Hostess with the Mostest

We just returned from a week long, whirlwind trip to Los Angeles. The days were spent in the office being productive and the nights were spent catching up with friends at various eateries all over the Los Angeles area. To top it off, we stayed with friends that were absolutely fantastic hosts. I have taken a few pointers from our stay that I will be sure to point out to our future house guests so they know what good hosts do and what they are missing out on.

View of the house from the pool

• Well-appointed guest suite
  The house has a guest bedroom that splits off of the main living quarters. The suite had a private bathroom, walk-in closet and separate entrance. It was the perfect set-up for hosting guests and, as a guest, it was a very comfortable layout.
  


• Location, location, location
  Located in the hills of Pasadena, the drive up the windy road was like being a stunt driver for a car commercial and I'm an excellent driver. The views from the house were breathtaking and actually made the uncharacteristically cold, rainy weather a welcome part of the trip (the rain clears the L.A. skies).
  


• All the amenities
  The guest quarters came fully stocked. Our very considerate hostess thought of everything -- from extra toothbrushes to travel-size deodorant -- nothing we may have forgotten would have been missing from the guest toiletry drawer. The guest room closet even housed an iron and ironing board - which was well-used for all the crumpled work clothes we packed.
  


• Local attractions
  Let's start with the pool and hot tub. The cooler Los Angeles nights make hot tubbing a very good ending to a crazy day. Jumping in the hot tub for even a few minutes was the perfect way to quickly wind down. Our happy host and hostess also had the forethought to book reservations at two restaurant hotspots - Melisse and Osteria Mozza - that we all hit up for two delicious meals (more on these later).