There are two types of people in this world: those who watched Heated Rivalry and moved on with their lives, and those who immediately googled “Is that cottage real?” at 1am. If you fall into the latter camp (like us), congratulations, your unhinged dedication has been rewarded.
The lakeside escape from Heated Rivalry – yes, that Barlochan Cottage – is now bookable on Airbnb. The slow-burn tension might have been fictional, but the setting very much isn’t. Tucked along the shores of Lake Muskoka in cottage country, it’s all pine trees, still water and silence that forces you to confront your feelings (or at least how much time you’re spending in front of the screen.
The three-bedroom retreat leans hard into that classic Canadian lake-house energy: oversized windows, timber finishes, a fireplace built for dramatic stares, and a dock that basically insists on a sunrise swim. There’s a proper kitchen for post-kayak feasts, a fire pit primed for late-night debriefs, and enough space to bring friends, though you may prefer to keep it a two-person storyline if ya know what we mean.
And the best part is, it’s only gonna set you back around AU$255 a night or CA$248 (a neat little nod to the main characters’ jersey numbers). Subtle.
Look, you don’t have to be an ice hockey obsessive to appreciate this place. But if you do find yourself standing on that dock, staring across the water like you’re about to confess something life-altering, just know: you’re not alone.
Where rock ’n’ roll ghosts, rooftop martinis and mild delusions of celebrity collide.
West Hollywood is less of a place and more of a mood. A slightly unhinged, sunglasses-at-night, “yes I’ll have another martini” kind of mood. Its hotel lobbies double as casting calls, its rooftop pools feel like they could star in music videos, and everyone looks like they’re either famous, about to be famous, or pretending very convincingly.
After far too many nights (and mornings we barely remember), here are our Top 5 West Hollywood hotels. These places don’t just give you a bed, but actively encourage bad decisions, great stories, and the occasional ego boost.
For when your hangover deserves a poolside soundtrack
The Ziggy feels like it was designed by someone who really loves music… and really doesn’t care what time you need to wake up tomorrow. There’s an actual band room where musicians can plug in and play, and a DJ who spins late into the night in a dimly lit bar that feels dive-y.
But be warned, this isn’t a quiet hotel.
HOT TIP: Get a room that opens directly onto the pool. There is nothing, and we emphasise nothing, better for a West Hollywood hangover than rolling out of bed, sliding open the door, and falling directly into water before your brain fully switches on. It’s hydrotherapy (probably).
Retro glamour, martinis, and aggressive people-watching
Sunset Tower is a time capsule with better cocktails. Uber-cool, unapologetically retro, and dripping in Hollywood history, this place has seen more stars than a planetarium. Our publisher once had breakfast with Jeff Bridges and dinner (plus a wicked martini) with Jennifer Aniston.
OK, he didn’t actually eat with them, but he may have stared at them so intently that they eventually left. Which feels like a win (or majorly creepy?? You decide). And the Tower Bar is legendary for a reason. You half expect someone to slide into the booth next to you and pitch a movie.
HOT TIP: Eat at the Tower Bar and pretend you’re a celebrity. Speak confidently. Order a martini. Nod knowingly at nothing in particular.
Kimpton La Peer is what happens when a hotel doesn’t need to shout. It’s tucked away, subtle, and deeply confident in its own coolness. And after staying here, so are we.
The rooms have huge windows and dramatic drapes that make you feel like you should be delivering a monologue, even if you’re just ordering room service. Then there’s the rooftop pickleball court with sunset views, and bar. Yes, all of that. In one place.
HOT TIP: Don’t miss the evening wine tasting from 5 – 5.30pm, then head straight to the rooftop for pickleball as the sun goes down. It’s competitive. It’s ridiculous. And it’s very West Hollywood.
Once upon a time this was the Riot Hyatt, and even though it’s been polished and rebranded, rock ’n’ roll still sweats from the walls. You can feel it. Like nicotine stains on history.
The rooftop pool is still excellent, the cocktail bar still pumps, and the vibe still whispers, “Something inappropriate definitely happened here in the ’70s.” Bonus points: it’s right next door to The Comedy Store, so you can stumble back to your room after laughing too hard at someone who’s (probably) about to be famous.
HOT TIP: Stay for the late, late show at The Comedy Store. This is peak Sunset Strip behaviour.
Sometimes you want to live in WeHo, not just sleep there
The Charlie isn’t really a hotel. It’s more like a secret serviced apartment complex for people who look vaguely important, hidden behind gates and gardens right in the middle of West Hollywood. Staying here feels like quietly moving into someone else’s extremely tasteful Hollywood life.
The rooms are proper apartments. Think kitchens, laundry, living areas, patios. This means you can cook, unpack, and pretend this is just your place in LA. You’ll find yourself doing very un-hotel things, like grocery shopping and making coffee, while simultaneously feeling like a celebrity who definitely has a publicist somewhere.
The whole place is made up of charming old cottages, named after Hollywood legends, and wandering through the leafy courtyards feels like you’ve accidentally wandered onto a movie set where everyone forgot to yell “cut.” It’s calm, discreet and slightly smug in the best possible way.
HOT TIP: Lean into it. Sit outside with a coffee, wear sunglasses even if you don’t need them, and walk out the front gate like you’re late for a meeting you absolutely cannot talk about.
Apologies to properties we’re yet to enjoy. We’re looking at you The London and Sun Rose, and for those shaking their heads… Chateau Marmont is not West Hollywood. That’s a whole ‘nother story.
Yes, WEHO hotels are technically places to sleep, but they’re also supporting characters in the story you’ll undoubtedly tell later. And these five don’t just give you a room; they give you attitude, atmosphere, and the strong illusion that you might be someone important.
There’s a new kind of “house” in Philly, and by house we mean the sprawling, neon-lit, pop-culture funhouse of Netflix, one you can actually walk into.
Netflix House Philadelphia recently opened its doors at the King of Prussia Mall, offering fans a chance to step off their couch and into some of their favourite shows.
Inside, you’ll find over 100,000 square feet of immersive experiences – a mix of VR games, mini-golf, escape-room-style puzzles, themed food, merch and more. Two of the early centrepieces: a 60-minute pirate-style quest called “ONE PIECE: Quest for the Devil Fruit” and a carnival-meets-mystery event inspired by Wednesday (very spooky, very playful).
If you’re not into puzzles or spooky vibes, there’s still plenty to do: a nine-hole mini-golf course, VR versions of hits like Stranger Things and Squid Game, a themed restaurant called “Netflix Bites”, a merch shop, a theatre for screenings and fan events. So this place is basically a hybrid between a gaming arcade, immersive art installation, and a social clubhouse.
For a company that’s long lived in your TV screen, Netflix has now built a place where the stories really feel like they come alive; a playground for anyone who’s ever paused a show and thought, “What if I could walk inside this?”
It’s like a reminder that even in a world of algorithmic suggestions and streamed binges, there’s still something special about showing up to something in person.
Kosmos puts you somewhere the city lights can’t reach and the stars take centre stage. Like, the night sky here is so clear it practically taps you on the shoulder. But that’s probably because the resort is nestled in Colorado’s San Luis Valley within a certified Dark Sky Park.
And its story is as bold as its view: founder Gamal Jadue Zalaquett fell for the valley’s raw isolation and sky-high clarity, and decided the world needed a place where comfort, sustainability, and serious stargazing could coexist.
But the villas are the main event. The Stargazing Villa sleeps up to four, with a king bed, two twins, a private indoor jacuzzi, and a geodesic dome for telescope-toting stargazers.
The upcoming Galaxy Villa cranks it up: two master bedrooms, a loft, a kitchen, a meditation space, sauna and cold plunge, and a telescope deck that practically dares you not to nerd out over the constellations. Hempcrete walls make it eco-friendly, using a sustainable, breathable mix of hemp, lime and water that naturally regulates temperature and locks away carbon without making a fuss about it. And every corner is designed to feel effortlessly cool (spoiler alert, it succeeds).
Here, the night sky becomes the entertainment, guided astronomy sessions turn learning into play, and two telescopes per villa (including a high-tech digital one) make sure no celestial sighting is missed.
Combine that with Colorado’s crisp mountain air and a view that stretches to infinity, and you’ll never want to leave. Tbh, we’re right there with ya.
If you roll up at Honey Rock Landing in Colorado, you might initially wonder if you accidentally crashed a farmer’s day off but nope, you actually stepped into one of the coolest farm-orchard getaways ‘round.
Perched along the Gunnison River and surrounded by the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness, this place is a regenerative, organic orchard that grows peaches, cherries, pears, veggies, eggs… and even honey (hence the name).
But the real magic happens when you stay in the cave suites, carved straight into sandstone cliffs. Inside, expect a king bed downstairs, two queen beds tucked up in a loft, a cute kitchenette, and a bathroom with a fancy copper bathtub.
There’s even a private patio that looks out onto the orchard. Perfect for sipping coffee while birds swoop overhead, or maybe pretending you’re living in a secret nature hideaway.
Want to be a fruit nerd? Go on a farm tour. It’s about an hour; you’ll learn how Honey Rock grows its produce using regenerative methods, how the soil almost breathes carbon, and why the chickens are basically pest-control officials.
And in the evenings, you can skip stones in the pond, chill by the river, or sink into that copper tub with a book. The whole place feels rustic while dripping in luxury, like camping, but with WiFi and without the ratty sleeping bag. Hell yeah.
New York City is a delicious melting pot (literally) with more than 160 languages, a population of snack-obsessed locals, and enough street food smells to have your mouth watering for days.
From Jackson Heights’ kebab-scented sidewalks to Astoria’s secret speakeasies and Long Island City’s rooftop bars, this city doesn’t do subtle. It’s loud, it’s proud, and it’ll feed you ‘til you can’t stomach another mouthful. So, loosen that belt and grab a MetroCard – we’re eating, drinking, and talking our way through five days of Zohran Mamdani’s favourite NYC haunts. Pro tip: Bring your appetite.
I land in New York, bag dragging behind me and head straight for the borough where Mamdani’s tastebuds run wild: Queens. My first stop is Kabab King in Jackson Heights – one of his top choices because, biryani.
Rice layered like a spicy lasagne, steam rising, flavours sneaking up behind you. I plunge in, hands acceptable (per his protocol), plunging spoon & fingers into the mix. Then I roam Jackson Heights, taking in colourful murals and halal carts while listening to people chatter in a dozen tongues.
The evening’s agenda is to grab a drink at a local dive (ask for the house pour), people-watch from a stoop, digest the biryani and the city’s noise.
Lunch: at Pye Boat Noodle in Astoria (per Mamdani’s list). He raves about the koy nua (Thai raw-beef salad) which means I too shall plunge into slices of beef, chili, lime, overjoyed by the shock of flavour.
The afternoon’s mission is to find a hidden gem. Maybe a tiny neighbourhood bookshop, or a botanica tucked behind a barbershop. Catch sunset by the waterfront at Astoria Park and watch Manhattan sparkles across the river like a distant star.
Dinner: explore a Greek taverna (Astoria has choices) for simplicity: olive oil, grilled fish, no fuss. Then maybe a craft beer bar where the jukebox doesn’t play chart pop.
Mid-morning: hop on the subway (feel the rumble, smell the earnestness) into Long Island City (LIC).
Today, I want to emulate Mamdani’s third go-to spot – Zyara. Lamb adana laffa wrap, hummus, mint lemonade. It’s simple, street-food rough-charm meets Mediterranean flavour.
Afternoon: LIC has become another hidden-in-plain-sight zone. Rooftop views, industrial-chic cafes, and less tourist-saturated than Manhattan. I explore an art gallery or two, then take a waterfront stroll with Manhattan glimmering across the East River.
For dinner I plunge into Queens nightlife where I wanna find a cocktail lounge down a half-lit corridor or a speakeasy behind a bookstore and sip something smoky while I reflect on how food is culture and identity (yes, I’m channeling Mamdani’s vibe).
Okay, I cheat and stray into Manhattan (because you’re in NYC, you have to). But I keep it off-beat: breakfast tacos in the East Village, follow the smell of coffee and doughnuts.
Late morning: visit a lesser-known museum. Maybe the Tenement Museum or something quirky in Lower Manhattan and for lunch, discover a tiny immigrant-run diner or a Caribbean spot in Harlem (because Queens wasn’t the only borough with rich food).
Afternoon: wander through unknown streets – alphabet blocks, local corner stores, street art, the weird things that don’t appear in every guidebook.
Evening: head back into Queens for dinner. Find a Colombian-Peruvian fusion spot in Jackson Heights, maybe. Keep it grounded, keep it real: neighbourhood tables, big flavours, local chatter.
And if you’re after a nightcap, perhaps a Jamaican rum bar with reggae, laughter, and no dress code.
Brunch time: slide into Brooklyn (Williamsburg or Bushwick) for a patio brunch. Think avocado, eggs, kale (sob) but with a local twist and coffee so strong that you’re instantly awake.
Around midday, I returned to Queens for a farmer’s market/street-food fair. I really wanted to taste something weird. Maybe a dumpling-sandwich hybrid? Something fermented? Or pickled? Boom, check it off the list.
The afternoon bought a meander through the boroughs one last time. I even indulged and caught a ferry ride back to Manhattan, skyline glinting, the wind funny in my hair.
For dinner, I opted to go big but keep in character. If you’re keen too, choose a restaurant that is stylish but not slick, perhaps a Brooklyn brownstone converted eatery, or a Manhattan rooftop with city-noise as soundtrack. Toast with a local craft beer or a natural wine. Then head to a rooftop bar for the skyline one-last time.
Late night: sit on a bench by the river, listen to the hum of the city, reflect that you ate like the mayor’s tastebuds: diversely, unapologetically, across boroughs. And yes, you got lost in the best possible way.
You think you’ve done Halloween? Think again. Step inside the hulking ruin of Eastern State Penitentiary, a ten-acre fortress of cellblocks, decades of whispered misery and (now) wicked fun. At Halloween Nights, this historic prison holds onto ghosts of the past and invites them to the party.
Here’s the deal – you’ll wander (or run) through multiple haunted houses with names like Nightmares, Dark Tides, Machine Shop, The Crypt. Rough-and-ready corridors, fog, lights, thumping beats and actors whose mission is to yank you out of your comfort zone. But if you want a breather, there’s the Fair Chance Beer Garden, themed cocktail lounges, and live performers doing things you can’t quite stop staring at.
This is a perfect spot to spend Halloween because the setting is built-in creepy (an abandoned prison with real history). The production value is high (cinematic sets, immersive flow, new scare zones). The optional “opt in” glow-necklace gimmick means you might get pulled into hidden passages or separated from your squad. Like c’mon?! Fun.
And the vibe is both electric and macabre. You’re surrounded by fellow thrill-seekers, the air’s charged, every corner might have a jump-scare or a haunted film-set moment. For anyone wanting more than candy and carved pumpkins, it’s the full-on Halloween immersion.
Forget the usual haunted house clichés. Spookywoods in Archdale, North Carolina, has taken the concept of “Halloween fun” and turned it into a fully realized and immensely terrifying immersive experience. Like, don’t be fooled. The attraction isn’t a walk through a dark corridor with someone shouting “Boo!” at you. It’s more like being dropped into a series of mini horror movies, each with its own set, style, and extreme level of chaos.
Step into Endora’s House, and you’re greeted by a witch who clearly has better dance moves than you. Cross the Luminous Passage, and you’ll feel like a rave threw up in a haunted tunnel (think blinking lights, shadows, and plenty of weirdness). Ashes Army drags you into the aftermath of miners who dug too deep and woke up things better left alone, while Camp Crystal Lake takes you to a summer camp where the counsellors are definitely not making s’mores.
But Spookywoods doesn’t stop at storytelling. ICONS lets you rub shoulders with horror movie legends without worrying about them gutting you for funsies (we’re talking to you, Michael), and The Creeper – a seven-foot cryptid with glowing red eyes – makes sure you keep one eye on the path ahead.
Every themed set is a carefully constructed world designed to keep you laughing, but mostly screaming. And that’s exactly what everyone needs on the 31st of October.
Sure, Dread Hollow is a haunted house, but it’s also so much more than that. It’s a whole cursed town, tucked into Tennessee, where the shadows seem to watch you, and the past has a nasty habit of sticking around.
The story starts with Mercy Harker, a woman whose lies led to the deaths of thirteen innocent women. The town’s history turned dark that day, and so, the legend of Dread Hollow was born.
Now, the place is a playground for the curious, the fearless, and for the those who want to be scared shitless. Wander through the Belle Royale Hotel, where the creaky floorboards tell a story of vengeful spirits, or get lost in Dreadwood Forest, where the trees feel a little too eager to guide you off the path. The high school isn’t safe either: hallways and classrooms hide their own brand of horrors, each one rooted in the town’s grim history.
If you think you’re clever, Dread Hollow’s Deliverance Escape Rooms will test that. In “Detention,” you’re stuck with Mercy Harker herself. “Alan Wayne: The Imitation Killer” makes you chase clues before a killer leaves his mark. And “Eugene Todd” is a race against time…or against ending up as the final victim.
But what really sets Dread Hollow apart is how immersive it is. There are no cheap shocks here; the scares are in the stories, the spaces, the history. It lingers. If you’re after something that sticks with you after you leave – something a little dark and a little twisted – Dread Hollow is waiting.
The Sunset Strip has had more reinventions than Madonna, and its latest glow-up comes in the form of The Sun Rose Hotel (formerly known as Pendry West Hollywood), ‘til it decided a new name (and personality) was in order.
Named after its already-famous live music venue, The Sun Rose is a love letter to West Hollywood’s Technicolour soul. When Stevie Wonder serenades your opening party, you know you’ve hit the right note. The place now leans harder into art, music, and design, basically bottling the Strip’s kaleidoscopic chaos into a tasty five-star cocktail.
Of course, the glitz hasn’t gone anywhere. The rooms still whisper ‘luxury’ even if the rest of the hotel is screaming ‘let’s party.’ At the top, Merois – helmed by the legendary Wolfgang Puck – remains a rooftop dining temple, where Asian-inspired flavours flirt with skyline views. Think crispy suckling pig in one hand, a Negroni in the other, and the Hollywood Hills twinkling like a backdrop someone spent too much money on.
Since its transformation, this place has become a stage, a canvas, and a front-row seat to the Strip’s never-ending show. Whether you’re there for the food, the tunes, or just to say you brushed shoulders with a rock star in the lobby, The Sun Rose Hotel is reinventing what it means to check in on Sunset.
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