Shelley Seale is a freelance journalist and author.
Website: http://www.shelleyseale.com
Blog: http://tradingplacesglobal.wordpress.com/
Book: http://www.howtotravelforfree.net
Twitter: @shelleyseale
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shelleyseale
Hope you find the reviews you want, if not, contact us to get more help
Shelley Seale is a freelance journalist and author.
Website: http://www.shelleyseale.com
Blog: http://tradingplacesglobal.wordpress.com/
Book: http://www.howtotravelforfree.net
Twitter: @shelleyseale
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shelleyseale
Review by Shelley Seale, 2019.
A refreshing, tiki-style Mid Century Modern vibe hits you the second you walk into The Laylow. Fun and retro, stylish and whimsical — this hotel brings plenty of unique, personal touches and a casual, “at home” feel that instantly envelope you.
Location 8/10
The Laylow is slightly off the beaten path, yet in the midst of everything Waikiki has to offer. Waikiki Beach is a five-minute walk, and all the shopping, dining and entertainment of the area can be found within a short walk (or ride the complimentary cruiser bikes that the hotel provides!)
Style/character 10/10
Style and personality virtually ooze from every pore of The Laylow. The design aesthetic incorporates the clean, classic lines of the mid century era, while putting a 1970s, Don Ho, Hawaiian tiki-bar spin on it. The second-floor open-air lanai serves as reception, lobby, concierge and bar/restaurant area, with cool ocean breezes flowing through. A collection of classic hula dancer dolls greets you at check-in, and The Laylow’s striking blue and pink palm tree signature motif is placed strategically among the whites, warm natural textiles, and pops of orange throughout the hotel.
Service & facilities 9/10
Staff are engaging, casual, and attentive. Everything feels like team spirit here, in a low-key way. The main common area on the second floor serves as the lobby, with casual settees and wicker swing chairs for lounging. On one side are the coffee and cocktail bars and restaurant; and on the other side you’ll find the swimming pool, surrounded by cabanas and large lounging chairs. Adjoining the pool is a fully-equiped fitness room. Cruiser bicycles are available on loan, and fun touches like daily shave ice and poolside drink samplers are served. Regular cultural events also take place, including free ukulele lessons three times a week — just bring your own personal ukulele from your room and join!
Rooms 10/10
Each of the 251 guest rooms welcomes with calming white walls and neutral flooring as the perfect backdrop for the furniture, made of warm woods, rattan, industrial metal and rich textiles. The Laylow signature tropical motif adorns some walls, while pops of original art and vintage photography are on others. The gorgeous shelving units are filled with books about Hawaiian living and style, along with high-tech, pairing entertainment systems. Bathrooms are well-stocked with fantastic-smelling lemongrass and ginger toiletries, thick bathrobes and towels, and deep-brown faux-wood walled showers with multi-function rain showerheads. The daily destination fee of $29 (£23) includes a nice “E Como Mai” welcome basket with local snacks and two pairs of Laylow rubber sandals.
Food & drink 9/10
The Hideout at The Laylow continues the retro-modern décor in a restaurant and bar space. The menu starts with modern Hawaiian breakfast featuring omelettes, benedicts, pancakes and a la carte items, with the coffee bar serving Stumptown products. The lunch and dinner menus offer everything from burgers and tacos (with Chef Bryan Byard’s Hawaiian spin on ingredients, such as squid, pineapple and local seafood), to classic Hawaiian staples including Kalua pork and Ahi poke. A full pupu (appetizer) menu delights with guacamame dip (a combination of avocado and edamame), chicken satay, Kalua egg rolls and poke tacos. A slightly limited menu is available in-room, poolside, and as takeaway picnics. Nightly live music happens in the open-air Hideout every night, as well as during weekend brunch.
Value for money 10/10
Double rooms from $319 (£250) in low season; and from $349 (£274) in high. The hotel welcomes one dog guest per room weighing up to a maximum of 50 pounds (25 kilograms), with a one-time, non-refundable fee of $150 (£118). The hotel offers valet parking at $39 (£30) per day. Breakfast is not included but available at the restaurant from $10 (£7) and up.
Access for guests with disabilities?
Yes, with elevator access to all floors and rooms that are mobility accessible and roll-in showers. Hearing accessible rooms are also available, with visual alarms and notifications for door and phone.
Family-friendly?
Yes, the hotel accepts all guests. Cribs are available upon request, and many rooms have daybeds that would work for children. The hotel offers free ukulele lessons and lei making and these activities are also open to children; and the concierge can set up family activity packages and suggestions.
The details
2299 Kuhio Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815, United States
Phone: (1)(808) 922-6600
Accommodation style
City-centre
Diving
X Seaside
Self-catering
Style
Mid-range
X Design
Minimalist
Art Deco
Eco-friendly
X Modern
X Boutique
Budget
Historic
Private
Cheap
X Romantic
X Contemporary
X Luxury
Type
Apartment
Gite
Pub
B&B
Guesthouse
Resort
Riad
Castle
Hostel
Ryokan
X Hotel
Spa
Chateau
Maison d’Hote
Townhouse
Cottage
Motel
Treehouse
Country house
Parador
Villa
Farmhouse
Private Island
Suitable for
Adults-only
X Dog-friendly
X Pet-friendly
X Baby-friendly
X Family-friendly
X Small group
X Business
X Hen do
X Occasion
X Child-friendly
X Honeymoon
X Stag do
X Couple
X LGBT
X Wedding
X Disabled
Board level
All-inclusive
Full-board
X Room only
Bed and breakfast
Half-board
Self-catering
Facilities
X Bar
X Laundry
Sauna
X Beach
X Parking
Spa
Massage Services
X Fitness Centre
X Pool
Steam room/hammam
Golf course
X Restaurant
Tennis court
Kids’ club
X Room service
X Wi-Fi
But if you’ve ever wanted to experience that, you can!
There are a number of homes that have been previously owned by famous actors and other show biz people, and spots where many celebs have taken their own vacays, that are actually available for anyone to rent.
Here are a few places where you, too, can live like a rock star – at least for a few days!
Once owned by the legendary Elizabeth Taylor, this Palm Springs home is a sanctuary for object d’art, photography, oil paintings and is complete with priceless possessions and objects d’art which belonged to the iconic actress. It's the only home ever owned by Elizabeth Taylor in Palm Springs. Renovated and furnished by Kathy Ireland, this estate is frequently called, ‘The Jewel of the Desert’.
Monroe/JFK Mountainside Estate
Did you ever think that you could stay in the home where JFK and Marilyn Monroe used to tryst — for only $120 a night? This storied 4-bedroom home was designed by a student of Frank Loyd Wright and very recently was exquisitely remodeled. This modern masterpiece is located in the best area of metropolitan 'Phoenix'. Just minutes from the Biltmore and Scottsdale shopping areas, it is a great place to travel from. The Frank Lloyd Wright design, completed by one of his students, is timeless. Large glass windows and door allow the visitor to feel as if they are living out-of-doors. A 1000 sq. ft. view deck give the visitor a breath taking 240 degree view of the city lights of Paradise Valley, Mummy Mountain, Camelback Mountain and the Paradise Valley Country Club Golf course.
Elvis Presley’s Former Beverly Hills Home
The King’s former Beverly Hills estate boasts 3-bedrooms, 4-baths, and spans 5,367 square feet, with floor-to-ceiling windows and walls of glass in every room. 4th Bedroom and 5th bath are located in the guest house. This Trousdale property, perched on a small cliff, was one he shared with wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie in the late 1960's. The backyard features expansive lounging and entertaining space, including a large pool and spa. This magnificent property still has the original gates that Elvis used to come and talk to fans through.
Set far back behind gates and mature trees, a long driveway and four-car motor court lead to the newly renovated 5,400-square-foot mid-century residence and attached guesthouse. Spacious interiors are magnified by high ceilings, warm hardwood floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows that let in abundant natural light. Features an incredibly luxurious master suite, skylights, fireplaces and coffered ceilings are complemented by contemporary updates.
Ample outdoor lounging and entertaining space is offered throughout a large patio featuring a fireplace, custom pool and spa, as well as lush lawns, set against breathtaking panoramic vistas. Only minutes from the best shopping, dining, and entertainment of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. Trousdale is a celebrity enclave within Beverly Hills and is currently the most desirable neighborhood in the City of Beverly Hills. Most homes are designed by some of the most notable names in architecture. Some of the other notable personalities have lived in this neighborhood include Richard Nixon, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Jennifer Anniston.
17-Acre Celebrity Hilltop Estate in Jamaica
This property has seen a host of celebrity guests, including Meryl Streep and Tracy Ullman. In fact, Oscar Hammerstein wrote 'The Sound of Music' from the terrace, overlooking the beautiful hillside!
This villa is filled with history and is very private; located about 5 minutes from the beach and 20 minutes from the airport. The home is fully staffed with a chef, butler, housekeeper, gardener and laundress. A van and driver can be arranged for any size group. Private spa treatments are available on site. The home also has a tranquil pavilion ideal for yoga retreats and the like.
Luxury Estate Flamingo on the Mexican Riviera
If you REALLY want to splurge (to the tune of $18,000 per night!) – you can stay at the same over-the-top home where the Kardashians have stayed. With 12 bedrooms and 14+ bathrooms, this magnificent beachfront retreat is nestled amid acres of lush tropical gardens in Punta Mita, Mexico. Located just below the Tropic of Cancer on the Pacific Mexican Riviera, it combines natural beauty, warm tropical weather, priceless seclusion, warm ocean water, a five-star chef, world-class service, and unparalleled luxury accommodations into a getaway destination unlike any other place on earth.
This house provides a carefree environment for relaxation and recreation that is the very definition of paradise. A discrete, but attentive staff is available around the clock to accommodate any request with an array of amenities to satisfy the most discriminating wish list.
Additional home vacation rental tips:
For the nature and wildlife lover, Patagonia is the place to come in South America; whether you are a hard-core adventurer or a traveler more interested in light hiking, fishing or horseback riding. Ice Age valleys and moraines, jagged mountain ridges, fjords and glaciers, native forests and an abundance of waterfalls make the human visitor aware, at every moment, of the nature around them. In the town of Puerto Natales, Remota Hotel was built on the concept of blending nature with human civilization.
The property was created with the idea of mixing the architectural design with the natural surroundings, designed by legendary architect German del Sol who won the National Prize for his work on Remota. The buildings are integrated in harmony with the Patagonian landscape, at times blurring the lines between where nature ends and Remota begins. Using construction techniques such as earth-and-grass covered rooftops, sustainable local materials and energy-saving implementations was key for Del Sol. And these are no mere “nod to green concerns” gestures. The entire hotel utilizes a system that recycles the indoor air two to three times a day, using no energy whatsoever.
It’s a place where visitors can feel at one with Patagonia, and be in the present moment. Del Sol believed that beauty was in the imperfections, and embraced those aspects of his natural materials to create a place that offers an experience to guests, not just a hotel stay. “The loneliness of the vast landscape is perhaps what seduces the wanderer’s soul,” says del Sol. “Everyone can make a discovery if one sees the same old things with new eyes. Maybe, because we only get to know that which puts up some resistance, the place where it is hard to get to is that which we believe, somehow, that we deserve. Thus, perhaps, the myth of Patagonia is the myth of a remote place, where we feel that the journey has been accomplished, and we are delicately returned to what is ours.” Patagonia Sights and Excursions Hotel Remota tour guides are among the best in Chile, specially trained in the hotel’s own guide school. Remota is the only operation that offers certified fly fishing experience, as well as navigations, hiking, horseback riding, bicycle tours and bird watching, with world well-known specialists.
Every evening the guides gather in the bar of the hotel, where they can plan with guests their excursions for the next day out of more than 30 possibilities in Torres del Paine National Park, as well as beyond mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers and forests, cattle farms and caves of ancestral native cultures. Tours can be done by vehicle (4x4), horseback, bicycle, or walking, sailing the fjords; it all depends on the guests preference and the area they would like to visit. Details about Hotel Remota The guest rooms are an invitation to rest body and soul, the relaxing aroma of the lenga wood together with the light radiating from the heat reflecting windows and the magnificent views to the fjord of Last Hope are the perfect setting for perfect comfort. Remota offers 72 wonderfully appointed, spacious rooms. The common areas are divided into multi levels, with several comfortable and stylish living rooms built around large fireplaces, leading eventually up to the restaurant and bar. The amazing food is part of the Remota experience, with skilled chefs creating a variety of inventive dishes from the fresh seafood of Patagonia and local ingredients.
A separate building houses a relaxing indoor heated pool, open-air Jacuzzi and men’s and women’s locker rooms with saunas. Every stay at Hotel Remota is a program that includes: • Accommodations • Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, with soft and alcoholic drinks or house wine. • 8 Daily Excursions offered according to the day’s program, with a bilingual guide. (English-Spanish) • Excursion hours are pre-established. Consult reception. • Use of the sauna, open-air Jacuzzi, and heated indoor pool. • Complementary transfers. Premium wines, massage services, outdoor equipment, personal goods, gift shop items, fly-fishing gear and tips are not included.
About Chile and Patagonia: http://chile.travel/en/where-to-go/patagonia-2/
Hotel Remota website: http://www.remotahotel.com
Contact information: Ruta 9 Norte, km 1.5 Puerto Natales, Chile This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 56 | 2 | 23871500
All-inclusive programs at Hotel Remota start at $1,950 per person for 3 nights.
For the nature and wildlife lover, Patagonia is the place to come in South America; whether you are a hard-core adventurer or a traveler more interested in light hiking, fishing or horseback riding. Ice Age valleys and moraines, jagged mountain ridges, fjords and glaciers, native forests and an abundance of waterfalls make the human visitor aware, at every moment, of the nature around them.
In the town of Puerto Natales, Remota Hotel was built on the concept of blending nature with human civilization. The property was created with the idea of mixing the architectural design with the natural surroundings, designed by legendary architect German del Sol who won the National Prize for his work on Remota.
The buildings are integrated in harmony with the Patagonian landscape, at times blurring the lines between where nature ends and Remota begins. Using construction techniques such as earth-and-grass covered rooftops, sustainable local materials and energy-saving implementations was key for Del Sol. And these are no mere “nod to green concerns” gestures. The entire hotel utilizes a system that recycles the indoor air two to three times a day, using no energy whatsoever.
It’s a place where visitors can feel at one with Patagonia, and be in the present moment. Del Sol believed that beauty was in the imperfections, and embraced those aspects of his natural materials to create a place that offers an experience to guests, not just a hotel stay.
“The loneliness of the vast landscape is perhaps what seduces the wanderer’s soul,” says del Sol. “Everyone can make a discovery if one sees the same old things with new eyes. Maybe, because we only get to know that which puts up some resistance, the place where it is hard to get to is that which we believe, somehow, that we deserve. Thus, perhaps, the myth of Patagonia is the myth of a remote place, where we feel that the journey has been accomplished, and we are delicately returned to what is ours.”
Patagonia Sights and Excursions Hotel Remota tour guides are among the best in Chile, specially trained in the hotel’s own guide school. Remota is the only operation that offers certified fly fishing experience, as well as navigations, hiking, horseback riding, bicycle tours and bird watching, with world well-known specialists. Every evening the guides gather in the bar of the hotel, where they can plan with guests their excursions for the next day out of more than 30 possibilities in Torres del Paine National Park, as well as beyond mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers and forests, cattle farms and caves of ancestral native cultures. Tours can be done by vehicle (4x4), horseback, bicycle, or walking, sailing the fjords; it all depends on the guests preference and the area they would like to visit.
Details about Hotel Remota The guest rooms are an invitation to rest body and soul, the relaxing aroma of the lenga wood together with the light radiating from the heat reflecting windows and the magnificent views to the fjord of Last Hope are the perfect setting for perfect comfort. Remota offers 72 wonderfully appointed, spacious rooms. The common areas are divided into multi levels, with several comfortable and stylish living rooms built around large fireplaces, leading eventually up to the restaurant and bar. The amazing food is part of the Remota experience, with skilled chefs creating a variety of inventive dishes from the fresh seafood of Patagonia and local ingredients. A separate building houses a relaxing indoor heated pool, open-air Jacuzzi and men’s and women’s locker rooms with saunas.
Every stay at Hotel Remota is a program that includes:
• Accommodations
• Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, with soft and alcoholic drinks or house wine.
• 8 Daily Excursions offered according to the day’s program, with a bilingual guide. (English-Spanish)
• Excursion hours are pre-established. Consult reception.
• Use of the sauna, open-air Jacuzzi, and heated indoor pool.
• Complementary transfers.
Premium wines, massage services, outdoor equipment, personal goods, gift shop items, fly-fishing gear and tips are not included.
About Chile and Patagonia: http://chile.travel/en/where-to-go/patagonia-2/
Hotel Remota website: http://www.remotahotel.com
Contact information: Ruta 9 Norte, km 1.5 Puerto Natales, Chile This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 56 | 2 | 23871500
All-inclusive programs at Hotel Remota start at $1,950 per person for 3 nights.