One of the most exciting parts about going on a trip — at least to me — is choosing where you’ll rest your head. When Nubby & I were talking about visiting Los Angeles, one of the first questions was, “Where will we stay?”

While I was initially very keen on using AirBNB, & staying here, here or here, I noticed that Tablet Hotels was having a private sale on a hotel in West Hollywood: the Palihouse Holloway.

I’d never even heard of it, so I did a little research.

The L.A. Times said, “Crash pad for creative types attracts fellow artists who linger in the lobby’s living-room-like lounge”. Hotel Chatter said, “the lobby lounge… is supposed to remind you of an eccentric, well-traveled relative with a penchant for collecting vintage, one-of-a-kind furnishings and art.” Nadine Jolie said, “It’s exceedingly popular with Brits, especially on Sundays for the British Brunch, features a trippy mad-chic decor that resembles your eccentric uncle’s study, and specializes in straighforward (but strong!) champagne cocktails, as well as a vodka, lime and cucumber drink called the Writer’s Block.”

Needless to say, as soon as I read those reviews, I was pretty much sold!

As Amy, Kevin & I approached Los Angeles from San Francisco, my phone buzzed.

From: Nubby
To: Gala
Rooms are super cool and there’s a black and white striped curtain down the hall that will be perfect for outfit photos 😉

From: Gala
To: Nubby
I love you. We’ll be 40 minutes. Is the room big?

From: Nubby
To: Gala
Yes, very big. Modern decor. You will love it!

As soon as I got into the room (after hugging Nubs & throwing my bag down with gay abandon), I walked around it excitedly, looking at everything & opening every door. The room — which was a Classic Guest Suite — was amazing. It was enormous, somewhere between 600 & 700 square feet. It was probably bigger than the studio apartment I had in Auckland (which was pretty generous for a studio)! There was a bedroom area separated by waist-high cabinets & columns, an enormous living area with a couch, coffee table, armchair & kitchen table, a full kitchen & a big bathroom. It’s the biggest hotel room I’ve ever stayed in, & it was gorgeous!

(Below photos courtesy of Palihouse Holloway.)

Nubby spent most of her time sitting on the couch to the left (my dream couch, actually — except I want a black one), while I sat at the kitchen table with my laptop in front of me. (Internet addict.) In our room, we had a mustard yellow armchair between the kitchen table & the cabinets. We had our suitcases on opposite sides of the living room — mine against those black cabinets, hers against the wall you can’t see — & spread out our clothing, piled up our purchases, & planned future outfits on the armchairs.

I can’t even tell you how much I love this combination of a Union Jack pillow, framed Polaroids & an ottoman sofa. Seriously. It looked even better in person, it was just perfect.

The bathroom, miraculously (!) had enough counter space for both our make-up bags, as well as a flat iron & a hairdryer… The shower was immense & wonderful & the products supplied (C.O. Bigelow) smelt delicious.

Truth be told, we didn’t use the kitchen for much…

This is the layout of our room, except flipped, so you can get an idea of the space. Massive! Fantastic!

The idea behind Palihouse Holloway is that it’s designed to be a long-stay residence. If you’re in town working, for example, it’s the sort of place a company might choose to house you for a month or two. It’s really a wonderful space, & I’d be extremely happy staying there & working for a month or so.

Rooms at the Palihouse Holloway usually run somewhere between $250 & $450 a night (ouch!), but with the Tablet sale I was able to snag a week priced at about $130/night! The best part about this is that Nubby & I split the room, so it ended up only being $65 each. Fantastic!

The hotel isn’t perfect, though. On our first night, we ate at their restaurant The Hall & most of us were pretty disappointed with the meal. The portion sizes were extremely small (even by I’m-watching-my-figure Hollywood starlet standards) & I went to bed hungry! Boo! Additionally, on our second-to-last day, Nubby & I were taking some photos in the lobby when one of the employees came over & said, “What are these photos for? All media has to be cleared through us.” When we explained that we were taking holiday photos, she just looked annoyed… It left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth but you can’t disregard an entire establishment just because one staff member is having a bad day, right? Right?!

Despite its imperfections, which were very minor when you think about it, I love the Palihouse Holloway & I would definitely stay again — we had a great time. The beds are super-comfortable, the space was generous & impeccably decorated, the kitchen was fully equipped & the common spaces are immense & beautiful. (See the website for more interior design porn.) The front desk is also staffed by a steady rotation of disturbingly good-looking people. So I recommend it very highly! Just be sure to be secretive about taking photos. Haha!