Home of Ciel Spa, Bar Centro, Rojo y Blanca, Moss gift shop, and a haul of high-brow decor concepts, the SLS hotel is impossible to pry from its eclectic furnishings. Plotted with the precision of an arms race (this is SBE) and the tour de force of a municipal treasure (think museum, sports team), we love a run through this hotel, drinking the ambience in stiff nitrogen-frozen caipirinhas.
Come for afternoon tea (3pm-5pm daily), a mid-week massage at Ciel Spa ($115) or Sunday pool parties at Altitude.
AUGUST 2011 UPDATE:
Altitude: At first blush, it’s the narrow, restricted deck at the Donovan. But turn the corner and the square plunge pool opens to a second, shallow wading pool. Lounge chairs line the perimeter, with a towel already placed for sunbathing and a second ready to handle your dip in the pool.
We ordered a frozen lemonade (with a sneak of vodka, of course) and a pastrami sandwich from the José Andrés Trés menu. Service was luxuriously attentive without hovering, and we passed an hour and a half closing the book we began at the W Hollywood.
The SLS Hotel Lobby and Trés Dining Room:
The Welcoming Elevator Art (perhaps that’s you on the left?):
The Entrance to Altitude, the Rooftop Pool and Lounge at the SLS Hotel:
The Cabana and Dining Situation at Altitude:
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