Okay, it kind of matters if you go in the summer or winter, but stay with me here.

My love affair with Park City is long, but my love affair with Hyatt is a little more hot and heavy.  I can’t even explain to you the level of relaxation and happiness I feel just typing the words: Hyatt Hotels.  They just get it, they just do things right in the Hyatt family.  My number one favorite hotel {in the world, thus far} is their beach hotel in Huntington Beach, California.  I don’t even have the words to tell you what that place does for my blood pressure.  It’s like they put something in the water, a little blend of mellow happy special extract.

I walk in, forget my name and number, and fall into a cloud of heavenly pillowed relaxation.  Seriously.  You can ask Viktor, he feels the same way.

Anyway Park City is in my backyard and sometimes I forget it’s there.  And then once in a while we decide go away for a little 3-day weekend to Park City and I fall in love all over again.  Which is what happened a few weeks ago when we decided to have a little break from reality a few hours away from home.  And the Hyatt Escala Lodge in Park City where we had our little break was just as wonderful as I hoped it would be.

We didn’t ski while we were there, Viktor just finished rehabilitating his destroyed shoulder and I wanted a weekend of hot tubs and steam rooms and naps instead of skiing.  See what I mean about spoiled?  I can decide if I want to opt out of skiing because it’s so readily available.  This is how I feel about people who live two seconds from the ocean and say, ‘Oh that old thing?  I pass it on my way to Target once a week, I really forget it’s there at all.‘

So now we’re even.

We spent three nights in Park City and I:

slept, spent 2-3 hours a day in the hot tub and/or steam room, and ate food, The End.

The kids had the run of the pool since I guess everyone else was skiing, and Viktor read a book.

Maybe the best getaway yet?  I can’t wait to go back.

What’s the best getaway you’ve ever had?  Ever.  I don’t care if it was at your moms house for the weekend, in a tent in the back woods of Missouri, or at a spa.  Tell me, I want to feel relaxed heading into the weekend.

*Hyatt didn’t pay me to say how wonderful they have made my life.  They don’t need to, this comes from a deep, soft, happy part of my heart.  They did pay for one night of my hotel, which was super nice and I love them for it.

Viktor is in the middle of making a pro/con list as to why we should uproot the family and move to Southern California. Like, seriously. I’m not about to move. I have a circle of close friends and family I adore, my home is becoming lovely {even though I still have a concrete slab as a living room floor} and I like living here. But friends, I’m here to tell you that this week Viktors’ *pro* list is pretty long and at this point I’m helping contribute to it.

When we left California yesterday it was a balmy 75 degrees. Tonight in Utah, as I type, it’s 22 outside. *sigh*

Let me tell you, if I were to win a lottery of say 2.5 million dollars, the first thing I would do is plunk down every penny on a place near the water in Huntington Beach. Like on.the.water. There’s something so calming and healing about the ocean, it’s indescribable.

So, there’s this new hotel in Huntington called Shorebreak Hotel. People I’m telling you, go, go now. It’s one of the hotels in the Joie de Vivre family which are becoming my new favorite hotels. Ever.

Do you remember the awesome hotel where we stayed in San Francisco? The Americania, the one with the totally hipster and family friendly vibe? Multiply that times 10, add some surfers, put it across the street from the beach and you have the Shorebreak Hotel.

My only sadness related to this hotel is that we stayed one night instead of say, oh I don’t know, thirty.

We ate the most delicious brunch ever at the hotel restaurant, Zimzala before we checked into our room. I highly recommend it.

The server brought Charming a plate full of the largest sausages available to a 5-year-old, berry pancakes for Precocious,

three cheese flat bread for Viktor,


and for me {licking my lips thinking about it} cinnamon brioche french toast.

Delightful all around.

I had a lot of fun poking ar
ound the hotel. The decor is really contemporary mixed with surf city style; right up my alley. It’s successfully swank and chill at the same time. There are photos of surfers all over mixed in with driftwood lamps and tables. I loved every square inch of it.

And our room was awesome. Rad. Coolio. The Bomb. Swank. Chill. Whatever word fits your happiness quotient best is what it was to me.

This little sofa folded out into a queen bed for the kiddos. And the dresser on the right? I want those leather pulls on a piece of furniture in my house now; they were gorgeous.

This was our bed. There was a wall between the front *sitting room* and the bedroom, but it still felt wide open and airy. And this bed was heaven, he-a-ven.

Another little touch I love in the Joie de Vivre hotels are the iPod docking stations on the nightstands; just a little something extra to make life better.

Right after we’d opened the balcony door to check the weather, this was delivered:

In a chilled bowl. With chilled glasses, cold Fiji water, and a lovely note.

Sometimes my life is hard. Please don’t send sympathy notes, it just makes the knife go deeper.

Can we take a moment to talk about the bathroom? Hold me.

It was chic, clean, and crisp.


Have you ever showered in a double headed shower? Put it on your bucket list if you just answered no. It’s a must before you die.

And the tub? The kids did some laps in it before they took turns trying to drown one another during bath time. Then I spent about two hours reading every magazine in my arsenal while drinking ice cold diet Dr. Peppers one after the other.

It was a rough night for me. I’ll need to spend some time talking to my therapist about it.

But when you’re traveling with kids what’s the most important part about staying in a hotel?

Its proximity to water. And sand.

So after we settled into the room and devoured the chilled fruit, we hightailed it downstairs to the beach.

These are the stairs to the street level. Light, open, airy.

There’s a surfboard check. Heaven help me, I’m ready to call a Realtor.

It’s literally less than a 5 minute walk from the hotel until your toes are in the sand.

The kids skipped/ran/jumped/hopped the whole way there.

Happy.

Happy.

Peaceful.

Thank you California. See you soon.

In the Fall we traveled to Southern California for another one of my fun rheumatologist visits.  Don’t be jealous, we can’t ALL have Lupus.  Once again we stayed at one of my favorite hotels in Southern California, the Huntington Beach Hyatt.

This hotel is made of magic and fairy dust in my eyes.  Anyplace that has surfboards hanging from the walls in the lobby has my vote.

We stayed for two nights and took advantage of every single second even though it was cloudy and rainy the whole time we were there.  It’s okay, we’ll take rain over snow any day of the week.

This was the view outside our room.  Not terrible is it?

The front of the hotel faces the ocean.  In fact the only thing separating the hotel from the water is the Pacific Coast Highway.  No need to worry though, the Hyatt has a private walkway and elevator to take you across the highway.  When we weren’t luxuriating in every amenity the hotel has to offer {and they are many} we were oceanfront with our toes in the sand.

You don’t hear me complaining.

The hotel rooms are pretty standard fare for the Hyatt: comfortable and super clean with really soft beds.  I’m always really torn when we stay here.  I want to spend the entire time in the soft bed surrounded by down pillows with a remote in hand, all the better for watching terrible t.v. on the flat screen T.V., but I end up lured out by the jumping dolphins and ocean air.

Don’t cry for me Argentina, I know what kind of life I live.

This time around the hotel sent up a cheese tray along with some sparkling cider.  The PR rep for the hotel found out we were Mormons who don’t drink so she didn’t send up Champagne.  Thoughtful.

The hotel also has a bunch of fire pits dotted around the property, so we were given two s’mores kits for roasting marshmallows after our days at the beach.  The kids were pretty thrilled about that one.

The second day there, even though the waves were crazy and it was pouring rain, I crossed #5 off my Life List.  Jesse, the adorable girl who arranged our visit had seen my Life List and arranged for the entire family to have surfing lessons.  It has literally been on my Life List in the back of my head to learn how to surf in Huntington Beach since I was about 9; having a lifelong dream come to fruition with my husband and kids was magical.

Naturally I had a really hard time getting up, and hopefully someday I’ll tell you all about my adventure of learning how to surf while my children laughed at me.  Both of them got up and surfed like pros.  Natch.

Lest you think there’s nothing else to do at the hotel {oh the humanity!} we were given beach cruiser bicycles for the afternoon after we finished surfing lessons.  We rode up and down the length of Huntington Beach all afternoon on the bike path next to the ocean, all the time plotting ways to sell the house and move to California.

No, really.

And then we check out and drive home in a smelly car for 12 hours with whining children and wonder where all the magic has gone.  We leave it at the beach every time.

–

The Hyatt Huntington Beach covered the cost of one night hotel + the amenities we enjoyed while on the property.  My love for the Hyatt Huntington Beach isn’t bought or sold, it comes from deep within my beach loving soul.

Sadly we weren’t spending any time at Disneyland, we were headed to see my Rheumatologist!  Fun for everyone.

I’ll tell you what, I’m totally sold on Hyatt hotels.  They’re just the right blend of fancy without being too stuffy, which isn’t an easy feat.

The room was gorgeous, clean, and crisp which is what I’ve come to expect at the Hyatt.

And do you see this room?  We had our own little sitting room for entertaining guests, which we did.  My brother was in town for some meetings down the street {what are the odds?} so we had him over for U-NO.

We like to keep it a little crazy, don’t be jealous.

The best part of the room by far, was those two little doors you see.  Precocious?  On the other side of the master suite doors.

Not too shabby.

The kids had their own little suite as well, behind their own set of doors so the entertaining could go on into the night. 

It did.

They didn’t mind the bunk beds too much either.

See what I mean?  Charming went up and down that ladder a hundred times before the night was over.

There were two pools to choose from, a super sunny rooftop pool and a cooler pool adjacent to the hotel.

We chose the one adjacent to the hotel because there was no one there.  Not a soul.  Probably because the only other hotel guests were a bunch of tech conference guys who were buried in their laptops.

We win!

The kids splashed into the night before we headed off to dinner at the hotel restaurant Tusca which was surprisingly delicious.

I never really expect a hotel restaurant to be amazing, but Tusca was phenomenal.  Totally high class from the appetizers all the way to the gourmet pizza, with gelato to die for.

If you’re looking for a Disneyland hotel a little off the beaten path, you’ve found the place.

Sting is pretty boring in concert if you want my humble opinion.  It’s hard to fall asleep standing up, but I gave it my best.

Anyway, it’s been a few years since I’ve been up that way, and a lot has changed.  None of this was there the last time I checked.  It’s pretty impressive really.  All these beautiful hotels gathered together right up against the beautiful ski mountains.  And since EVO was such a whirlwind of classes and phenomenal social media networking, I didn’t really get much time to see my surroundings.  This is true of every conference I attend.  I’m okay with it.  I’d rather hang with amazing women than see where I’m staying, but if I could figure out a way to do both I’d be golden.

I actually got a second chance with The Canyons because I live so close, and I’m thrilled about it, because man, it’s a great place to visit.

We stayed at The Grand Summit hotel for a weekend with the kids, right after I got back from BlogHer in New York City. 

August has been a whirlwind month, I tell you.

There were treats waiting for us in our room, which is a good thing because driving an hour and a half has famishing effects on children.  The syrup wasn’t just a random snack, it was coordinated with Eggo’s in the freezer.

It took Charming precisely two seconds to dig into the treats.

I love having a kitchen in hotel rooms.  At least a little kitchenette or refrigerator.  It makes me feel like I have control over our eating choices.  Or at least it gives me more room to stash snacks, which is always the best option.

The kids each had a queen bed in their own bedroom.  They didn’t mind so much.  You wouldn’t either if you were 5′ tall and sleeping on a twin bed at home {Precocious}.

They also had their own bathroom, identical to the one in the master suite, which they proceeded to filth up within moments.

Is *filth up* proper English?  I somehow doubt it, but that’s what my children do: filth up.

The hotel living room was perhaps my favorite.  The couch folds out to fit two more people, {party!} and the window seats actually double for beds.  But the fireplace along with all the comfy furniture just made the whole room so inviting.  We spent a good amount of time on those couches checking up on Spongebob Squarepants {my poor deprived babies don’t have a television at home} while chewing the fat.

Let’s talk about the master suite for a minute.  The master suite made me reconsider televisions in the bedroom, specifically flat screen televisions at the foot of your bed.

It has also spurred a conversation between me and Viktor about a new bed in our lives.  I haven’t slept on a bed this comfortable since the Sheraton in Chicago for BlogHer ’09.  It was heaven.

The view was such that even Charming was compelled to finish his cookie {or maybe it was his second.  third?} on the balcony of our room.

You would too if this was your view.  Even I, a jaded Utahn with no respect for the beauty of the mountains, was thoroughly impressed.  I mean, it’s really pretty.

Most importantly, there’s a pool.  A good pool with two hot tubs.  Come to mama.

Our visit to The Canyons is going to be a three part series, on Fridays.  There’s just too much to cover. Between the food {oh the food!} and the entertainment, I need a little more time to tell you about it.

What?  I can have a hotel bucket list.  That’s totally normal.

Hotel Andaz in West Hollywood is literally on Sunset Boulevard, in the middle of Hollywood.  If you’re into Hollywood anything, you probably want to hang here.  But even if you’re not, like us, it was an amazing place to stay.  And the proximity to fun Hollywood things can’t be beat.  Let me tell you what I loved about Andaz, and what I didn’t love {hint: Party Pete}.

1. I loved the exterior of the hotel.  It’s artistic and pretty, a little oasis in a sea of concrete.

2.  This is the lobby.  Isn’t it stunning?   Wood floors and eclectic, hip, modern furniture and lighting.  It’s a little different when you head into Andaz to check in, you’re greeted at the door, seated, and they check you in at a little station in the center of the lobby while you chill and take in the surroundings.  Nice.

3.  I loved, LOVED our rooms.  Rooms, the kids got their own.  Look at this place, I could have stayed a week.  Check out Charming’s face, he’s clearly enamored.

4.  The master suite.  Oh, the master suite.  It was calm and quiet, and it had a closing door.  A closing door, with kids a whole room away.

5.  The beds.  I haven’t slept that well in a bed since the last time I stayed in a Hyatt.  Huge, comfortable, and clean.  The flat screen at the foot of the bed and the iPod docking station on the nightstand didn’t hurt either.

6.  Andaz believes in pampering their guests with complimentary stocked mini fridges.  Complimentary.  You can’t believe how fast we wiped them out, and we had access to two fridges and snack stashes.

7.  The rooftop pool.  Holy smokes it was awesome.  I think I was probably the only woman on the roof eating anything more calorie laden than ice, but I have to keep my strength up when I sunbathe.  The kids had so much fun splashing and taking little siestas in the canopies with full sized mattresses inbetween eating the free snacks from the mini fridges.  We’re classy like that.

My favorite part of Andaz?  Check out Precocious:

“Hmmm, look at all the delicious free snacks, I think I’ll have a bite.”

“Snap! Two completely made beds, parallel to each other, in my very own hotel room.  What’s a girl to do?”

We loved Andaz.  The only thing I didn’t like, the one and only, was getting verbally accosted by a very very very drunk guy who called himself Party Pete.  I have no idea who Party Pete is, but he should know better than to harass a mama at the pool with her two kids.  Next time we meet, heaven help me, we’re going to have some words.

We loved Andaz though, and we can’t wait to go back.

After we finished splashing bathing beauties to within an inch of their lives at our hotel in Long Beach, California, we headed inland a little to end up in Brentwood, on the border of West Hollywood in Los Angeles.  You know who lives in Brentwood?  Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck live in Brentwood.  Do I read People Magazine too often?  Why yes, yes I do.

Anyhow, Brentwood is beautiful and would be a lovely place to live.  I think.  We stayed at a really cool hotel called Hotel Angeleno, again in the Joie de Vivre hotel family {love that family}.  Angeleno was swank.  Posh.  Quiet.  Sleek.  We are none of those things but they let us stay anyway, giving us a room with a pretty view of the hills and the pool.

When you’re a kid, the four sweetest words in the English language are:  we have a pool.  We didn’t need to be asked twice before the dive bombing commenced.

The hotel was beautiful top to bottom but the best part for me?  The beds.  I won’t lie, they were seriously comfortable.  I had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, out of bed the next morning.

Which leads me to the next best thing about the location of Hotel Angeleno: It’s practically within spitting distance of the J. Paul Getty Museum.  A trip to the Getty with kids is a whole post in and of itself, but this hotel is a perfect place to stay if you’re coming in from out of town & want to hop over to the world-renowned collection at the Getty.

Totally fabulous.  The hotel, the Getty, and of course the pool.  It’s all about the pool.

We spent our first few days hanging out with Viktor’s family {who live in the area} before heading up the coast to Long Beach, a hop skip and a jump from our regular Huntington Beach hangouts.  Our destination in Long Beach was Hotel Maya, a personality hotel nestled right in the Long Beach harbor, overlooking the beautiful water and the glittery Long Beach skyline.

There are several Joie de Vivre hotels up the coast of California, and it’s my goal to stay in all of them.  We’re giving it the old college try; we’ll see if I can get it done before 2012.  Hotel Maya is now my 4th stay at a Joie de Vivre hotel, and not-surprisingly we had a marvelous time while we stayed.

Right after check-in, this was sent to our room:

I may or may not have eaten the entire Snickers bar all by myself.  I’ll never tell.  The goggles were of no use to me, nor were they made of chocolate, so they survived to tell about it.

Our room was situated perfectly between the swimming pool and the harbor so sat on our patio relaxing as we watched the boats bob up and down in the water.  At least, that’s what some of us were doing before some others of us wanted to head to the pool immediately, if not sooner.

I can’t say I blame them.  The kids, that is.  The swimming pool, and hot tub might I add, were fabulous.  They were both the right temperatures: pool, not too cold, not too warm.  Hot tub: scalding hot.  None of this lukewarm wishy-washy business.  A hot tub is meant to be hot, and it was baby.  Very, very hot.

Once we were done swimming, which actually consumed the whole of our day, we headed into the rooms to clean up so we could head into town.

Our bathroom was small but clean, and the square pedestal sink made me want to remodel a bathroom.  Almost.  Isn’t the wallpaper cool in there too?  Sort of….. Mayan?

I wanted nothing more than to sink into one of these (very comfortable) beds after a day in the sun, but Viktor had other plans.  He always does.  We took a free bus from the hotel across the harbor bridge into Long Beach proper in search of food and extraneous entertainment before I was finally able to conk out for the night on the deliciously fluffy hotel pillows.

Thanks to Hotel Maya for the lovely stay.  Really.  I apologize for my child, Charming for splashing all the hotel guests.  He may have done a little dive bombing into the deep end of the pool, and he may or may not have gotten some bathing beauties a little, uh, damp in the process.  Sorry!

Ummmm. Don’t hate me. Please keep reading my blog even though sometimes I live a charmed and spoiled life. I’m still a nice, normal person with dishes in the sink when I go to bed {what, you never do that?}

Janet & Jyl at The Melting Pot

Anyway, we’ll start with The Melting Pot. Have you ever eaten at a fondue restaurant? It was a first for me and I just have one thing to say: y-u-m. My kids would go bananas in a restaurant where it’s encouraged to dip your food in cheese or chocolate until you’re ready to eat. I mean, it’s divine.

This was the plate Marie and I shared. Lobster tail, sausage, ravioli and beef, all begging to be cooked in the delicious broth at the center of the table. Can you handle it?

Marie, Carina & me at dinner

We ate ourselves silly. And then it was time for the dessert tray. Are you ready for it? Are you sure? I wasn’t. This was just for the two of us. We aren’t good at sharing our dessert, so it’s good there was plenty for Janet and Jyl to eat on the other side of the table. We dipped our way into chocolate oblivion until there weren’t any morsels left on the plate. Literally, we left nothing. Because we’re sharers like that.


Here’s what I loved about The Melting Pot:

We spent four hours eating. Honestly, we talked and ate, and ate and talked for the better part of the evening. We even outlasted our waiter. But no one tried to kick us out, we just kept chatting and getting refills on our cold caffeinated beverages and ate until they had to roll us out onto the curb to retrieve our cars from the valet. It was a hard sacrifice to make, but I suppose I could do it again if I were pressed.

If you live locally The Melting Pot is running a great promotion for the holidays: buy $100 in gift cards and get a holiday gift of 4 $25 cards to use quarterly throughout 2010. Go into the restaurant, call 1-801-521-MELT, or email tj@utahmeltingpot.com to order. That would make a sweet {get it, sweet?} holiday gift.

Now onto The Grand America Hotel! While we were waiting for the valet to pull Carina’s car around to head to the hotel, {she had just driven straight from work to The Melting Pot, the hotel is just down the street from the restaurant. we’re not that lazy} I looked down and noticed Carina’s shoes:

Good grief. Never mind that I’d be 7 feet tall wearing those, I want a pair. Turquoise, blue suede platform heels? I’m all aflutter. When I downloaded photos from the weekend I found I had taken several photos of her shoes; it speaks volumes about me.

Enough shoe talk, it’s hotel time. When I first found out where we were going to be staying I was like:

*Uh, THE Grand America? The one that was built specifically for visiting dignitaries of
the 2002 Winter Olympics? The one where Pioneer Woman stayed when she came to town for her book signing? Yeah I guess I can find a babysitter, but just this once.*

The hotel is amazing. Regal, oozing with sophistication, gorgeous in every way, amenities in every corner. When we got to our room we found this waiting for us:

Just a little snack. Some chocolate and sparkling lemonade to help us get through the night. It helped. I mean the night was hard, what with the hundreds of square feet of beautifully carpeted floors, balconies overlooking the outdoor pool, and a full-sized kitchen, but somehow we managed and I like to think the chocolate helped.



I’ve never stayed in a room with a full kitchen before. There was a dishwasher opposite the side-by-side refrigerator and a full service of dishes in case we wanted to throw a party. The fridge looked a little lonesome though, so I put a few things inside.

Aaaaaaaah, much better.

Our suite also had its own washer and dryer. Um. Yes. Also a first for me. I wanted so much to do a load or two of laundry, just because it was possible but I restrained myself. There was a lot of girl talk to catch up on and I can do laundry any old time I want at home.

The bathroom was outstanding. Too bad I didn’t get to spend much time in there. Like, any time at all. Sad. Marie was foxying it up for the weekend, doesn’t she look adorable?

And I have a weakness for good hotel toiletries. I can’t help myself, they’re little bottles of perfection!

We hung out and gabbed well into the night {Jyl and Janet literally talked all. night. long} and had a ball. People Magazine was passed around like contraband and we discussed the merits of short hair vs. long hair and whether or not Tiger Woods deserves to be clobbered over the head with a golf club {I vote yea}.

It was wonderful. Five girlfriends at the nicest hotel in Salt Lake City for the night sans kids, bellies stuffed to the brim, and a spa day just on the horizon? Delicious. Escape with your friends as soon as you can for whatever fills your cup. Seriously.

The next morning we lounged around the room until it was time to head to our spa treatments. I wish I had better photos of the spa but it had happy lighting and happy lighting isn’t always conducive to great photos. Suffice it to say, it was the most beautiful spa I’ve ever seen. The staff were outstanding in every way, the facilities were immaculate, and the atmosphere was beyond relaxing. I felt sedated just walking through the door, and who doesn’t want that on a Saturday morning, I ask you?

After everyone enjoyed what were deemed “The best *fill in the blank* treatments we’ve ever had, we spent some quality time in the sauna and the steam room before ordering room service.

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Oh the sauna. I’d like one installed in my basement immediately. Maybe Viktor can be coerced into moving all my {dusty} exercise equipment into the garage to make room for a sauna. It’s heaven in there I tell you, pure heaven.

I want to know where this fizzy lemonade comes from so I can put it in my food storage; it’s otherworldly.

Here’s the hotel pool. Isn’t it beautiful? We spent some time in the adjoining jacuzzi before we headed down to dinner at the Garden Cafe Restaurant.

The pool and jacuzzi overlook the courtyard of the hotel. Doesn’t it look like a little winter wonderland?

Our husbands were invited to dinner at the hotel restaurant but Viktor was busy taking care of the kids. And working. Somebody’s gotta do it. I felt a little left out so I clung to Carina and ate my weight in miniature desserts from this table. They were mouthwatering.


Not that this little masterpiece of pasta goodness wasn’t; it defies description actually. I can only explain it tasting a little something like: mmmmmm, aaaaaaahhhhh, yuuuuuuummmmmmm {lip licking} ggggrrrrrr, bbbbbzzzzzzzm, mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Here are my girls after dinner. We were too sated to smile properly for the camera, but we gave it the old college try.


Thank you ladies, thank you Melting Pot, and a big huge über thank you to The Grand America Hotel!

p.s. If you mention Social Media at the Grand America Spa you will get 20% off your services {do it, do it, do it!} and you can go here for other promotions at the hotel.

Viktor is in the middle of making a pro/con list as to why we should uproot the family and move to Southern California. Like, seriously. I’m not about to move. I have a circle of close friends and family I adore, my home is becoming lovely {even though I still have a concrete slab as a living room floor} and I like living here. But friends, I’m here to tell you that this week Viktors’ *pro* list is pretty long and at this point I’m helping contribute to it.

When we left California yesterday it was a balmy 75 degrees. Tonight in Utah, as I type, it’s 22 outside. *sigh*

Let me tell you, if I were to win a lottery of say 2.5 million dollars, the first thing I would do is plunk down every penny on a place near the water in Huntington Beach. Like on.the.water. There’s something so calming and healing about the ocean, it’s indescribable.

So, there’s this new hotel in Huntington called Shorebreak Hotel. People I’m telling you, go, go now. It’s one of the hotels in the Joie de Vivre family which are becoming my new favorite hotels. Ever.

Do you remember the awesome hotel where we stayed in San Francisco? The Americania, the one with the totally hipster and family friendly vibe? Multiply that times 10, add some surfers, put it across the street from the beach and you have the Shorebreak Hotel.

My only sadness related to this hotel is that we stayed one night instead of say, oh I don’t know, thirty.

We ate the most delicious brunch ever at the hotel restaurant, Zimzala before we checked into our room. I highly recommend it.

The server brought Charming a plate full of the largest sausages available to a 5-year-old, berry pancakes for Precocious,

three cheese flat bread for Viktor,


and for me {licking my lips thinking about it} cinnamon brioche french toast.

Delightful all around.

I had a lot of fun poking ar
ound the hotel. The decor is really contemporary mixed with surf city style; right up my alley. It’s successfully swank and chill at the same time. There are photos of surfers all over mixed in with driftwood lamps and tables. I loved every square inch of it.

And our room was awesome. Rad. Coolio. The Bomb. Swank. Chill. Whatever word fits your happiness quotient best is what it was to me.

This little sofa folded out into a queen bed for the kiddos. And the dresser on the right? I want those leather pulls on a piece of furniture in my house now; they were gorgeous.

This was our bed. There was a wall between the front *sitting room* and the bedroom, but it still felt wide open and airy. And this bed was heaven, he-a-ven.

Another little touch I love in the Joie de Vivre hotels are the iPod docking stations on the nightstands; just a little something extra to make life better.

Right after we’d opened the balcony door to check the weather, this was delivered:

In a chilled bowl. With chilled glasses, cold Fiji water, and a lovely note.

Sometimes my life is hard. Please don’t send sympathy notes, it just makes the knife go deeper.

Can we take a moment to talk about the bathroom? Hold me.

It was chic, clean, and crisp.


Have you ever showered in a double headed shower? Put it on your bucket list if you just answered no. It’s a must before you die.

And the tub? The kids did some laps in it before they took turns trying to drown one another during bath time. Then I spent about two hours reading every magazine in my arsenal while drinking ice cold diet Dr. Peppers one after the other.

It was a rough night for me. I’ll need to spend some time talking to my therapist about it.

But when you’re traveling with kids what’s the most important part about staying in a hotel?

Its proximity to water. And sand.

So after we settled into the room and devoured the chilled fruit, we hightailed it downstairs to the beach.

These are the stairs to the street level. Light, open, airy.

There’s a surfboard check. Heaven help me, I’m ready to call a Realtor.

It’s literally less than a 5 minute walk from the hotel until your toes are in the sand.

The kids skipped/ran/jumped/hopped the whole way there.

Happy.

Happy.

Peaceful.

Thank you California. See you soon.