnson has said:

I'm tickled pink to be designing the Eloise Suite at the Plaza. When I recently moved uptown and my first granddaughter was born, I rediscovered Eloise and hoped that something magical would happen between me and my favorite hotel. This is the perfect pink combo!

Can't wait to see it! Would you like to stay in Johnson's Eloise-inspired suite?

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Home Away From Home: London's Haymarket Hotel

CasaSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:00:53 -0700

I have died and gone to hospitality heaven. London's Haymarket Hotel, designed by Kit Kemp, is a stunning example of the sort of marriage between contemporary and traditional design I have been searching for. In this case, it's classic English style that gets a modern lift, as traditional furniture shapes, including many antiques, are updated with bold patterns, playful scale, and thoughtful palettes. Each suite has an individual look, though many share similar furnishings upholstered in their own colors and fabrics. So for frequent travelers, each visit to the Haymarket will be a new experience. From the black, white and yellow lobby with its captivating Tony Cragg sculpture to the "Soholistic" gym with its sleek 60-foot pool lit by ever-changing colored lights, you feel a bit as if you're sightseeing without stepping out onto the streets of London. Take a tour when you read more.

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Design Ideas From My Tour of the Ace Hotel New York! Part II: The Lobby

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700

If you saw Part I of this slideshow (The Loft Suite), you know I was recently invited to tour the new Ace Hotel in New York. I've always been a fan of the boutique hotel chain's vintage industrial aesthetic, but I particularly loved the prep school/university library feel of Ace NY's lobby. Tall ceilings, original floor tiling, old wooden tables, giant columns, cozy, quiet seating, and a well-bound collection of dusty books made me feel like I'd stepped into a scene from School Ties - although Matt Damon was nowhere to be found. There are plenty of clever design ideas for you take from this lobby, even if a trip to the Big Apple isn't in your plans.

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Design Ideas From My Tour of the Ace Hotel New York! Part 1: The Loft Suite

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700

During a recent East Coast getaway, I was invited to tour the new Ace Hotel in New York, and I've got photos to prove it! My love for Ace is no secret, but until now I haven't had the chance to visit one. I hoped the hotel would live up to its good press and photos, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. As with the boutique hotel chain's other outposts, a campy, vintage-industrial aesthetic rang true here, and inspiration was also drawn from the history of the building and city. First, take a peek at the loft suite and get some clever design ideas for your home. Each floor boasts only one of these 825-square-foot corner rooms, so you're in for a treat!

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Home Away From Home: Hôtel Duc du St. Simon

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:00:13 -0700

You can stay in a modern, white-walled, Kartell'd hotel in any city in the world. But if Paris is your getaway, why not surround yourself with quintessential French style? Hôtel Duc du St. Simon, a favorite of Domino founding editor Deborah Needleman, is a quaint, sophisticated home away from home where understated elegance rules the roost. Guest rooms are bathed in romantic florals, jacquards, and toiles, and filled with fine antiques and original art. So even if a trip to Dordogne isn't on your itinerary, you can still experience the French-country style. Overall, the space is cozy and homey, almost like you're visiting a chic grand-mère of a friend a train ride away. In reality, it's located in the fashionable St. Germain-des-Prés district, just a few blocks from La Seine river and an extensive collection of Impressionist art in the Musée d'Orsay, so there's much to see and explore nearby. And after a long day of sightseeing and eating crêpes, you can kick back in the hotel's stone-walled lounge, gaze at antique artwork and mirrors in ornate gold frames, and sip on un kir. Rates start at $356 per night. See photos when you read more.

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Home Away From Home: A Wigwam Holiday

CasaSugar — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:00:38 -0700

Want a cheap vacation? Well, if you're a Brit, you can take your family on a wigwam holiday. Apparently, in-country vacations are increasingly popular on that side of the pond, due to the economic recession. Wigwam vacations, such as the Strathfillan Wigwams in Tyndrum, Scotland, shown here, are a great low-key, low-expense destination for frugal vacationers.

On this side of the Atlantic I know that many of my friends and family are economizing their holidays by vacationing in-state or staying with family or friends. And yes, many of them are camping, though I can't say that any of the campsite photos I've perused from their vacations are anywhere as adorable as the Strathfillian Wigwams.

To find out more about this holiday destination, and to tell me about your low-cost vacation plans, read more.

The wigwams are constructed from Sitka spruce or Norway spruce logs, which are homegrown in Scottish forests. Small logs or poles are bent into a curved shape to form its unique (and may I add adorable) whalebone" frame.

You can choose a wigwam holiday from one of 30 seaside, farmland, and woodland sites in beautiful settings across Scotland, northern England, and the Welsh Border Counties. All of the 30 wigwam holiday sites are rural, with many based at farms or camping parks. You won't be roughing it too much, since most sites include a central shower and bathroom facility as well as a cookhouse. The wigwams are fully insulated, and available for use year-round, and feature wooden floors and painted walls.

Are you tempted to embark on a wigwam holiday? Or have you been on one (or something similar) in the past? Tell me all about your experience!

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