I was thinking about a lot of places I could choose as my Secret Tip and in the end, I settled on this one place: the hotel Petit Ermitage. It’s my choice because it’s really a little hidden place. I’ve been asking a lot of locals and nobody knew about the hotel. There are always so many unique, artistic and interesting people there – everybody has a story to tell. It’s so relaxed and the people who work there are also super charming – at the reception there’s this French guy and he’s so chic.
I adore this place so much. It’s in the middle of West Hollywood – it’s in a place where everybody knows everything, but they don’t know the Petit Ermitage. It has a bohemian vibe, authentic, “old chic”, a little like the famous Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard, but here are people who actually don’t want to be seen. It’s more underground. A place where you don’t get asked within the first minute what you do for a living. You just get to know them. It’s not how you usually meet people in LA, where everybody is like, ‘Nice to meet you, so what do you do?’, to see if it’s worth talking to you. There, it’s super natural. Like almost spiritual; a really nice scene where everybody’s just real and kind. It’s quite small, more a boutique hotel. The rooms are a little bit dark, and maybe feel a bit older. But that’s part of the charm. There’s a great art collection on display in the corridors including work by Dalí and Miró, and they have the cosiest rooftop where they have movie and jazz nights; it’s quite special. You cannot actually go up to the rooftop, which is like the place, unless you are a hotel guest, or a guest of a guest. You know, I still love the Chateau [Marmont], but sometimes you get the impression that they treat you depending on how important they think you are. That’s something I don’t like about the entertainment industry – it’s too much like, ‘Oh, are you important? Are you on the VIP list? Oh, but there’s another curtain and you cannot go in there. It’s the VIP area of the VIP area.’ I like when everybody comes together, and people just treat each other the same way. That’s what you get at the Petit Ermitage. And a good breakfast, with everything you need.
Petit Ermitage, 8822 Cynthia St, West Hollywood, CA 90069; petitermitage.com
You can follow Caro Daur on Instagram at @carodaur
Portrait by Joleome Meier
