First, my wife liked the place and she is finicky. The room was newly renovated and clean; no mildew in the shower. As opposed to most other places we have stayed in, there were outlets all over the place; no problem charging everything and still being able to leave the TV and fridge plugged in.
The reasonable price, some good objective reviews and a googled 2.4 miles from LAX is what got us there. We arrived on a Monday at noon from our winter home 143 miles away in Joshua Tree choosing to stay the night here rather than making a 2 AM rush to the airport in the morning.
The approach to the place was disconcerting due to the less then ascetic neighborhood. The marquee does not say “Los Angeles Adventurer”; it says “Tradewinds Adventurer” so we missed it on the first go-around even though our GPS said “You have arrived!”. The marquee is a classic; something of Flash Gordon 50’s flashback which I would not change; it suggests an off-beat character that sets it apart from the run-of-the-mill chains nearby.
When we pulled in, there was a convention of young people from Detroit arriving at the same time in vans and cars, so there was no place to park. I parked on a red curb, went inside and told the clerk we were parked illegally. She immediately gave me a card that got us through the tall locked gate around the corner to the right of the building.
That gate provided an unexpected transition from the LA highway hubbub to another quieter place of cottages, lawns and a tropical jungle of enormous old trees and floral vegetation. We parked in a lot between the obligatory long stucco buildings. One of those roofs was lined with solar panels, a definite plus, and the lot had a surprising number of high end cars, like their owners knew something about the place. The tall iron fence surrounding the property pretty much neutralized any concerns.
We carried our bags along a short path between the trees that opened to a large sunny swimming area and an adjacent covered patio of gardens and tables draped in red cloth with cushioned bamboo chairs around them. A raw bar wrapped a corner of old polished wood, brass and glass. A pool table sat ready for a leisurely game. A bank of computers in cubicles were set against a distant wall beyond the other end of the pool.
Though we had reserved a room through Expedia.com ($65 plus tax) I asked for a quiet room away from the lobby. She reassigned us to suite 237 at the far west end of the place, about as far away as you can get. However we never heard or saw the Detroit crowd again; the place was quiet and relaxing for the rest of the day and night. One of the rooms in our suite was on the Century Blvd side. Closing the door between eliminated the muffled noise of traffic. The entry door and large picture window looked over a sunlit wrought iron stairway, well lighted at night, surrounded by more tropical vegetation reaching high into the sky in the long narrow space between the buildings. Decelerating passenger jets passed overhead as they approached LAX but well to the south so that they were not heard as we slept that night.
We enjoyed a pleasant meal at their in-house but out of the way Fair Seas Restaurant. It began with a complimentary hot fluffy and tasty loaf of bread. The chef visited with the diners to ask how we liked our meals. Eileen’s fish dinner was nothing to brag about, but then a New Englander really should not expect much in LA. My garnished meat loaf was very good and the meals were arranged nicely. The attractive colorful and well designed atmosphere was inviting and relaxing. Our waitress earned a good tip.
Eileen spent the evening reading and watching TV. I spent it on the gardened patio downloading email into my wireless notebook and working on my journal. Then to a comfortable bed.
Our 5 AM drive to the airport was casual and uneventful, the reason we had stayed the night to begin with.
I have been keeping a journal on my website since long before blogs became the thing. I was adding this experience (5 months late) when I ran a search to get the address of the place and to confirm some details. In the process I discovered a few bad reviews that were so far out of our own experience that I decided to add my 2 cents. Those were some good hard working and receptive people I encountered there; they deserve a thanks.