Tag: Travel History

Big Sur

The Price of Perfection on the California Coast

You don’t get a piece of land as spectacular as Big Sur without a lot of providence. And you don’t get to keep it that way without a lot of protection. Big Sur is a success story in many ways, but not without cost.

On Holiday

Holiday magazine reached its zenith during the Golden Age of travel and publishing. But like everything born out of nostalgia, the “golden age” wasn’t quite as golden as it seemed.

Chain Reaction

Thorngrove Manor Rebels Against Replication

When it opened in 1984, Thorngrove Manor was a response to the bland and banal chain hotels of the day. As boutique hotels in 2020 march further into the mainstream, the mission is much the same for this eccentric castle in South Australia.

Bande à Part

Les Bains Is Not Like Other Hotels

Les Bains Paris stands apart from the crowd. It was once a spa, and then a nightclub, before becoming the luxury boutique hotel it is today. Through its many iterations, one thing has always remained consistent: dazzling success.

Pioneertown

New Life for a Piece of Old Hollywood

Pioneertown was built in the 1940s as a backdrop for Hollywood Westerns, with the idea that it would eventually become something much grander. Cameras stopped rolling decades ago, but the greater goal is finally being realized.

L.A. Confidential

The History of Secrecy at Chateau Marmont

Shawn Levy literally wrote the book on the Chateau Marmont. The author checks in with Tablet to explain how the legendary hotel became a haven for celebrity mischief almost immediately after opening its doors.