“When it’s a little bit tacky and a little bit chic, it’s very me”

“What I think I would love about it is that it would cater to my absolute love of being different characters,” says Juno Temple of California’s gloriously kitschy, iconic Madonna Inn. “I feel like you can go there with a suitcase and become so many different people in each different room, and it would feel kind of, I don’t know, just sexy and silly.”

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For the UK-born, Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning star, disappearing into character is just another day on the job. Having been a working actor since the age of 10 – when her father Julien Temple directed her in his film Pandaemonium – she’s proven herself to be a highly versatile, highly sought-after talent. Temple has played everything from a small-town Texan in William Friedkin’s film Killer Joe to a troubled teenager in Atonement to her latest, most high-profile role: scrappy PR manager Keeley Jones in the hit Apple TV+ sports dramedy Ted Lasso.  

That embrace of a range of characters extends to her hotel stays too, well beyond cult-fave Madonna Inn and the trendy luxury properties celebrities are commonly checking into. “I love a motel. I like that you can still find them in that area of California where you can get the vibrating beds, and all that. I love that kind of stuff,” she says. “Get on Route 66 and see where you end up when you stop off for a night.” She adds, “I would also very much recommend the Pioneertown Motel in the Palm Springs area – you’ll find magic.”

But Temple appreciates more luxurious, sophisticated stays too – as long as she doesn’t have to sacrifice character and personality. “My dream stay would be at the Villa Casa Casuarina,” she says of the Miami Beach hotel housed in the former Versace Mansion. “It feels like it’s very ‘me’ where it’s a little bit tacky and a little bit chic, which is a good description for where I feel most comfortable,” she says. “It still feels like going back in time, and I’m just fascinated by different moments, different eras, different characters. I would like to get married there, actually, in a vintage gown to the love of my life.”

If each hotel is a production, and each guest a character, it’s the crew that can elevate a stay from good to completely unforgettable, according to Temple. “I’ve been staying at the Portobello Hotel in London’s Notting Hill neighbourhood since maybe my late teens, early 20s, so I’ve built a relationship with the staff, and they’re so kind to me,” she says. “You just catch up with the people and they ask about your life and vice versa – it’s honestly like a home away from home. It’s a place that makes me feel cosy and safe.” Key to the hotel’s enduring attraction is its lack of uniformity. “It has the most magic charm: each room is quite quirky and each is its own character entirely – I quite like that because you always mould to the room that you’re in.”

Finally, Temple recommends choosing your travel co-stars wisely. “Whether you’re lucky enough to be put up in a fabulous hotel for work or whether you’re treating yourself, bring someone with you because it’s just a special thing to be in a hotel, you know? It should be shared,” she says. “Invite people you love to come and get into bed and share the breakfast with you!”

Martina Sheehan

Writer

Martina Sheehan is a Chicago-based travel writer-editor who has written for the New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Budget Travel, Forbes Travel Guides, and Time Out guidebooks, among others. She has traveled to 38 countries and 46 states, and never leaves home without a good map app, a themed playlist, and her daughter.