A Last-Minute Staycation That Felt Like Coming Home

Some places are more than hotels—they’re memory keepers. Hotel ZaZa is one of those places for us. It’s where we were married in 2008, and all these years later it still feels like home.

With our daughter coming into town with her fiancé Ryan for a wedding venue tour at Hotel ZaZa, we decided—almost on a whim—to turn it into a one-night staycation. The idea was simple: arrive the night before, relax, and meet them fresh the next morning. What we didn’t expect was how special the night would become.

Thanks to the incredible Daisy Lopez, we were unexpectedly upgraded to the Magnificent Seven Suite. It was one of those moments that stops you in your tracks—spacious, elegant, and filled with the kind of quiet luxury that immediately slows time down. A reminder of why this place has always held such a special spot in our hearts.

We spent the evening exactly the way a staycation should be spent: an unhurried dinner at Monarch, a few well-crafted cocktails, and conversation that drifted easily between nostalgia and what’s ahead. No rushing. No schedules. Just enjoying being exactly where we were.

We turned in early, knowing the next day would be about celebrating the future—walking the same halls we once did, this time as parents, during a wedding venue tour with our daughter and Ryan. Brunch at Monarch the next morning felt like the perfect bookend to the stay.

Sometimes the best trips aren’t planned months in advance. Sometimes they’re last-minute decisions that bring you right back to the beginning—and remind you how meaningful those beginnings really were.