[Los Angeles] Review: The Langham Huntington in Pasadena

La La Land, here I am! After flying on Hong Kong Airlines' inaugural flight to Los Angeles, I stayed at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena for a few days to explore the area. The luxurious 5 star hotel is a historic and iconic landmark in the city as it was established in 1914 by Henry Huntington. Over the years, it changed hands through several hotel groups before The Langham Group took over in 2008. Compared to LA, Pasadena is definitely more laid-back and has more of a resort town feel, so it's a great getaway destination if you want a break from the hustle and bustle. Besides, it's only 10 miles away from downtown LA so you can always visit Hollywood and Beverly Hills with ease. Not that Pasadena doesn't have attractions of its own - it's home to the famous Huntington Library, Norton Simon Museum and Rose Parade & Rose Bowl Game!

The hotel is popular for events and weddings, and it was interesting to walk among the history of the site - did you know that horse carriages used to carry passengers to the entrance located where the Horseshoe Garden lawn is today? If you want to learn more, the hotel offers daily Historic Hotel Property tours at 2pm. Every corner of the hotel is photogenic and this little garden is no exception.

Also in the garden, a special guest is invited to ring this bell every night at 7PM in honor of Henry Huntington which has been a Langham traditional since 1985.

With its own tennis courts and Olympic-sized swimming pool (which is heated year-round), there's plenty to do onsite.

The room type I stayed in was the One-Bedroom Huntington Suite which was huge and had a separate living room area from the bedroom! The room can fit up to 4 people and was bright with lots of natural light from the windows which had a lovely view of the Horseshoe Garden.

The living room had everything you need to relax or work including a flat screen TV and a desk. 

In addition to a full mini bar, an espresso machine and electric kettle are also provided if you want to enjoy coffee or tea in your own room.

My room had a king-sized "Blissful Bed" (a Langham signature).

I was super surprised to find a hallway for the bathroom! The bathroom had a standing shower area and a bathtub as well as double vanity sinks.

The amenities were all from Chuan Spa which is Langham's award-winning proprietary spa brand. 

Speaking of Chuan Spa, I had the chance to try its service as well. It can be tiring to fly long distance so I chose the signature Chuan Harmony massage to help me relax. The spa offers treatments inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine and we had to fill in a questionnaire to determine which of the 5 elements - Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth - we most closely align with so as to customize the best treatment. The 60-minutes treatment flew by quickly but I can't think of a better way to pamper yourself after a long flight!

...except maybe with the Langham signature Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood which is offered at every Langham Hotels around the world! The afternoon tea is offered daily at The Lobby Lounge with a selection of scones, savory sandwiches and desserts served on tailor-made "Langham Rose" Wedgwood teaware.

It was right before Christmas when we were there so we caught this beautiful Christmas display right outside The Lobby Lounge!

My fellow journalists and I had to take a picture with Santa of course!

Aside from the afternoon tea, we also had dinner at The Royce Wood-Fired Steakhouse which had an impressive offering of steaks from US, Australia and even Japan. I had the Greg Norman Signature Australian Wagyu outside skirt which was packed with flavors. Other standouts included the Lobster Bisque, Wagyu Beef Tartare and Maple Brioche Bread Pudding!

At the end of the meal, we had a little kitchen tour to see the wood-fired grill in action!

For breakfast, you can eat in The Terrace or Club Lounge but I had room service pretty much everyday - I mean there's nothing more convenient than to roll out of bed and be able to eat breakfast in your pajamas!

Time flies when you're having fun. Goodbye LA - till next time!

*By Invitation

Follow me on Facebook! www.facebook.com/supertastermel

Follow me on Instagram! www.instagram.com/supertastermel