Tag archives: resort

To Oahu, with Love: Part 1 The Kahala Hotel + Resort
By Leslie Westbrook   |   July 9, 2024

I traveled to the Hawaiian Islands for eight nights and visited four hotels this past spring for three reasons: 1. To see my dear friend of half a century – the amazing octogenarian artist, Dr. Masami Teraoka and his family who live on the island of Oahu, while reporting on my tourism stops. 2. To give […]

Clarity on the Future of the Biltmore
By Zach Rosen   |   May 21, 2024

Following the announcement that Biltmore employees have received their settlement packages from Four Seasons, the Montecito Journal sought clarity on the future of the historic hotel, which has been closed for over four years. Sean Lavelle, a representative for Ty Warner, commented, “as Four Seasons announced today, we are pleased to have reached a collective […]

A Grand Weekend at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Spa in Dana Point
By Leslie Westbrook   |   November 14, 2023

Why travel? To celebrate a special occasion? Birthday, anniversary, retirement, new job, you name it.For a change of scenery? To alleviate boredom? To explore new regions, to be pampered or just sneak off and indulge? Whatever your reason, I love flopping onto a freshly made bed in a hotel room – preferably with a view […]

Ritz-Carlton Bacara: Out-of-this-World Experience in Our Own Backyard
By Leslie Westbrook   |   August 29, 2023

Why would anyone want to spend $55 million for a three-day trip to the moon on SpaceX (estimated cost in the future) when they could merely drive 15 minutes from Montecito to The Ritz-Carlton Bacara Resort and book an “out of this world” spa experience? I indulged in “Body Melt,” an 80-minute treatment that has […]

Meanwhile, back to Rancho Valencia…
By Leslie Westbrook   |   June 28, 2022

While the world was going to hell in a handbasket, I escaped to Rancho Santa Fe, a sort of Montecito for the horsey set, for a couple of glorious nights at lovely Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, a Spanish-Colonial hacienda style resort set on 45 acres in north San Diego County that’s a three-and-a-half-hour drive […]

The Man in the Miramar
By Gwyn Lurie   |   December 13, 2021

In the movie version of this story, we open on a shot of Invictus, a sleek 215-foot yacht with sophisticated, timeless maritime beauty – all six decks of it – replete with a swimming pool, a gym, a theater, nine bedrooms, and an elevator. Of course.  We pull out further to reveal Rick Caruso, the […]

The Webster Opens at Rosewood Miramar
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   July 23, 2020

Last week, the Rosewood Miramar Beach welcomed a new retailer to its grounds: The Webster, a luxury multi-brand retailer opened its first permanent boutique within a hotel property. The store was designed by the creative director of The Webster Home, Stéphane Parmentier. The 500-sq-ft storefront has elements of both “femininity and brutalist design,” with clothing […]

Catalina
By Lynda Millner   |   April 9, 2020

“This too shall pass!” Until it does, how about some armchair traveling. You don’t have to get on a cruise ship, just a boat, to get to Catalina Island. It’s the only one of eight Channel Islands to have an incorporated city, Avalon. “Twenty-six miles across the sea, Santa Catalina is waitin’ for me. Santa […]

Rosewood Ribbon Cutting
By Richard Mineards   |   April 18, 2019

Billionaire Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso nearly came a cropper at the final hurdle when developing the Rosewood Miramar, he has revealed. Rick was at a ribbon cutting ceremony at the oh-so tony five star resort and recounted he was in our Eden by the Beach for the final hearing on his $200 million development, […]

Welcome to Rosewood Miramar
By Richard Mineards   |   March 14, 2019

After 12 years of frustration and determined perseverance, Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso has opened his $200 million-plus, 161-room, 16-acre Rosewood Miramar Hotel, with its 495 feet of Pacific Ocean frontage. To mark the occasion he threw a bustling bash, appropriately enough at Caruso’s, one of the tony hostelry’s restaurants, run by Roman chef Massimo […]

Speer-Headed
By Richard Mineards   |   November 8, 2018

Kevin Speer, the affable manager of Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner‘s Coral Casino, is celebrating his 25th anniversary in the role. But his career at the beachside club came about by chance. “Chris Hart, the former general manager of the resort, asked me to come over to the club from the hotel to correct some […]

Biltmore to Reopen
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   May 31, 2018

After nearly five months of closure following the January 9 debris flow, the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore is slated to reopen its doors this Friday, June 1. “We are so looking forward to welcoming back our guests, as well as our local community who have been so supportive of us during this time,” said […]