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The destination was Su Casa, a boutique hotel right on the board walk in Venice Beach.
After winding down a few side streets and backing out of the wrong parking lot, I decided to call my connection at the hotel. “Hello can I
speak with Rafi?” “He’s not in right now. Can I help you?” came the reply. “Yes, this is The New York Optimist. I am here to review your
hotel but I can’t seem to find it.”
After winding down a few side streets and backing out of the wrong parking lot, I decided to call my connection at the hotel. “Hello can I
speak with Rafi?” “He’s not in right now. Can I help you?” came the reply. “Yes, this is The New York Optimist. I am here to review your
hotel but I can’t seem to find it.”
“Not a problem”, he assured us, “in a few minutes just look toward the end of the parking lot and I will be standing on the corner”. I got
out of the car to meet Sammy, a very cool and laid back artsy-looking Latin man in horn rimmed glasses. With a squint he said, “I am
sorry but I was not informed of your arrival.” A mild pang of anxiety overcame me which Sammy noticed and said, “not to worry we will
straighten everything out and take care of you”. We walked over to the next tiny street and down the narrow sidewalk to Su Casa. The
smell of the ocean lingered in the air and a few people passed by on the boardwalk.
Feeling awkward, I stood in the lobby as Sammy tried to rectify the situation. (As it turned out, our secretary had forgotten to make a
final confirmation and had also forgotten to write down the confirmation code for our room, which is why Sammy was a little confused).
He came from behind the desk and said he had a room available but needed twenty minutes to prepare it. I asked if there was a place to
have a cocktail and wind down from the six hour flight and he directed us to a bar a block down the boardwalk from the hotel which
was famous for up-and-coming music talent. We soon found out that the The Doors played some of their first gigs here. This picked me
up a bit as I am a huge Doors Fan.
out of the car to meet Sammy, a very cool and laid back artsy-looking Latin man in horn rimmed glasses. With a squint he said, “I am
sorry but I was not informed of your arrival.” A mild pang of anxiety overcame me which Sammy noticed and said, “not to worry we will
straighten everything out and take care of you”. We walked over to the next tiny street and down the narrow sidewalk to Su Casa. The
smell of the ocean lingered in the air and a few people passed by on the boardwalk.
Feeling awkward, I stood in the lobby as Sammy tried to rectify the situation. (As it turned out, our secretary had forgotten to make a
final confirmation and had also forgotten to write down the confirmation code for our room, which is why Sammy was a little confused).
He came from behind the desk and said he had a room available but needed twenty minutes to prepare it. I asked if there was a place to
have a cocktail and wind down from the six hour flight and he directed us to a bar a block down the boardwalk from the hotel which
was famous for up-and-coming music talent. We soon found out that the The Doors played some of their first gigs here. This picked me
up a bit as I am a huge Doors Fan.
The bar looked like something out of a go-go surf movie that Frankie Valli and Annette Funicello might have starred in except it wasn’
t as clean and commercial like the surf shack bars that were mainly created on sets. We sat in the outside seating area surrounded by
motley mix of hippies, drag queens and what seemed to be a few male models or actors while we sipped our vodka sodas. Before I knew
it Sammy was waving to us to come back ,alerting us that our room was ready for occupancy.
t as clean and commercial like the surf shack bars that were mainly created on sets. We sat in the outside seating area surrounded by
motley mix of hippies, drag queens and what seemed to be a few male models or actors while we sipped our vodka sodas. Before I knew
it Sammy was waving to us to come back ,alerting us that our room was ready for occupancy.
I started to climb the stairs to the second floor of Su Casa as a beautiful French lady was coming down at the same time. She told
Sammy that she wanted to order something in a heavy accent then disappeared. The room was small but well-designed. The queen
size bed was dressed in white with a number of big overstuffed pillows; a black and white photo of a surfboard hung above the bed.
A smile came over my face as I inspected the rest of the room. There was a custom style kitchenette with stainless steel accents and
the bathroom had an enclosed shower. The water pressure was strong. (This one of the first things I like to check for when staying
any place abroad). In the morning, we came downstairs to find Rafi at the desk. He apologized for the confusion with the room and
then went on to tell us about Su Casa and the long list of things to do and see. After checking out a few of the other rooms which
were all cleverly designed and arranged with beautiful views of the beach, lunch time approached
Sammy that she wanted to order something in a heavy accent then disappeared. The room was small but well-designed. The queen
size bed was dressed in white with a number of big overstuffed pillows; a black and white photo of a surfboard hung above the bed.
A smile came over my face as I inspected the rest of the room. There was a custom style kitchenette with stainless steel accents and
the bathroom had an enclosed shower. The water pressure was strong. (This one of the first things I like to check for when staying
any place abroad). In the morning, we came downstairs to find Rafi at the desk. He apologized for the confusion with the room and
then went on to tell us about Su Casa and the long list of things to do and see. After checking out a few of the other rooms which
were all cleverly designed and arranged with beautiful views of the beach, lunch time approached
| Su Casa Venice Beach 431 Ocean Front Walk. Venice Beach, CA 90291 Phone: 310-452-9700 |
