Charlie Chaplin's old Hollywood retreat is now a luxury property in Huttopia

A1 Digital India News: "Charlie Chaplin built this ladder himself," the camp host told me, pointing to the mangled pile of sticks and branches inside my cabin. "This is where he runs past his mistress's window when his wife comes over the hill." I've been on many lodging tours in my life, but I've never seen such a bad description. I was told how to close the electronic curtain, not how to hide an extramarital affair.

This decadent description is part of the charm that remains at Charlie Chaplin's unique Huttopia Cabin in Paradise Springs, a rustic glamping resort in the Angeles National Forest, about 90 miles from Hollywood. After extensive renovations, the one-bedroom, one-bathroom cottages begin welcoming guests in May 2024, offering a unique experience compared to the other available accommodations: 71 wood and canvas tents.

While the French hospitality company's yurts have padded beds and decks with barbecues, the Chaplin Cottages have extra amenities like well-equipped kitchens, outdoor hot tubs and well-seasoned concrete walls. All of them were far brighter than the nylon nightmares I was forced to sleep in as a Boy Scout. Undoubtedly, the real draw to staying there is the history. The cottages and Paradise Springs as a whole are filled with juicy Hollywood mythology.

During the 1920s and '30s, the woodsy spot served as an untraditional Prohibition-era destination where the stars of the era and anyone else who could afford it enjoyed bootleg alcohol, wild dance parties, illegal gambling and more. Paradise Springs, named after actress Gloria Swanson, feels like a more rustic counterpart to Hearst Castle, the sprawling mansion built by media mogul William Randolph Hearst on a hilltop in San Simeon.

Originally inhabited by the Serrano people, the San Gabriel Mountains region where Paradise Springs is located is surprisingly majestic for being so close to the madness of Los Angeles. Surrounded by rocky cliffs and cliffs, tall and evergreen oaks as well as sycamore, alder and cottonwood trees dot the landscape. Streams of fresh spring water flow down the mountains before entering the ground or flowing into the ocean.

I personally can’t say I’m a huge Chaplin fan. I’m familiar with his iconic character, the wonderful, mustachioed Tramp. Who isn’t? I’ve probably seen a few of his movies on Turner Classic Movies. After watching the 1992 Chaplin biopic, starring Robert Downey Jr., I realized the man himself wasn’t all that great. But Chaplin’s influence on cinema can’t be overlooked. He was a visionary who helped take cinema to the next level.

When I stayed at the Chaplin Cabin my first night, I picked up a well-researched article on Paradise Springs by Justin Chapman that I found on the coffee table. I'm surprised such hedonistic centers aren't more famous or featured in movies like Mank or Babylon. The real-life stories were wild. Apparently, during one particularly crazy brawl in the '20s, a buffalo from the Paradise Springs Zoo on site was shot in the middle of the ballroom. Ah, old Hollywood.

Turns out the name Chaplin Cabin is a bit of a misnomer. The silent movie greats often stayed there, in fact it was owned by actor Noah Beery, who, along with his younger brother Wallace (who won a Best Actor Oscar for The Champ at the 1931 Academy Awards), played vaudeville before moving to Hollywood. He was well-known on the circuit. The brothers had contracts with companies like Paramount and MGM. Noah often played villains in silent movies.

The Missouri-born siblings, who were financially backed by wealthy luminaries like Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Will Rogers, purchased 165 acres in Fenner Canyon from Pasadena lawyer Lewis Luckel. With a vision of turning it into the ultimate vacation retreat for Tinseltown's elite, they built several cottages, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a ballroom with a stage big enough for a 22-piece orchestra and a dance floor where he could twirl the buffalo.

In 2017, Huttopia — already popular in Europe — purchased the property, which ironically had served as a sinless Christian camp for decades, after the Berry brothers ran out of cash. Huttopia owners Celine and Philippe Bosan are thrilled by the land's natural beauty and charming backdrop. Huttopia Paradise Springs officially opens in 2021 and is expanding with more spaces and amenities each season. The Chaplin Cabin is the latest addition.