Staycation All I Ever Wanted: Four Seasons Westlake #Imagelogger

My girl Andrea is embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. This Sunday, her and her family are moving to Costa Rica... YES. They are picking up and moving to Costa Rica. She's living the dream. 

Over the past few years of conferences and press events, Andrea, Kim, Romy, Candice and I have become a great little group. We've all traveled together, roomed with each other (sometimes all of us in one room!), teamed up for day trips and supported each other both online and in real life. As the days to Andrea's departure started to whittle down, we got to planning. What could we do to send our girl off in style? We needed one last hurrah before she leaves us all for the Central American tropics.

How about a day in the Luxury Spa Suite at the Four Seasons in Westlake Village? 

Um. Yes PLEASE. 

Located just north/west (Directionally, not Kim Kardashian's baby's name..) this Four Seasons is a little paradise where you wouldn't expect it. Fabulous grounds, a super lux spa, warm sun and champagne made this a send off none of us will ever forget. 

 The day was amazing. Lots of girl talk. Lots of tears. Lots of champagne. 

The Four Seasons in Westlake Village was the ideal spot for our little getaway. Huge thanks to everything they did to help us make this time perfect for Andrea. Here's to hoping that the next time we see Andrea, it will be at her new "local" - The Four Seasons in Costa Rica. 

*Disclosures:

The Four Seasons Westlake provided us with rooms and the luxury spa suite and food during our stay. Opinions are my own. 

All images in this post were taken with the Samsung NX300 SMART camera. Samsung provided me with a camera to participate in the #Imagelogger program. All opinions and photographs are my own. Over the next few months I will be sharing images taken with the NX300 SMART camera on Twitter, Facebook and here on my blog. If you want to follow along and check out some of the images the other Imageloggers are taking - just follow the hashtag: #Imagelogger. 

The "Swanky LA Party" that really wasn't

As many of you know, my "real job" is in PR and Marketing. And while this blog thing seems to eat up just as many hours as a full-time job, let's be honest, it don't make squat. But I do it for a few personal reasons and the occasional "perks." Last week was one of those particularly perk-filled weeks - a private icing demo with the cupcake queen of the world, lunch at a DELISH Mexican restaurant in Hillcrest and a private preview of the new Souplantation Express that is now open and is just minutes from my house. I pretty much ate my way through the week. Then late Thursday, Jason gets an email from a PR agency in LA that represents Nivea For Men, inviting him to a "super exclusive pre-Golden Globe party at a famous jewelers Beverly Hills private estate!"

Being the celeb-u-whore that I am, I *almost* screamed with excitement. ME?! At a PRE-GOLDEN GLOBE PARTY IN BEVERLY HILLS?!

With thoughts of the palatial estates of Lisa and Adrienne of RHOBH, I envisioned this fabulous LA cocktail party. I pictured myself in a fabulous dress and platform Louboutin's casually laughing with someone who turned out to be a high powered executive at Sony pictures who just happened to be looking for a work-from-home social media consultant. And yes, in the fantasy I was 20lbs lighter and had  the after-glow of a vacation in Cabo. 

Alas, what I really am is 100% naive. 

I GREW UP IN LA, I really should have known better. But! In my defense, in the past 10 years I've been to some super amazing corporate parties with some amazing people in attendance. Just ask me about the time I ate fried chicken with Tone Loc and Vanilla Ice at the Rainbow Room on Sunset. Still...

Sigh. I need an iPhone 4 with a flash something FIERCE.

The party was more of a gigantic line. We waited in line to get in, we waited in line for a drink, we waited in line for a few bites of food, then we waited in line for another drink before waiting in line at the valet to leave. The party, which was advertised as "old school Rat Pack Hollywood glamour" with a "cocktail/dress-to-impress" dress code, was full of women that looked they were trying to be porn stars or men that looked like they were trying to be P. Diddy (or is he Ditty Dirty Money now?). I kinda got the feeling this was going to be the case: on the drive up to LA I searched the party's Twitter hash-tag and checked out the profiles of the 4 other people tweeting about it. Think of all those house-party scenes you see on Entourage, then make all the people in attendance about 30% less attractive and 50% less interesting.

But the thing that irked the PR girl in me most is that flat-out misrepresentation of the event from the PR company. The "private estate" turns out to be a house, owned by some jewelry company, that is used strictly as an event rental. The gift bag that the invite claimed to be "worth $200" was a few samples of Nivea for men products. And the best misrepresentation of the night: the announcement of the attendance of James Franco - but I'll let Jason tell you all about that one. 

The whole night I couldn't help but think how out of place I felt. I don't think we exactly looked out of place (quite the opposite, I was actually complimented on my shoes a few times!), but we really felt it. Then again, the entire gathering was enveloped in an awkward feeling. It seemed to be crammed full of people, none of them really wanting to be there, but feeling like they had to be seen there JUST IN CASE someone else was there. Maybe it's the LA thing? Or maybe it was just a horribly executed event. But what I do know: our little VIP party for the opening of Sprinkles in La Jolla last week was about 50 times cooler. 

Delicious Dish

Jason and I are self proclaimed "foodie wanna-bes". We love food. We love to eat and we love to go out and enjoy a good meal. I guess the wanna-be part is due to the fact that we are not snobby about it as I think "foodies" are. Sometimes we are just as happy with a $5 burrito from Roberto's as we are with a $100 meal from a "top restaurant". 

Each week we watch Top Chef or Top Chef masters in awe of what's going down in those kitchens. Amazed by the transformation that food can take under the right hands. And each week when they list the restaurants and locations in Southern California we think "Why haven't we been there?!"

I grew up in LA and my parents still live there. While family togetherness is nice, let's be honest, my parents just want to see the kids. And do things like feed them cookies before dinner and let them stay up until 10 watching TV. While I may curse this the next morning when my over tired, oversugarded kidlet is throwing his/her fifth tantrum of the morning, it's a special bond that my parents have created with my kids..and one that we appreciate greatly. It also allows Jason and I to have a very valuable "free night out". See? A win-win situation for everyone involved. This past weekend we were up in LALALand to see an old friend and Jason and I decided that one-by-one, we are going to hit all of the Top Chef Master's restaurants. First on the list was Mark Peele - and we had two choices Capanile or his new place, the Tar Pit Bar.

I think the Tar Pit Bar won out mainly for the animal characters on it's menu.

I kid. Actually the term "supper club" and "bar cum restaurant" was the interest peaking points for us. And it was a delicious choice. The Art-Deco inspired atmosphere was perfectly put together and the signiture cocktail list was interesting and mouth-watering at the same time. I opted for a champagne cocktail and seriously may have squealed out loud when it was delivered to the table in a vintage saucer glass. 

I'm a tapas kinda girl - and when socially acceptable always choose multiple apps over a main course, which is encouraged at this eatery. Everything I read talked about the duck sliders, which were nothing like I imagined them to be. They were actually sweet and melted in your mouth. I could have had 3 orders of them to myself. We also shared steak tartare and fried artichoke that were equally amazing. As a "main course" Jason ordered the streak and kidney pie and I ordered the Lobster bisque.. oh, and an order of that huge plate of French Fries that kept passing our table. Every item was delicious, unique and flavorful in it's own way.

We felt as if we ate like kings and were actually surprised at the bill in the end - mentally thinking it was going to be a good $30 more than it was. For the past two days all I can think about are those duck sliders... and how I want to yell "GIT IN MA BELLY" to them as I caress them ever so gently.

I guess we need to go back soon.