A fabulous stay at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village a few years ago meant a return visit was long overdue. And there’s no better time of the year to book in to the family-friendly hotel than during the first three weekends of December for their “Let It Snow” holiday event.
A Festive Check-in
The key for San Diegans maneuvering around school schedules is to leave for the Los Angeles area after traffic on Friday evening and to return home Sunday morning or evening around traffic as well. Smooth sailing makes all the difference in the world as does check-in via the new Four Seasons app.
We’d been so busy that aside from homes in our neighborhood decorated with lights, it was the first time this season I felt the Christmas spirit. I hadn’t even put up our tree at home yet.
In true Four Seasons style, the decorations throughout the hotel were beautiful. It’s the perfect time of year to book into luxury hotels known for fantastic displays.
With keys in-hand, we opened the room door to Kristoff (the moose from Frozen) waiting for us on my daughter’s bed alongside kid-sized robe and slippers.
We could see the skating rink lit up with multicolored snowflakes from our window in addition to the beautiful pond with waterfalls. The rooms here are generously-sized with pretty much everything one might need for a weekend escape with amenities like in-room coffee, plenty of storage, L’Occitane bath amenities and a gigantic television.
Holiday Character Breakfast
My daughter and I share a love of luxury hotel breakfasts. But in all my years of travel, I’ve never witnessed minions bounce out of a Four Seasons elevator.
Funnily enough, it also took her a few minutes to register what was happening. She loves the Minions. Elves as well as characters from the movie Frozen followed suit, making sure to pass by each table for photos and conversation (yes, the Minions actually spoke like Minions).
The Farmer’s Market Breakfast of beautifully-presented pastries, fruits, cold and hot dishes as well as an omelette station features local produce and organic dairy from nearby farms. This fantastic display happens every Saturday and Sunday morning but was jazzed up with characters, goodie bags for kids and more for the holidays. Some kids even came dressed in their pajamas and Four Seasons robes.
Properly fueled up, we set off on a few adventures that I’ll tell you more about in upcoming posts. When in the area with kids, I recommend spending a few hours at the nearby Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for its historical and interactive displays as well as the ability to walk through his Air Force One plane. Be sure to also book into the hotel spa—this was my second visit—as it’s one of the prettiest and most extensive I’ve experienced. Stay longer and enjoy Malibu or even the nearby Camarillo outlets. You can check my Parents’ Insider Guide to Westlake Village on Four Seasons Magazine for more ideas.
“Let It Snow” Begins
The late-afternoon cheese plate and wine flight we ordered in the hotel’s new Tasting Room proved totally unnecessary (depending on how you look at it) as “Let It Snow” offered plenty to drink and nosh on.
A benefit of staying overnight on the evening of “Let It Snow” is early VIP access to the event one hour before the general public arrives. This gave us an opportunity to get the lay of the land in daylight and order up one of the many family-friendly food offerings (pretzels, wood-fired pizza, hot dogs and more).
Let’s just say that I was thrilled to be able to walk around with a glass of wine in-hand, that I billed to my room for extra convenience. Am I right?
My daughter opted for a warm salted pretzel to snack on while contemplating which activity to tackle first. I’ll let you guess what I chose.
Seconds after I took this photo, we linked up with The JetSet Family (for more of her pics see @nicoledstandley on Instagram) and the girls—who happened to be the same age and wearing the same sweater—promptly headed down to the skating rink.
They slipped, giggled and skated around until a decision was made to ride the train (with a special appearance by The Grinch dishing out candy canes), see Santa and explore the foodie offerings.
And, who could possibly pass up cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus?
And, yes, there was the occasional blast of “snow”.
Our evening ended with the fabulous Mercato Italiano dinner where the Lobby Lounge is transformed into an Italian Marketplace—including a gelato stand.
Needless to say, my daughter was asleep seconds after her head hit the pillow. A grand day, I’d say. After a lazy morning of room service we managed to arrive back in La Jolla in time to march in the Christmas parade.
The Winter Wonderland Package
There is still time to book the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village Winter Wonderland Package! You will receive:
- VIP admission to the Let It Snow event on Friday or Saturday night starting at 4:00 pm
- Holiday character breakfast buffet for one adult on Saturday or Sunday morning, plus photo opportunity with characters
- Elf story time on Friday and Saturday in the Wellness Center Living Room
- 25% off dinner at Mercato Italiano on Friday or Saturday evening
- Complimentary overnight self parking daily
- Complimentary premium Internet access daily
- Luxurious accommodations
If you live in the Los Angeles area, consider coming to this event for the evening. I found the number of people in attendance to be quite manageable from start to finish. I would definitely return for this event. The kids had a great time!
*Thank you to Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village for hosting us at “Let It Snow”, the holiday character breakfast, Mercato Italiano, my spa treatment and for part of our weekend accommodations. We’ll be back.
Katie Dillon
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