The Patrician Hollywood Universal — Hotel in Pasadena

The pros: |The owner communicated well before we arrived. The house is unusual and interesting— given its location perched high on a very steep hill, it has pretty views. The owner served an elevated continental breakfast.||The cons: |While this is a B&B in an old, antique-filled house, it's more austere than welcoming, more intimidating than inviting. There are house rules you must follow regarding shoes, luggage, parking, and shared spaces inside and out. The parking situation is tricky, as this is a house with a driveway, not a parking lot. If you book the Rose Bowl Hideaway, as we did, you must share a Jack-and-Jill bathroom with another room. Although our room description said "soundproofed" and "sink in room," neither statement is true. It was downstairs, small, uncomfortable, and adjacent to the garage. It had no chair and just one night table! Our "mountain view" also had a driveway view. As for the bathroom situation, it may work for families or friend groups staying together who don't mind sharing. For everyone else, however, this type of shared bathroom creates an extremely awkward situation when the other room is occupied, as was our case. We heard every sound from the other occupant throughout the night. Unfortunately, we were locked out in the morning when he forgot to unlock our side and we had to knock loudly to wake him.||Personal issue:|Over the course of our first night (we had reserved four nights here), I had an asthmatic allergic reaction to our room and/or something in the house and awoke with labored breathing and watery eyes. When we informed the owner that something triggered my allergies so we couldn't stay the next three nights that we had reserved and paid for, he seemed offended and suggested I take a Benadryl. While he was absolutely within his rights not to offer us a refund according to his 30+-day-out cancellation policy, he demonstrated a surprising lack of sympathy. He told us he would try to rebook our room for the last two nights; he was unsuccessful. Because we booked directly through him (something he offered as a way to save us money by not going through a booking service), we forfeited over $700 and had to scramble to find suitable lodging for the next night. As a result, we ended our trip early.||Good to know:|Be sure you know exactly what you're in for before you commit. You are paying for a high-end guest house, but not all rooms are created equal. Read the room descriptions with care. You might see "two bathrooms" listed, as I did, and not realize that this means that one bathroom is up a flight of stairs and the other is the dreaded Jack-and-Jill bathroom. Nowhere does it say, nor did the owner explain to me during our lengthy phone call at the time of booking, that this was the situation or I would never have booked this room. Consider your itinerary and then consult a map to see where this guest house is actually located. If you're not used to driving on narrow, hairpin turns, know that getting to the home is a challenge, and don't go by Google maps, as it will take you to the wrong address (something the owner admitted is a problem). Despite the name, know that it's not convenient to Hollywood...

The pros: |The owner communicated well before we arrived. The house is unusual and interesting— given its location perched high on a very steep hill, it has pretty views. The owner served an elevated continental breakfast.||The cons: |While this is a B&B in an old, antique-filled house, it's more austere than welcoming, more intimidating than inviting. There are house rules you must follow regarding shoes, luggage, parking, and shared spaces inside and out. The parking situation is tricky, as this is a house with a driveway, not a parking lot. If you book the Rose Bowl Hideaway, as we did, you must share a Jack-and-Jill bathroom with another room. Although our room description said "soundproofed" and "sink in room," neither statement is true. It was downstairs, small, uncomfortable, and adjacent to the garage. It had no chair and just one night table! Our "mountain view" also had a driveway view. As for the bathroom situation, it may work for families or friend groups staying together who don't mind sharing. For everyone else, however, this type of shared bathroom creates an extremely awkward situation when the other room is occupied, as was our case. We heard every sound from the other occupant throughout the night. Unfortunately, we were locked out in the morning when he forgot to unlock our side and we had to knock loudly to wake him.||Personal issue:|Over the course of our first night (we had reserved four nights here), I had an asthmatic allergic reaction to our room and/or something in the house and awoke with labored breathing and watery eyes. When we informed the owner that something triggered my allergies so we couldn't stay the next three nights that we had reserved and paid for, he seemed offended and suggested I take a Benadryl. While he was absolutely within his rights not to offer us a refund according to his 30+-day-out cancellation policy, he demonstrated a surprising lack of sympathy. He told us he would try to rebook our room for the last two nights; he was unsuccessful. Because we booked directly through him (something he offered as a way to save us money by not going through a booking service), we forfeited over $700 and had to scramble to find suitable lodging for the next night. As a result, we ended our trip early.||Good to know:|Be sure you know exactly what you're in for before you commit. You are paying for a high-end guest house, but not all rooms are created equal. Read the room descriptions with care. You might see "two bathrooms" listed, as I did, and not realize that this means that one bathroom is up a flight of stairs and the other is the dreaded Jack-and-Jill bathroom. Nowhere does it say, nor did the owner explain to me during our lengthy phone call at the time of booking, that this was the situation or I would never have booked this room. Consider your itinerary and then consult a map to see where this guest house is actually located. If you're not used to driving on narrow, hairpin turns, know that getting to the home is a challenge, and don't go by Google maps, as it will take you to the wrong address (something the owner admitted is a problem). Despite the name, know that it's not convenient to Hollywood...

Our stay at the Patrician B&B in Pasadena was very enjoyable and unlike other accommodations that we both could remember. TJ, the house manager, made our stay absolutely unique. The villa is located at the top of a cozy, quiet Pasadena hill offering beautiful views over the Los Angeles valley. The historic house is beautiful inside as well as its surrounding outdoor spaces. The 3 of us stayed in Pasha’s Paradise, a luxurious and very comfortable room with a large sitting area, spacious bathroom and a second powder room. The interior of the Patrician is beautifully decorated with many Asian artifacts some of which are Thai and reminded us of our several visits to Thailand. The spacious living room with a large fireplace was warm and inviting. The kitchen, which has a large island with seats surrounding it was also comfortable and inviting of casual conversations. The morning weather on the weekend that we stayed was cool and damp so TJ set up our breakfasts in this space.||TJ greeted us when we first arrived at the Patrician and introduced us to his house and its beautiful surroundings. He was very hospitable and helpful and was immediately advising us about what attractions to visit and recommending an excellent Thai restaurant in Pasadena. His recommendations and his estimates of the time to do these things were right on the spot. We came back in the evening just in time for his delicious home-made lemon-drop martinis.  In the evenings we gathered around the big kitchen island, sipped our martinis and got to know TJ and the other guests, some of whom were displaced by the Altadena fire. Jacek’s niece, Monika, who was visiting from Poland, enjoyed her talks with TJ and the other guests and she told us later how her conversations with them impressed her as to how friendly, genuine and kind Americans were.  ||The morning breakfasts were definite treats. TJ gave us freshly brewed coffee, teas, tart cherry juice, yogurt with fresh berries and a variety of granolas to add to the yogurt. And, when the piping hot chocolate croissant came out of the oven and on to our plates, it was heaven! Getting to know TJ and his adventures was easy and enjoyable.  Once again, TJ gave us great ideas to plan our Saturday based off our 2 PM concert at the Ambassador Auditorium. Because of his recommendation, we were able to experience the Huntington Gardens and Museum. Again, his recommendations of what to see and the time to enjoy this world-class gardens were spot-on!||We cannot say enough about the Patrician and TJ’s amazing hospitality. As we said earlier, our stay at the Patrician was so unique and so unlike any other accommodation we have experienced in the past in our almost 30 years of traveling. The Patrician is a true gem and TJ completes this distinctive and special place. We definitely want to return to visit the Patrician again when we visit LA in the future!|| ||January 24-26, 2025||Jacek &...