#341 - Magic Castle Hotel in Hollywood

Kitschy Signs

We stayed at a Hollywood hotel, with a sign that looked like it was from 1960s Disneyland. 

Before we headed up the drive we passed a green & gold sign. This sign & lion combo, remind me a bit of 1960s Las Vegas. 

Magic Castle

The whole entrance off of Franklin Avenue, just amused me! There were signs & lions on both sides. Go left and the drive led to the hotel.  

Go right and the drive heads up to the Magic Castle... which we did later.

Our Bright Yellow Hotel

Our hotel wasn't quite as grand as the castle, but it was bright and welcoming.

This happy midcentury beauty was originally built as apartments. In 1950 it had nothing to do with the "mansion" next door, which later became The Magic Castle Club. Today the 2 are affiliated, but with different owners.

​Magic Castle?
​
The Magic Castle Club was the whole reason we were staying at the Magic Castle Hotel!

The exclusive club, sits halfway up the hill, looking a little like something you might see at 1970s Disney World! (I love dates and Disney comparisons!)

Over a Century Old
​
But the castle is much older than the 1970s.

The mansion on the hill, was built as a private residence, back in 1909. It didn't become an exclusive club until 1963. It's still owned by the Academy of Magical Arts, a group of magicians and fans of magic.

A Sunny Tuesday in October

Don and I arrived before 1:00 on a pretty afternoon. More lions greeted us at the fountain.

Don waited in the car and I zipped up the stairs to inquire about early check in.

Lobby

There was no Hollywood Glam to be seen, but moments after I stepped inside the quiet lobby, I was enjoying the hotel's welcoming, playful vibe.

Gina greeted me at a widow, near the courtyard door. She couldn't have been more welcoming. I told her that we learned about the hotel (and its connection to Magic Castle) from a news piece on CBS Sunday Morning. She laughed. We weren't the only ones who called for reservations on the day the show aired.

Champagne at 1!

Gina said our room was ready and we could park in the garage below the building. (a fee, but worth it) I ran out to grab Don because Andrea suddenly popped out with a tray holding 2 glasses of champagne.

Was that a regular thing? Or was it because I had mentioned we were spending a couple days in Hollywood celebrating our 45th anniversary? Not sure, but it was a fun welcoming!

It was just plain fun to sip our champagne (next to our pile of bags) and gab with Gina and Andrea about how excited we were to stay at the Magic Castle Hotel.

Perks

We made reservations a few months before, after learning that hotel guests are able to acquire vouchers for an evening at the (Members Only!) Magic Castle. We paid extra to get a package deal, that covered our room, gave us vouchers for the Magic Castle Club, plus a $200. dinner gift card.

There were so many fun perks that came with our stay at the happy yellow hotel. One was free snacks! Next to the lobby window, there was a list of all the goodies available. The staff insisted we not be shy about asking for treats whenever we wanted! It's all part of the fun! The fun that the staff sincerely seems to encourage!

A Yellow Ship

Oh what I would have given to have stayed here as a kid! The hotel seemed to be built around the swimming pool. 

Terraced stairs led up to the rooms, which formed a ring around the central courtyard and pool. It felt like a big ship, with all the fun in the middle!

Family Friendly
​
Most of the 43 rooms are apartment-sized and have full kitchens and pullout sofas. So the place attracts a lot of families.

The above photo was taken during a rare moment, when the pool was empty. The pool is heated year round and open (I believe) 24/7. The guests seemed as pleasant as the staff, so it was pleasantly entertaining watching families (many with Australian accents) enjoying the pool! 

Tropical Retro

The levels and stairs were a bit confusing. And also hard to navigate with a lot of luggage. (Staff was more than happy to help) I loved the retro design of the place.

I got a little lost looking for our room, #108. It was not on the first floor, but up a level and around to the back. When I made a wrong turn, I discovered a complimentary laundry room for guests.

The rooms with balconies and pool views would have been fun, but we'd paid an extra chunk, for our evening at the Magic Castle. We booked a lower cost room.

Room 108

No pool view, but we got a lot of space for our buck! We had numerous windows in our 1-bedroom apartment. None of the windows had decent views, so we kept shades mostly closed. 

We hardly needed the kitchen, but we had a decent one. The fridge had a lock, which was odd. It's a family hotel and there were beverages inside, unsuitable for the kiddies.

There was a cute stove/oven and a tea kettle...

... a toaster and microwave!

There was a large separate bedroom with a king bed. 

We should have brought more family! There was lots of floor space for sleeping bags and a sofa bed in the other room! 

Getting Ready

I appreciated the non-1950s bathroom. And I was happy to have a real tub. 

We had Magic Castle robes! Very handy when you need to start your beautification, for an evening at Magic Castle.

Mirror Photo

The mirrored sliding doors to the closet, gave us an opportunity for a photo shoot, before heading to the Magic Castle.

And why is Don wearing a hideous wig and feather tie? What's with my boa and cigarette holder?

Costumes in October

Formal dress is always required for members and guests, visiting the Magic Castle. Except for a couple of weeks every October, when costumes are encouraged.

Gina took our photo in the lobby before we headed over to The Club. Not all hotel guests take advantage of the opportunity to visit Magic Castle. But many do and the staff had fun with those guests who were headed that way. They even offered to drive us, but we opted to walk.

Photo Stop

We walked down the drive and paused to ham it up in front of the sign.

Don and I didn't exactly go all out with costumes. We were a little nervous, not knowing how many guests really dressed up for Halloween. We played it safe with a wig and feather boa, which could be stashed into my bag if we changed our minds.
​
Waiting

The Castle opened at 5, but we arrived about a half hour later. We'd made reservations months before and had chosen an 8:00 dinner seating, so no worries. But there was a line, that was a bit surprising. And slow moving.

We stood in line nearly an hour before getting in. I'm still not sure why. We seemed to be standing with a lot of people who had chosen formal dress over costumes. They also seemed to be "guests" like us. They weren't being ushered to the front of the line, like arriving members. These guests were not all from our hotel? I wanted to ask how they all got invites. I hear it's tricky.

Celebs
​
I saw a few people glancing at Don's attractive wig, trying to determine whether he was in costume or not. Who wouldn't want to wear that thing daily? 

People watching became entertaining, when more costumed guests began to arrive. As we got closer to the entrance it was fun watching fancy cars pull up. Club members were ushered to the door, quickly. I didn't exactly recognize any famous people, but back in the day there was some well known members of the Academy. Johnny Carson, Cary Grant and Steve Martin...  The process was odd and slow, but we eventually got inside.

Magic Castle Evening

There are very strict No Photo rules, inside. Phone cameras had to be put away as soon as you left the tiny lobby. 

Once inside, we said "Open Sesame" to an owl, wearing a pirate hat. The door opened to the club and its complicated multi-leveled maze of rooms and passages. A grand night of dining and drinking, while we observed talented magicians, performing in cozy parlors and watching some incredible acts in an intimate theatre. 

Night at the Hotel
​
After many hours of magical entertainment, we headed back to our little hotel next door! 

At 11 pm, we spotted one family happily (and quietly) playing in the pool.

Morning

I stepped out of the room around 7 the next morning.

I headed down the steps and got to see the pool without any guests.

The little movie screen glowed above the patio area. Cartoons!

Breakfast in the Lobby

The lobby had a nice set up, with real dishes and silverware.

I grabbed some yogurt and packaged pastries, while I checked out the old photos on the wall.

There were some vintage photos from the Hollywood area. I wish they'd had a few showing the hotel, back in its apartment days.

Coffee and Movie

I liked the coffee options! And I appreciated the large plastic trays that helped me carry the food and drink back to the room.

I was tempted for a moment to text Don to join me on the patio. All the tables were vacant and there and a movie with a train was playing! That could have been a fun start to our day.

But I took our tiny breakfast upstairs.

I promise we didn't eat M&Ms or Snickers, with our light breakfast!

On the Patio

After a while we headed down for more coffee and enjoyed the friendly atmosphere. There kids playing board games as they ate their cereal.

We spotted a man in a vest and tie, entertaining a family with magic tricks.

Alfonso

​We were pretty excited when Alfonso came to our table and did a few card and coin tricks! He was good! An Australian family joined our table for a bit and Alfonzo really surprised the kids when some Australian coins appeared.

I told Alfonso how much fun it was to watch the kids' faces when he performed. He said the kids are the best. "They're so genuinely surprised!"

Hanging Out

We had about an hour before we needed to hit the road. 

We didn't have time to work on the popsicle puzzle. Popsicles are a big thing at Magic Castle Hotel!

More Sweets!

I made sure to indulge in every freebie I could find. Help yourself to the soda machine!

I grabbed a cone and had some fun with some swirly ice cream!

I didn't just pose with the cone. I ate the whole thing.

Hotline Time!

This is what I was most excited about!

24-Hour Popsicle Hotline! Right next to the pool.

​They answered right away and I made sure to sound very needy. "Hello! I am in need of a popsicle right away please!" 

Look hard and you can see my server is wearing white gloves (and jeans) and he has an assortment of flavor options on a little silver tray! The man behind me didn't seem to need a popsicle that morning! Actually a frozen treat might have put him in a better mood.

Pack Up

I hated to leave this fun, playful place. But we needed to head off to Joshua Tree National Park. We packed up.

Don's suitcase was a little lighter. He left his wig behind for the housekeeper's amusement. (I turned the light off, to avoid wig fires!)

What's Notable?

Our hotel stay was more enjoyable than we expected! We'd book a room basically to give us the privilege of getting guest passes to the Magic Castle.

We did enjoy the evening of magic, just a short walk from the hotel. But our little yellow oasis will almost be more memorable. The staff and the set up (with all the funny gimmicks) created an atmosphere that was laid back and comfy and homey and playful. I would love to come back with our kids and grandkids someday!
​