TIMED TRAVEL

People often ask me how I get to jet set so often? My answer to them is always the same...I plan most of my trips during "Shoulder Season" (jet setting between peak and off seasons). The weather is good, the crowds are much smaller and the prices are at least 30% lower! Here's some Jet Set Smart travel ideas for Shoulder Season.

DESTINATION BEST TIMES
CANCUN- MAY, AUGUST, NOVEMBERCARIBBEAN- JANUARY, FEBRUARYHONOLULU- SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBERLAS VEGAS- JANUARY, OCTOBER, NOVEMBERLONDON- MARCH, APRIL, SEPTEMBERLOS ANGELES- MARCH, APRIL, SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBERMIAMI- JANUARY, JULY, AUGUSTNEW YORK- SEPTEMBER, OCTOBERORLANDO- MAY TO AUGUSTPARIS- MARCH, APRIL, AUGUST TO OCTOBERSAN FRANCISCO- MARCH, APRIL, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBERSEATTLE- MARCH, ARPIL, NOVEMBERWASHINGTON, D.C.- JANUARY, MARCH, APRIL, SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER

L.A.'S HYATT REGENCY CENTURY PLAZA

Where: Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, California, 90067
Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza is a great place to stay in L.A. If you are a business traveler, then you will fall in love with their Full Service International Business Center, their Hertz Rental Counter, and their Multi-lingual staff for starters. For me and my husband, our stay at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza was for pleasure purposes, and I have to say, it was an excellent choice for us. It's location is perfect- right next to Beverly Hills...so that means we were close to Rodeo Drive, and not far from all of the sights we wanted want to visit when we were in L.A. First Reaction: When you first pull up to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel and walk into the lobby, everything about it is grand (even the address...Avenue of the Stars). The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza is a landmark hotel that first opened its doors back in 1966. Various celebrities, Presidents and foreign dignitaries have stayed here...so it's nice to add yourself to that list too, huh?Room Reaction: After a hard day of work and meetings, or a long day of touring the city, you want a big, plush, comfortable bed to return to...and that's exactly what you'll find here! In fact, the beds at The Hyatt Regency Plaza are referred to as the Hyatt "Grand Beds," and take it from me, they are so grand and relaxing that you will find them hard to get out of. The room decor is stylishly contemporary, yet traditional. Some of the perks in the room that I loved were the iHome alarm clock and 32" LCD flat screen HD t.v. Our room had two private balconies where I got to soak in the beautiful views of L.A. The marble bathroom had over sized bath towels (AMAZING), and deluxe Portico toilet tries.

Business, Business, Business: If you are a business traveler, some of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza's services will quickly become your favorite guilty pleasures. There's 24-hour-in-room service, laundry/dry cleaning, Fast Board (pre-flight check-in), Express Check In/Check Out Kiosks, Currency Exchange, and complimentary wi-fi in all public areas of the hotel. One of the best services they offer is an International Business Center which has faxing, color copying, shipping services, computers with high-speed internet, graphics services, scanners and full service printing.Jet Set Pets: If your pet likes to jet set as well, bring him or her along. The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza has something called the "4Paws" pet friendly program which caters to dogs and cats. They have everything from gourmet treats to toys and beds. Dog sitting and and walking can also be arranged. Your pampered pet will not want to leave this luxury service behind.Pool Reaction: Just re-done last year, the pool area at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza has been transformed into a "backyard oasis." There is a beautiful infinity pool, lined by lounge chairs and cabanas. The look makes you feel like you are in an uber-chic trendy hotel.Right next to the pool is an Equinox Fitness Club with everything you could imagine from work-out equipment to fun classes. There's also a Spa at this Equinox that offers every kind of beauty treatment you would desire. If you are staying at the hotel, the cost to get in is $20.Where to Dine: Breeze is the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza's signature restaurant. Here you can find eclectic California cuisine and a great sushi bar. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.The Lobby Court & Patio are very Hollywood-esque. This is a fun place to go and chill out after your day. This outside area has comfy couches and a nice fireplace. You can also enjoy cocktails and appetizers out here.
Finally, the X bar is an indoor/outdoor California lounge. There's a DJ here on Saturday nights, and this is a great place to grab a drink and enjoy some of L.A.'s nightlife.

Bottom Line: Would we return to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel? Yes, without a doubt, because it offers a good location, great amenities and excellent service. Plus, if it was good enough for President Ronald Reagan and others, then its good enough for me too! Rates start from $259 a night.

RH

If it's not fresh, seasonal, and local, don't expect to find it on your plate at RH restaurant. RH, located in L.A.'s Andaz West Hollywood Hotel gets its abbreviated name from the term "Riot House" (the hotel's nickname from back in the '70s when memorable parties were thrown there by legendary rock stars). But, in my opinion, the letters RH could also stand for "Real Healthy" because everything you eat is centered around the market to table philosophy. Each day Executive Chef Sebastien Archambault goes out to the market and meets with farmers and fisherman, chooses the best of the best and brings it back to the kitchen where he and his culinary team create masterpieces. The food is Southwestern French with a California twist (fitting, since Archambault is California born and French-trained). He also worked under French luminary Alain Ducasse and received a Michelin-Award for a restaurant he ran in Spain.The kitchen is exhibition-style so you can watch your meal being prepared. In fact, everything at RH is on display - including the fresh seasonal ingredients inside of the glass enclosed refrigerators beyond the kitchen.The restaurant is a wide open space with a bar and views of busy Sunset Boulevard. The decor of RH is clean and sleek with two long marble communal tables as you enter the restaurant, and smaller wood tables once inside. You also can't help but notice their fabulous wine collection on display in their see-thru cellar which lines you on either side of the restaurant. Speaking of the wine, their wine list features mostly California wines with a few from France (and, for a restaurant of this caliber, very reasonably priced).We ordered a bottle of their Stewart 2006 Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley area of California. It was both fruity and spicy and medium bodied...just perfect for what we were about to eat. The cost- $60 (and that was slightly more expensive than other bottles on the menu).Now to the incredible food...following RH's market to table philosophy, your meal begins with a plate of fresh vegetables. This includes tri-color carrots, purple cauliflower, radishes and cherry tomatoes (produce you don't often see in New York). The crudite is served with a sweet, yet tangy, yogurt dip with fresh mint.I ordered the Perigord Tourrain soup (traditional chicken veloute with garlic and egg whites)which came highly recommended by the staff. It reminded me of traditional egg drop soup, but was much richer and creamier. The soup is topped with small crostinis which give it a nice crunchy bite.My husband, Rich, started with the Perigourdine poached egg with field mushrooms, foie gras and black truffle appetizer - a brilliant combination of simple and exotic flavors that is impossible to describe and utterly amazing.For my entree, I tried the 12-hour cooked boneless suckling pig with artichokes and rosemary jus. Because the meat is cooked for so long and at a low temperature, it was nice and tender and it felt like it was melting in my mouth. The rosemary gave it a nice earthy flavor, not at all overpowering the dish, and the artichokes added the right amount of texture to the dish. The sliced pears on the side were the perfect sweet accompaniment to go along with every bite you take of the pork. This dish was superb!Rich ordered the homemade crispy hudson valley duck leg confit with sauteed potatoes, green onion, garlic and parsley. Another winner, this dish was perfectly cooked and balanced.Chef Archambault surprised us with his Cassoulet with duck confit. Everyone had talked about this dish when we were trying to decide what to order, and boy we were glad we got to try it. It's a traditional dish from Southern France described to us as something "your grandma would have made for you" (if you were lucky enough to grow up in the South of France). It has beans, sausage, bacon and duck confit and is topped with bread crumbs to give it a nice crunchy top. This is comfort food at its best!Warm, friendly, informative, service- in an elegant, yet relaxed way- rounded out a divine dining experience. Everything was amazing!

L.A.'S ANDAZ WEST HOLLYWOOD IS ALL ABOUT "ANDAZ"

Where: Andaz West Hollywood Hotel, 8401 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069

Choosing L.A. as a jet-set destination was easy - finding the perfect hotel was not. Of course, the perfect hotel should be a place you look forward to going back to at the end of a long day of shopping, dining, sight-seeing (or whatever else you spent the day doing) – offering a big, comfortable bed lined with crisp, clean sheets of a ridiculously high thread count and lots of plush pillows. But the perfect hotel should also be a place you would be totally content never leaving.

Enter Andaz West Hollywood - conveniently located on the hip Sunset Strip in the heart of West Hollywood for the jet-set crowd. Andaz, an uber-trendy, yet chill hotel invites you to experience it rather than just visit. In keeping with that philosophy, when you stay at Andaz West Hollywood, you are encouraged to explore and share the local culture while enjoying the Andaz service which caters to your individual needs. In fact, the word "Andaz" means "personal style" in Hindi, and that's exactly what you get - from the minute you arrive right up until the second you (sadly) leave. Naturally, there was a lot of hype last year about the opening of Andaz West Hollywood. The hotel - the first high-rise hotel on the Sunset Strip – originally opened in the 1960's as Gene Autrey’s Hotel Continental and was taken over by Hyatt in the 70's. It quickly became a hot-spot for rock stars (including certain members of Led Zeppelin, The Who and the Rolling Stones) and was often referred to as “The Riot House” or “Riot Hyatt” on account of the wild events that often transpired there. After undergoing a complete renovation, the hotel re-opened as Andaz West Hollywood in January 2009. The first thing you’ll notice when you check-in to Andaz West Hollywood is that you don’t actually “check-in”. Instead, you are warmly greeted by your Andaz Host (who is also your bell attendant and concierge) who offers you a complimentary glass of wine while you take your seat on an over-sized leather couch in the “lobby” (which more closely resembles the stylish apartment one of your hip jet-set friends might own). Just a few minutes later, you are checked-in right from the couch on your Host’s laptop!Once you have finished your glass of wine, your Host (with your luggage in tow) will show you to your room, pointing out all the details of your contemporary new digs and providing recommendations for the best insider places to eat, drink, shop and otherwise indulge yourself. Your Host will let you know that all snacks and non-alcoholic beverages in the room are complimentary – a pretty amazing deal. You’ll also may be happy to hear that your room is equipped with free wi-fi.Besides all of these great perks, the second you enter your room you will immediately notice the clean, modern design element, and the spectacular views of either the Hollywood Hills on one side (standard rooms) or the Sunset Strip and downtown L.A. on the other side (available for a $50 upgrade). We were lucky enough to get a room on a high floor facing the Sunset Strip and downtown L.A. If you can, request the same when you visit and you will not be disappointed. While the view at night is pretty incredible, the day-time view is amazing too – it almost feels as though you are floating in the clouds as the world passes you by down below.And speaking of floating, you must (at least for a short while) leave your room and head to Andaz West Holyywood's swimming pool- the highest roof-top pool in L.A. There are lounge chairs where you can soak up that good California sunshine, or covered cabanas so you can escape it and enjoy lunch. The best part of the pool area is the views of the Hollywood Hills. This is why you jet set to L.A. folks!Of course, if you feel the need to burn off calories and work towards having a celebrity body while in the land of celebs, Andaz West Hollywood has a great gym with all of the amenities you need from elliptical machines and treadmills to free weights. And hitting the gym is probably a good idea because you will definitely want to check out RH – the hotel’s amazing restaurant featuring the cuisine of Southwest France with a California twist. Executive Chef Sebastien Archambault (who worked under Alain Ducasse and received a Michelin Award for a restaurant he ran in Spain) creates masterpieces in the kitchen along with his culinary team. RH should not be missed, and I’ll have lots more to say about RH tomorrow, so stay tuned!Bottom Line: Andaz West Hollywood is one of my favorite hotels in L.A. for its style, location, and incredible restaurant. But, what really makes Andaz West Hollywood shine is the hotel staff who finds your "Andaz" (personal style), anticipates your every need and delivers anything and everything your little heart desires!

Rates start at $225 a night. Andaz properties can also be found in London, New York City and San Diego.