A weekend in Westlake Village
The Hyatt Westlake Plaza (880 S. Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village; [805] 557-1234, http://www.westlake.hyatt.com) was our launching pad, not our highlight. It’s a generic Spanish-style building with 262 rooms and a ‘70s look. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Our room cost $129, a discounted special-event rate. The hotel restaurant was being renovated, so in-house dining was in an awkwardly reclaimed part of the lobby. The restaurant is expected to open any day with a new name: Harvest Kitchen. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Brent’s Deli is near the Hyatt Westlake Plaza. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Head for Stonehaus (32039 Agoura Road, Westlake Village; [818] 483-1152, http://www.the-stonehaus.com). The great thing about this wine bar/coffeehouse, which opened in late 2012, is its outdoorsy Tuscan feel. (The owner is Swiss, which may explain the name.) Besides the 32-page wine book and the rugged stone building, pictured, the grounds include a 1-acre vineyard, fountain, picnic tables and fire pits -- a far cry from the gas station they replaced. We sipped, snacked, played a little boccie. Then we walked next door to the busy bistro-style Mediterraneo (32037 Agoura Road, Westlake Village; [818] 889-9105, http://www.med-rest.com); main dishes $17-$38), where our Italian dinners were slow too arrive but tasted terrific, especially my pasta special with sausage ragu and black kale. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
An outdoor table at Stonehaus. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
The Westlake Village Inn (31943 Agoura Road, Westlake Village; [888] 869-8518; http://www.westlakevillageinn.com) dates to the early days of Westlake Village (the late 1960s, that is), but keeps evolving. Stonehaus and Mediterraneo (and a nightclub called Bogie’s) stand on the inn’s 17 acres, a short stroll from 141 Italianate guest rooms that start as low as $170. (Some face a little lake.) It all feels like wine country. If you go, keep an eye out for Swiss-born owner John Notter, who developed Westlake Village 45 years ago and remains a frequent and dapper presence on the property. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
The Four Seasons, pictured, and Hyatt get mostly business and midweek travelers, so their rates drop on weekends. The Four Seasons often drops under $260 nightly; the Hyatt is often around $150. The Westlake Village Inn often hosts six weddings in a weekend, but its weekday and weekend rates aren’t too far apart. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)