Staycation’s All I Ever Wanted

A Fun-Filled Weekend at Malibu Beach Inn and in Downtown Santa Monica Does The Trick

Thanks to a weakened economy, weekend getaways have become en vogue. As millions of Americans suddenly find themselves unable to afford (or at least justify parting with their money for) a trip abroad, this has led to a new term: the ‘staycation’; a way of taking a quickie vacation without spending too much. And so, I recently embarked on a staycation of my own, but instead of a jaunt to Santa Barbara or Laguna Beach, this time I stayed straight up Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, book-ending my weekend with the sights and sounds (and even a celebrity sighting) in downtown Santa Monica. My weekend began, in earnest, with a Monster Burrito (chicken, shrimp, veggies) at Tacos Por Favor on Olympic and 14th. A Palisadian, interior designer Christopher Scott, had introduced me this place, which has become my favorite dive Mexican restaurant in lieu of the dearly departed Tortilla Grill on Abbott Kinney Boulevard. It proved a great staycation starter. Like a beached whale, I decided to spend the night flopping on a beach close to the ocean, and so a mere 15-minute drive north of my Pacific Palisades residence led me to the Malibu Beach Inn, a recently transformed hotel-by-the-sea. ‘This is a jewel on the sea,’ says Jill Allison Jennings, the hotel’s manager. ‘It’s very quaint and intimate.’ The story goes that music mogul and DreamWorks SKG chief David Geffen needed a guest house for his nearby Malibu digs. So rather than have one built, the billionaire plucked the weathered, bright-pink hotel that once stood loudly near the Malibu Pier and refurbished it. Geffen’s classy, upscale version opened its doors in 2007. As the sun began to set, I arrived at Malibu Beach Inn. A party on the dining patio was enjoying some boisterous Saturday night revelry. Perhaps it was a birthday they were celebrating, but this dining party was a dining party. The festive atmosphere put me in good spirits as I checked in. I informed the man at the desk”a friendly Frenchman named Arnaud Inbert”that I was on a staycation, and the concierge informed me that my idea was not altogether original. About 60 percent of the clientele are locals. Now, you might ask, What exactly is the novelty of a Palisadian going up to Malibu for the weekend? Well, to be closer to the sea. See, we Palisadians may have an ocean view, but not one resident of Pacific Palisades can say that his or her house is right on the beach. The Inn is perched at the ocean’s doorstep. When I first arrived inside my room (a Queen Ocean Front Room goes for $485.00 a night), I was greeted by a personal, hand-written note welcoming ‘Mr. Aushenker’ to the establishment. On the coffee table were some complimentary items: a bowl of fruit, a bottle of Waiwera sparkling water from New Zealand. Pacific Palisades-based Intemperantia Chocolates (15324 Antioch) provided the pillow truffles. As I soon took in my surroundings”a comfy, well-organized room with a woodsy interior, A-roof, and automatic fireplace”I felt as if I were staying inside a cozy cabin. It took a trip out to the balcony for a reminder that the big blue sea”not Big Bear””loomed outside. From my suite, I could hear the thunder of waves crashing, which just adds to the coziness’or the insomnia if you’re a light sleeper. But I got used to it. (With the balcony door closed, ocean noise is minimized.) One won’t get cabin fever from staying at one of these ‘cabins,’ for they have been designed for people who are as serious about their work as well as play. Some features include a laptop platform that pulls out of the desk, and an LCD flat-screen with a hinge that allows the screen to be positioned flush from the couch, or pulled out at a 90 degree angle so that it faces perpendicularly to allow for some television-watching from bed. Prints of oil paintings added Southern-California flavor to my room’s interior, including one titled ‘Faithful Companions’ (two unoccupied pool chairs), and ‘Learning to Forget’ (a close-up of a pool ladder with a tree looming through the open window in the background). These Hockneyesque people-free images (with echoes of Eric Fischl) were painted by Glenn Ness, a former Californian now residing in Bend, Oregon. ‘As a young painter, I wanted to fulfill a longing to live in California,’ Ness told the Palisadian-Post from Oregon, ‘so in 1991, I moved my family to the Pasadena area and began the journey toward my profession as an oil painter. R. Kenton Nelson helped me get my first gallery showing with The Mendenhall Gallery in Pasadena in 1994, which sold out. The pool series was my first real success as a painter.’ Ness said he clinched the Malibu Beach Inn gig thanks to David Geffen Company CFO Richard Sherman, a collector of Ness’s work from the Mendenhall days. ‘We spent weeks boiling the images down,’ Ness said. ‘[The final batch resulted from] many conversations with Mr. Sherman, hanging out on the beach in front of the Inn, listening to the waves and observing the slow march of light and shadow throughout the afternoon.’ I planted my music device on the alarm clock radio’s iPod bay and pushed the button by the mantle. With the fireplace flickering, a string of Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits”’It Happened in Monterey’ and ‘Under My Skin”’really completed the mood. After Malibu Beach Inn opened its doors, Geffen brought in executive chef Michelle Francis from the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood to create the house menu, and I’m happy to report that the quality of the cuisine matched that of my hotel room. For breakfast, the hotel’s Carbon Beach restaurant offers Brioche French toast or Belgian waffles at $12, and smoked salmon with bagels for $16. Two eggs with pancakes and bacon costs $14 and Irish oatmeal half that. But as I had arrived just before sunset, I had an appetite for dinner. Chef Francis’s steak frites ($32) is a spectacular entree; the meat arrives in strips, covered in sauce au poivre, with a side of fries, pommery mustard and a mayonnaise dip. I also ordered the penne Bolognese, a hearty pasta feast at $22, and I tried tasty morsels of the Loch Duart Scottish Salmon ($33). An appetizer of crab cakes (a meal in itself), goes for $15 and is worth every penny, but the topper was the spicy barbeque shrimp quesadilla ($15), a Mexican starter worthy of Baja. ‘Michelle has made the hotel her home,’ said Jennings. ‘The patrons rave about her food and her new seasonal spring/summer menu is outstanding. Her favorite dishes are anything with seafood.’ But nothing will prepare you for Francis’s delicious, freshly baked deep-dish chocolate cookie, heated up in a skillet. My heart melted with every gooey chip I devoured. I also enjoyed their bread pudding while a neighboring diner gave me a thumbs-up when I asked how her classic sundae tasted. (Chef Francis’s desserts run for $9 while room-service desserts such as the ricotta cheesecake, chocolate caramel tart, and warm apple-raspberry crisp, each $11, are imported from my favorite Brentwood eatery, the restaurant/fromagerie Tavern.) By the way, you can party at the Malibu Inn bar (no relation) across the highway as late as you like because the overnight menu offers baked macaroni and cheese ($9), a grilled cheese sandwich ($7), and the Carbon Beach pizza ($13) from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The next morning, I overslept, waking up just in time to hit the road. After checkout, it was back to the hustle-and-bustle of downtown Santa Monica, where I hit the beloved Bay Cities Italian Deli, home of the Godmother sandwich, for lunch. Downtown is made for walking, and it’s a good thing I did. As I strolled back to my car, parked near Wilshire and 6th, I spotted a musician from one of my all-time favorite groups. Yes, hunched over his Blackberry, waiting for a take-out order outside Real Food Daily, was Mike D of the Beastie Boys. Of all the places to spot the co-author of such classic songs as ‘Fight for Your Right (to Party),’ ‘Brass Monkey,’ and ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn,’ I never would have thought of looking around the safe, health-conscious environs of a Westside vegan restaurant. Guess all boys mature eventually”even a Beastie. My chariot awaited, and as I took Ocean Avenue to Chautauqua toward home, I reflected back on a thoroughly enjoyable, low-key weekend. Nice lodging, great food and a nifty celebrity sighting: Not bad for a vacation so close to the nest. Michael@palipost.com