Anthea Gerrie Enjoys the Charlie Hotel, A Secluded English Village Hideaway In The Heart Of Vibrant West Hollywood
Maybe it was nostalgia for the country he left behind which prompted Charlie Chaplin to recreate an English village in his adopted home in California. Certainly British expats will feel transported back to Blighty during a sojourn at the delightful Charlie Hotel in West Hollywood.
The shingled and half-timbered cottage complex in which 14 beautifully-decorated self-catering apartments are housed was not built by Chaplin but the mother of another big 20th century Hollywood name, Ruth Gordon. It was redeveloped by Chaplin, who sold it on in the 1940s, and after 70 years of neglect underwent considerable renovation to bring it up to 21st century standards without detracting in any way from its original 1924 charm.
Today’s guests include the odd celeb, attracted by lodgings which are totally hidden from the street behind locked gates and equally secluded from each other once inside. While some units share a building with their neighbours, still offering several degrees of separation, there are also completely self-contained cottages with private patios. What distinguishes all apartments is a full kitchen and dining area, making The Charlie a great bet for self-caterers who want to entertain friends and family they’re visiting or simply have an alternative to restaurants.
I could not have had a more delightful home from home than the Charlie Suite – actually a detached two-storey cottage – with its huge living-room, separate dining area and kitchen downstairs, a spacious bedroom with king-size bed on the first floor and between them a mezzanine office on whose antique desk I plugged in my laptop so I could work while travelling, like many a visiting writer before me. The bathroom, with a large walk-in shower and a smaller step-in one, plus a walk-in wardrobe to supplement the plentiful hanging space and shelving units concealed within handsome wardrobe units in the bedroom, was also on a step-down mezzanine.
While the cocktail shaker and blender which might have been on my wish list as a keen cook and mixologist were not part of the kitchen equipment, there were plenty of pans and a gas hob to cook on as well as a pair of built-in ovens. A dishwasher with plenty of tablets included meant it was always possible to have fresh plates, serving dishes and cutlery for up to four people, and linen napkins were also provided, along with a cruet of salt and pepper.
Naturally there are smart TVs throughout and free wi-fi, but the most delightful aspect of the property may be its wealth of gardens. Like a few other units I had a private patio on which I could close a tall gate for complete privacy, but there are communal gardens too with tables and chairs and even the covered parking area has been put to good use with a cleverly-designed deck atop housing a large dining table as well as sofas and secluded conversation and sunning spaces. This is the only designated smoking area – a rare amenity in a city which has banned the cigarette habit pretty well everywhere in spite of legalising cannabis.
One of West Hollywood’s most intriguing attractions is a five-minute walk round the corner – the house built by Austrian expat architect Rudolph Schindler, as different a 1920s building imaginable from the contemporaneous Charlie. While the latter harks back to olde world British cottage style with its beams and leaded windows, the Schindler House was among the first truly modern houses in California, with a wealth of concrete interiors and flexible spaces opening onto garden courtyards which could have been designed yesterday.
The shops, supermarkets and restaurants of lively Santa Monica Boulevard are also within walking distance; Connie and Ted’s seafood emporium, which like the Charlie has made it into the Michelin guide, is dangerously close and liable to tempt even the keenest cook away from the kitchen at least once. There is, of course, a third option – ordering in or taking out to enjoy every kind of American and international cuisine in an expansive private space on one of the most secluded residential streets in a happening neighbourhood. For less than the price of some West Hollywood hotel rooms, The Charlie offers a whole home of your own.
Tell Me More About Visiting The Charlie Hotel
The Charlie Hotel, 819 N. Sweetzer Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90069
T: +1 (323) 988 9000
Apartments from about £230 per night
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