February 7, 2008

Giveaway: Champagne and caviar at the Raffles L’Ermitage hotel

After a certain hour, the lights inside the Raffles L’Ermitage hotel’s Writer’s Bar in L.A. are dimmed so low, you might have to lean in a little closer to see your companion's eyes.
This is a good thing—if you’re an agent or actor having a business meeting, the warm shadows bestow proceedings with a sense of privacy and anonymity (I spotted Orlando Bloom through the gloom having a business meeting when I visited a couple weeks ago). And if you’re there with a date, even better—everyone knows that turning the lights down means it’s business time.
Which is why I was excited to hear that L’Ermitage wanted to gift one Stylephile reader with a very special Valentine’s gift –champagne and caviar for two at the Writer’s Bar. It can be on Valentine’s evening, or saved up for a later date if you already have plans.
Either way, the lights will be low, the wines will be fine, and the conversation will, we hope, be risqué. You might even spot a star or two (this is where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes chose to spend Holmes’ birthday). And of course, if you get tired of talking, we hear there are some rather lovely bedrooms upstairs…
To enter, please leave a comment telling us about the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for you. Please leave your email in the body of the comment. We will contact the winner direct. Deadline is Tuesday 12th at 5PM.

February 7, 2008 in LOS ANGELES | Permalink

Comments

We have a winner! They have been contacted direct, and the item will appear on tomorrow's Stylephile.

Posted by The Stylephile | Feb 13 2008 12:45PM

who won?

Posted by just curious | Feb 13 2008 9:49AM

Four years ago I burried my father on valentines day, and ever since I haven''t really wanted to celebrate it. On top of that my boyfriend is going to school and not working and his family doesn''t have enough money to buy him school supplies let lone a gift for his girlfriend. So last valentines we agreed to not get each other anything and to forget what day it was. Well, valentines came and so did my boyfriend and with him he had a small red box. Right away I was upset because we agreed to save our money, and there I was with nada. After protesting he finally got me to open it. Inside there was an old rusted key. After taking a second of "what the heck is this" Edwin lifted up his shirt. On the left side of his chest he had drawn a heart. He told me "You have the key to my heart". And from that day on he''s had the key to mine. My conclusion: There is something to having a latin boyfriend. madpatter@charter.net

Posted by edwin''s girl | Feb 12 2008 10:59AM

It was after the writer''s strike had taken it''s drastic toll on my emotions, body and my savings that a nice surprise was ensuing in the mind of my romantic partner. I had a crumpled brochure in my purse advertising Domaine Chandon''s New Year''s Eve''s Masquerade Ball Bash for 2008 but never dreamed I was going there. My partner cashed out his PTO time at the hospital and also drove me 8 hours from the O.C. with our Cirque de Soleil masks we had bought (ironically), and our attire made it just in time for a five course dinner, wine, dancing, fun and romance all night long. The days after were just as romantic with the fall leaves and the festive lights of Yountville. Thanks Chandon! angelflame@mac.com

Posted by angelflame | Feb 11 2008 10:40PM

My boyfriend proposed to me on my birthday, at the restaurant in front of everybody! He was a full time student at the time and I wasn’t expecting anything from him. We weren’t even talking about marriage or engagement. I was surprised and speechless when he got on his knees, I didn’t know what do, cry or laugh, but I manage to say “Yes I Will Marry You.” Few minutes later, we realized that the couples next to us were crying, they tough it was so romantic. It truly was the most romantic moment of my life. ancientfutures2001@yahoo.com

Posted by Angela | Feb 11 2008 2:41PM

My husband has done his share of romantic things for me. From the way he asked me to be his girlfriend, to his marriage proposal,and everything in between. But there is one thing that out-shines everything else. 3 months after we got married my 13-year-old brother passed away. My husband and I were living in Los Angeles, where he was born and raised. After my brother passed away my husband insisted we move across the country so I could be closer to my family. I never would have brought it up on my own, I would never ask him to move away from his family that he is very close to or his friends. But he asked me if I wanted to and said he would move in a second so I could be with my family. It was such a selfless act and the most loving thing anyone has ever done for me. It has been 6 months since we moved and I love him more everyday for bringing me back home. stella.cadente@gmail.com

Posted by stellacadente | Feb 11 2008 2:19PM

After having spent the last 3 weeks of my junior year at UCLA with a really amazing guy, I was scheduled to go study abroad for 3 months in Italy. This was supposed to be my first real trip by myself and I didn't want to be in a relationship while I was gone. But no matter what I did, I couldn't get him off of my mind. We talked almost everyday and on the last day of class, he surprised me with a bouquet of flowers in the piazza in front of my school. We traveled through Europe together for the next month and 4 years later I love him as much today as I did when he flew all the way to Venice to be with me. arielrosedesigns@yahoo.com

Posted by Ariel | Feb 11 2008 1:10PM

I mentioned my favorite china pattern as we walked past a display. The next morning every piece in the store's stock arrived at my front door. lvuback1@cox.net

Posted by lvuback1 | Feb 8 2008 7:26PM

By far the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me was when I went to Paris for my 21st birthday. I met a student, like myself at the time, who was on Spring break and backpacking through Europe. We met out one night and decided to travel together the following day to Versailles. We walked the grounds and decided to go to some neighboring antique shops. There he bought me a first edition copy of La Revolucion de Francais and old WWII postcards that had been sent between soliders and their families and lovers. He took me all over the city and stayed with me for my entire stay. We eventually parted ways and went back home, he to D.C., and I to Arizona. When I got home I remembered he forgot to give me my postcards and book that we bought in Versailles. I sent him an e-mail with my address so he could send the items, in addition to a letter telling him what an amazing time I had but didn''t hear back. Two months after i sent the e-mail I received a medium sized package addressed from D.C. and enclosed were the items i had been waiting for. Along with the postcard and books, there was a map of D.C. and a compass. There was also a note that said "To more amazing adventures in a new city, come to D.C. and I will show everything! Apres moi!.

Posted by lmojlo | Feb 8 2008 5:46PM

My swedish girlfriend at the time had me picked up by a driver in an old Citroen, in the car a vintage suit was waiting for me , we got to the train station where i was greeted by a porter who showed me the way to my wagon, i then realized that i was going on a journey with the orient express, direction venice.... she dressed the part in a beautiful 60's vintage chanel and i looked like cary grant with mine...It was the most surprising well planned indulging romantic 5 days i ever had... eobre@mac.com

Posted by Eric | Feb 8 2008 5:44PM

I've been lucky to have a lot of carefully orchestrated romantic moments - in candlelit restaurants, moonlit locales, and the like. But the moment I still remember as my most romantic was in college, on my first impromptu date with the man who would become my first love. We walked across campus planning to display our devotion to all things artsy by attending the screening of a five-hour Serbo-Croatian film subtitled in French. We arrived to find the film screening in a cramped classroom, filled with pimply, deeper-than-thou undergrads. We took a look at each other, and he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the classroom. We trotted away into the sunshine, giggling, and admitting to our abiding love for John Carpenter films. We ended up spending the afternoon huddled on the sundeck, drinking wine and talking about things I'll never mention. The film we skipped, by the way, was Emir Kosturica's Underground, and when we saw it years later. It became our mutual favorite film. saragracer@gmail.com

Posted by saragracer | Feb 8 2008 9:06AM

I had a boyfriend who knew how much I love Venice, and had never been serenaded (yes, why not bump it up a notch, especially when it comes to romance?) so he serenaded me from the canal in Venice while I was standing on this balcony. He set it all up. Very sweet and scored major points.

Posted by qd | Feb 8 2008 8:06AM

Oops - sorry, forgot the e-mail address for the "leo who loves her birthday": redhifi@mac.com

Posted by Sarah | Feb 7 2008 6:54PM

I am a leo who loves her birthday very much - in 2007, he gave me the best birthday ever. Friday: he said don't drink the night before and skip the big lunch - then he picked me up from work and drove me to Van Nuys and surprised me with a HELICOPTER (!) ride out over Topanga, Malibu and back - then dinner at Katsuya on Ventura. Saturday (the birthday day): he arranged to have all of my friends, food and drink on La Piedra beach, then dinner at the Reel Inn complete with a (unintentionally) melted, but delicious anyway, ice cream cake. Sunday: he whisked me off to our favorite spa in the desert and we just soaked in the healing waters, BBQ'd a nice salmon and drank wine. We returned to LA Monday and I was thrilled to embark on the next year. I love him because he loves life and he shares that passion intensely with me by making the most of it - that romance shines on special occasions. (I'd also love to tell you about the other birthday when he whisked me off to a hot spring in Mexico in July... I'm talkin' 140 degrees in the shade and $5000 of damage to the car over back roads.... but every experience is fun with him, even when we are being cooked alive! It's worth it for the story).

Posted by Sarah | Feb 7 2008 6:51PM

I was married for 20 years and had a difficult split. Then, my youngest son had a kidney disorder and my daughter became clinically depressed over the problems. After that, we all became ill from toxic mold due to a flood, and had to move and lost everything. I work for a few charities and help other various causes in need. It would be great to have an evening out... nancy@angelwear.com

Posted by spiritgirl | Feb 7 2008 5:45PM

When I was a child, my grandparents bought me a cardboard See's Candy house on a trip west and I was obsessed. When I found out a few years later that my mom tossed it in a move, I was devastated, not to mention, they weren't displayed in the stores anymore. One Valentine's Day years later, the biggest box I had ever seen showed up on my doorstep, and it was a brand-new See's candy house from my boyfriend. xgirl41@aol.com

Posted by Jenny | Feb 7 2008 4:50PM

For my 25th birthday, my b/f since college wrote me a 10 page rhyming poem (that was actually good!) chronicling our relationship from the first day we met on campus, to our first date (and other firsts) all the way to my 25th birthday and he put it in a scrap book along with tons of pictures and mementos from theater & movie tickets & various random adventures that corresponded to the poem. It was amazing and made me cry because he really spent SO much time thinking about us and getting it all perfectly down on paper in a beautiful package. Unfortunately I found out not long after that he was gay, but it is still my favorite gift ever! louwilgirl@yahoo.com

Posted by Maria | Feb 7 2008 4:43PM

On the afternoon of one of our early wedding anniversaries, I had to call my husband and tell him I had to work late supervising an installation and ask him to cancel our dinner reservations. He showed up at the office in a tuxedo with a three course dinner he somehow got the fancy restaurant to prepare along with champagne, a bouquet of flowers, and a masseur. email: extramailgreg@yahoo.com

Posted by Sandra | Feb 7 2008 3:17PM

Popped an obnoxious guy who was spreading rumors about having slept with me...My knight in "shining tux" did this at a gala held at the Beverly HIlton, no less...

Posted by acmgmt1@aol.com | Feb 7 2008 3:14PM

the most romantic thing that a boyfriend ever did was cut-out approximately 1,000 hearts from red and pink construction paper, put them in a box, and set them up on top of the door for them to rain down when the door was opened (much like the bucket of water stunt - but nicer).

Posted by dragosine@earthlink.net | Feb 7 2008 2:50PM

He took me to Montparnasse, as only he knew I wanted to sit where Diego Rivera and Picasso had. But, it was the little white teddy bear that won my heart over, a pair of diamond hoops from from its ears. I had swooned over the cuddly bear without even seeing the baubles hanging on. ekdari.at.yahoo.com

Posted by Dari | Feb 7 2008 2:49PM

The most romantic thing that a boyfriend ever did for me was to wrap 14 individual presents and leave them for me in an "to be opened in case of emergency" box when he was traveling for 14 days to a remote part of Mexico where there was little to no cell phone reception, and land lines were hard to come by. Each day he was gone, I'd unwrap another special little gift that reminded me of him/us. Email: pnourafchan@hhlaw.com or pnourafchan@yahoo.com

Posted by Mermaid8 | Feb 7 2008 2:40PM

Having mentioned that one of my favorite all time movies is DON'T BE A MENACE IN SOUTH CENTRAL... my future boyfriend met me at LAX with a 40 in a paper bag and a handful of flowers. We've been together ever since!

Posted by Angie | Feb 7 2008 2:17PM