Sky HIGH @ Pasea Hotel – HB

Ahhh! The cool breeze blowing in from the coast. The temperature in the 70s with wind speed in the low teens. This is the first year we’ve been home during a heatwave. Every year, we’ve been able to escape the country and head north to Canada where the weather is cooler.

Josh says we picked the right time to stay put. It’s the hottest weather on record. Unfortunately, the decision to hang around for this blazing weather wasn’t up to us.

The temperature for the weekend was reported to reach low 100s at home. We decided to escape down south to Huntington Beach. When we arrived at the hotel, lots of guests were leaving. They stayed for Labor Day weekend but not Labor Day. The pricing for the hotel room confirmed that. The room for Monday to Tuesday was $300 less!

We checked in at the front desk and was promptly talked into getting an upgrade for an extra $75. I thought, why not? Every time we visited the hotel, we stayed between the 2nd and 6th floor. I always wondered what it’s like beyond the sixth floor. We got through security who checked everyone for a wrist band. What I don’t understand is if you don’t have a key, you can’t go up onto the floors anyway. I’m guessing some creative folks know how to get around the hotel.

We got out onto the eight floor – SKY LEVEL. Finally, we reached the top. As we rounded the corner to get to our room, we passed a room that was being cleaned. We glanced inside and saw a big pool table. The balcony had an unobstructed view of the ocean. Yeah, we won’t be staying there any time soon.

We headed into our room just down the hallway and settled in. The FRESH personal products were the main draw for staying at this hotel. The hotel had personal sized shampoo, conditioner and body wash from this company. The store itself doesn’t even carry such products. Well, now, the hotel doesn’t carry the products. I kinda figured it’ll be a matter of time before the FRESH products were phased from the hotel. I was just hoping it would be after THIS stay. Luckily, they still kept their other welcoming gifts – sandals and a bottle of wine.

Even though lots of people were checking out, the pool was plenty busy. We decided to walk over to the beach and enjoy the seawater. I remembered this time last year, the parking lot was full. The beach was packed – from the shoreline to the boardwalk. This year, not so much. There were a handful of groups hanging around the fire pits. I saw at least two fire pits unoccupied. The sea breeze was so cool that I ended up covering myself with the hotel towel as I took a nap. The daughter and daddy duo went into the water. The water, as I found out later, was FREEZING. The waves were quite vicious. Take your eyes off it and you can be spanked on your behind or smacked on the side of your head. The last two times we’ve been to Huntington Beach were in the evenings. The waves were not welcoming. Just like the lifeguards, the waves wanted everyone out of the water and to stay home.
It was nice to be able to walk our salty, wet bodies back to the hotel which was just across the street.

When we got into the elevator, Josh pressed the 6th floor by mistake (or maybe reflex). The elevator door opened and there was the smell of MJ. Unfortunately, it was not only on that floor. We got out onto our floor and walked towards the end of the hall where our room was. As we rounded the corner, there was a strong smell of MJ. Luckily, the smell did not seep into our room.

We got cleaned up and looked for dining close by. There were a few options but we settled on Water Table restaurant which sat inside the Hyatt Regency. When we got there, we were seated in one of their patio areas. Out of all the places we’ve dined at, this hotel had the best outdoor seating arrangements. The tables were a good distance from each other. The food tasted delicious. I was telling Josh we should come back when we are looking for places to dine outdoor. He agreed.

The thought lasted for a few hours.

After we walked back to the hotel, I passed out. Between the Old Fashion, the glass of wine, and a flight of cognac (which we shared), I slept like a baby. A couple of hours after midnight, I was woken by debilitating stomach pain. I made it to the toilet…will spare everyone the details. Sadly, we won’t be re-visiting this restaurant. They do have the best outdoor seating by far.

The next day, while daughter and father set themselves up for school and work, I went down the street to pick up breakfast. Unfortunately, the retail stores were also opened. I came back with breakfast and new sandals for everyone. The retail stores had their inventories displayed outdoor. Part of the streets was closed down for outdoor dinners. Restaurants had their chairs and tables under sunshades. The set up reminded me of Hong Kong’s night markets. I remembered how fun and loud and chaotic it was. Maybe, one day, Sammy can experience it for herself.