Andrew’s House from “Hidden Away”

Hidden Away Andrew's House (8 of 9)

Ah yes, another Hidden Away locale.  I promise this is the last one!  Despite the fact that the 2013 Lifetime Original Movie was laughably bad, I became obsessed with tracking down all of its locations, mainly due to the fact that it was lensed for the most part in Palm Springs.  (You can read my various Hidden Away posts here, here and here.)  One spot that I was fairly certain was not in the Coachella Valley, though, was the supposed Spokane, Washington-area home where Andrew (Ivan Sergei) lived in the flick.  So I set about searching for it in L.A.

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I got really lucky with this hunt.  In one of the movie’s earlier scenes, an address of “203 Vera” was visible on the front of Andrew’s house.  My initial reaction was that it had to be fake.  I mean, it couldn’t really be that easy, could it?  I did a Google search for “203 Vera,” regardless, and, sure enough, was met with results for a residence in Malibu with an address of 203 Vera Canyon Drive.  It turned out to be the right place.

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I wound up stalking it back in June, shortly after grabbing lunch with the Grim Cheaper at Malibu Café at Calamigos Ranch.  When we pulled up to the residence, I was shocked to discover that it was actually part of Calamigos Ranch!  As I mentioned in my recent post about the ranch, the place is a very popular wedding venue, and dotted throughout the property are cottages that can be rented by wedding guests.  Andrew’s house from Hidden Away is one of those cottages.

Hidden Away Andrew's House (6 of 9)

Hidden Away Andrew's House (4 of 9)

In real life, the residence, which was built in 1988, is much larger than it appears to be from the street.  The pad boasts five bedrooms, three baths and 3,590 square feet of living space.

Hidden Away Andrew's House (2 of 9)

Hidden Away Andrew's House (7 of 9)

In Hidden Away, the cottage is where Alexandra (Emmanuelle Vaugier) lived before she moved to Palm Springs and changed her identity in order to escape Andrew, her abusive husband.  Despite being located in the ‘Bu, the place does have a very Pacific Northwest-feel to it and it is not very hard to see why producers chose to use it in the movie.

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Hidden Away Andrew's House (1 of 9)

The house, which is extremely picturesque, looks pretty much exactly the same in person as it did in Hidden Away.

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Hidden Away Andrew's House (5 of 9)

I am 99% certain that the real life interior of the cottage was also used in the filming, but, unfortunately, I could not find any interior photographs of the place with which to verify that hunch.

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For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.  And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Hidden Away Andrew's House (3 of 9)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Andrew’s house from Hidden Away is located at 203 Vera Canyon Drive in Malibu.

The Open Houses from “Hidden Away”

Hidden Away Open Houses (10 of 17)

I know what you’re probably thinking after reading today’s title – she sure has stalked a lot of locations from a movie she professes not to have liked.  And you’re right.  But what can I say?  The fact that there are filming locales in my current hometown that have yet to be unearthed is like an itch that has to be scratched.  As I’ve said before, unknown locations are like kryptonite to this stalker.  Which is why I recently found myself searching for the two residences that real estate agent Alexandra (Emmanuelle Vaugier) was trying to sell in Hidden Away, the ridiculously terrible Lifetime Original Movie that first aired last July.

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The first open house scene appears towards the beginning of Hidden Away, as the flick jumps ahead ten years to show Alexandra, who has moved to Palm Springs and changed her identity in order to escape her abusive husband Andrew (Ivan Sergei), in her new life as a real estate agent.

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I tracked down the property thanks to an address number of 1075 that was visible on the curb in the scene.  From there, I searched blocks bearing addresses in the 1000-range near downtown Palm Springs, where I figured the residence was most likely to be located, and fairly quickly found the right spot at 1075 East Via Colusa in the Movie Colony neighborhood.

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In real life, the 1971 home features four bedrooms, four baths, a whopping 4,168 square feet of living space and a 0.38-acre plot of land.  It last sold in December 2001 for $900,000.

Hidden Away Open Houses (11 of 17)

Hidden Away Open Houses (13 of 17)

The second open house scene takes place the following day in the movie.  In it, a private investigator named Sloan (Melrose Place’s Thomas Calabro), who was hired by Andrew, crashes Alexandra’s latest listing in order to gain intel on her.

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Thankfully, an address number – of 1020 – was visible on the curb in this scene, as well.  Because it was also in the 1000-range, I had a hunch the property might be located close to the first open house.  So I did a quick Google search for 1020 East Via Colusa and, sure enough, it was the right spot!

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The home, which was built in 1974, boasts three bedrooms, two baths, 2,097 square feet and a 0.41-acre plot of land.  It last sold in March 2003 for $510,000.  Sadly though, not much of the place can be seen from the street.

Hidden Away Open Houses (1 of 17)

Hidden Away Open Houses (7 of 17)

The residence also pops up in a second scene in Hidden Away in which Alexandra’s partner, Lynn (Elisabeth Rohm), is kidnapped at gunpoint by Andrew.

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The interior of the house was used in the filming, as well.

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The backyard was also utilized, but it masqueraded as the backyard of the 1075 East Via Colusa home, oddly enough.

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As you can see, the shape of the pool and the large white gazebo of the backyard that appeared onscreen match those of the home at 1020 East Via Colusa, which is pictured below via aerial views.

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The backyard of the 1075 East Via Colusa home, which is pictured below, does not match the backyard featured in Hidden Away.

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For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.  And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Hidden Away Open Houses (5 of 17)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The first open house from Hidden Away is located at 1075 East Via Colusa in Palm Springs’ Movie Colony neighborhood.  The second open house is located across the street at 1020 East Via Colusa.

The “Hidden Away” House

Hidden Away House (1 of 6)

As I mentioned in my post about Azul Tapas Lounge, I was not a fan of the 2014 Lifetime Original Movie Hidden Away, which was filmed largely in Palm Springs.  I was a huge fan of the ultra-modern abode where the main character, Stephanie/Alexandra (Emmanuelle Vaugier), lived with her daughter, Rachel (Allie Gonino), in the flick, though, and became a bit fixated on tracking it down and stalking it.   And while I did manage to find the dwelling quite easily, because it is located inside of a gated community, I was only able to stalk the front gates and, unfortunately, never got to see the actual home in person.

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Tracking down the property was a quick endeavor thanks to this 2013 article, which stated that the home was located in Palm Springs’ Alta neighborhood, and the fact that the number “245” was visible on the exterior of the residence in several scenes.  From there I just looked at aerial views of all houses in the Alta community bearing that number and it wasn’t long before I found the place at 245 Patel Place.

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After faking her death to escape her abusive husband and collecting on her own $250,000 life insurance policy, Stephanie changes her name to Alexandra, flees to Palm Springs, and settles into the stunning modern-style home pictured below.  Now I realize that $250,000 is a considerable amount of money and, if invested wisely, could lead to an even more considerable amount, but I still found it a bit laughable that a woman who left everything behind and changed her identity could afford such a massive property.  (RealEstate.com currently estimates the home’s value at $1.485 million.) Plus, wouldn’t someone living on the run be trying to keep a low profile?

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The interior of the residence (which you can see photographs of here) was used quite extensively in the filming.  Shown onscreen were the entrance (the front door is uh-ma-zing!);

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kitchen;

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living room [that’s Alexandra’s abusive ex-husband, Andrew (Ivan Sergei), pictured below setting up cameras all over the house in order to spy on her];

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one of the bedrooms;

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and backyard.  As I said, the dwelling is absolutely stunning!

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In real life, the house, which was built in 2006, features 4,000 square feet of living space, four bedrooms, five baths, a gourmet kitchen, two dishwashers (because one is just never enough), a double oven, seven (!) plasma TVs, including a 50-inch outdoor screen, an infinity pool, a hot tub that can hold up to 14 people, two fire pits, an outdoor gas fireplace, an in-wall espresso machine (um, yes please!), and ten-foot “disappearing” sliding glass walls and doors.

Hidden Away House (3 of 6)

Hidden Away House (6 of 6)

Outside of the front gate, though, there isn’t a whole lot to see, sadly.

Hidden Away House (2 of 6)

Hidden Away House (4 of 6)

You can watch a YouTube video showing interior photographs of the house by clicking below and you can check out the residence’s vacation rental website by clicking here.  The pad currently rents for $1,300 to $2,000 a night!

For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.  And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Hidden Away House (5 of 6)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Alexandra and Rachel’s house from Hidden Away is located at 245 Patel Place in Palm Springs.  The home is inside of a gated community and is not visible from the street.

Azul Tapas Lounge from “Hidden Away”

Azul Tapas Lounge Hidden Away filming (11 of 14)

Last February, a film crew descended upon Palm Springs for 12 days to shoot the Lifetime Original Movie Hidden Away.  Sadly, I never got to witness any of the filming, but I read numerous newspaper articles about the production and stalked a few of the locations mentioned, including Azul Tapas Lounge.  Because we do not get the Lifetime channel, I was not able to watch the thriller (and I use that word loosely) until recently after it became available for download on iTunes.  Regrettably, I can’t say that Hidden Away was any good.  It was a bit painful to watch, truth be told.  Film critic Jackie K. Cooper had this to say in his review of the flick for the Huffington Post, “What do you do when it is Saturday night and there is no Sharknado on to scoff at?  Well you find something almost as idiotic and that is the Lifetime Original Movie Hidden Away.  Yes, this is a movie so ridiculous that it will make you laugh in spite of yourself.”  That’s a pretty spot-on analysis.  I did absolutely LOVE seeing my new hometown onscreen, though, and figured its locations were still blog-worthy, regardless.

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Azul Tapas Lounge, one of downtown Palm Spring’s most popular restaurants, is located inside of the General Telephone Building, which was originally constructed for the California Water & Telephone company in 1934.  The two-story Spanish Eclectic structure, which is a designated Palm Springs Historical Site, operated as a telephone switching center until 1984.  Today, both floors comprise Azul, a tapas restaurant that also serves American fare such as burgers, wraps and pizza.   There are even six different grilled cheese sandwich selections on the menu, as well as a build-your-own grilled cheese option with over forty different add-ons (think poblano peppers, basil pesto, and bacon) !  Um, count me in!

Azul Tapas Lounge Hidden Away filming (12 of 14)

Azul Tapas Lounge Hidden Away filming (9 of 14)

Azul’s crowning element, though, is its humongous outdoor patio, which is centered around a large bar and features glider-booths, aka covered, bench-style swings (LOVE!).

Azul Tapas Lounge Hidden Away filming (5 of 14)

Azul Tapas Lounge Hidden Away filming (6 of 14)

Azul has become something of a celebrity hot spot – well, for Palm Springs, anyway.  Bo Derek, Cloris Leachman and Jane Russell have all dined there in the past and, according to Fab Magazine, Carol Channing even threw her 90th birthday party at the eatery.  Hidden Away’s unit production manager Brian Nolan is also a fan of the restaurant, having hung out there during various trips to the desert, which is how it came to be used in the movie.  In a 2013 Palm Springs Life article, Nolan is quoted as saying,, “I knew for this movie we needed a location like this and we needed a cool restaurant, cool patio, coffee kind of scenario.  I called George [Kessinger, Azul’s owner] and he was completely open to it and very excited to have us.”

Azul Tapas Lounge Hidden Away filming (10 of 14)

Azul Tapas Lounge Hidden Away filming (7 of 14)

Azul was used three times, as three different restaurants, in Hidden Away.  The interior first popped up as the fictional Blasini’s, in the scene in which Brett (Sean Patrick Flanery) proposed to his girlfriend, Alexandra (Emmanuelle Vaugier).  Unbeknownst to Brett is the fact that Alexandra is actually named Stephanie and that she faked her death, as well as the death of her daughter, Rachel (Allie Gonino), ten years prior in order to escape her abusive husband, Andrew (Ivan Sergei).

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Azul’s interior was dressed with twinkle lights and large bamboo plants for the shoot and, in person, looks quite a bit different than it did onscreen.

Azul Tapas Lounge Hidden Away filming (2 of 14)

Azul Tapas Lounge Hidden Away filming (4 of 14)

For the exterior of Blasini’s, producers used an establishing shot of LG’s Prime Steakhouse, located at 255 South Palm Canyon Drive.   Unfortunately, I do not have any photographs of LG’s, so please excuse the Google Street View image below.

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The exterior of Azul was used for some filming, as well.  It popped up as the outside of the upscale eatery where Andrew first confronted Stephanie/Alexandra after tracking her down in Palm Springs.

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Interior filming for that scene took place at Tinto restaurant, which is located inside of The Saguaro Palm Springs Hotel.  Confused yet?  There’s more.  The exterior of The Saguaro appeared in Hidden Away, as wellI’ll save that information for a future post, though.

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Azul’s patio area later masqueraded as a coffee shop towards the end of Hidden Away, in the scene in which Alexandra told her best friend, Lynn (Law & Order’s Elisabeth Rohm), that she had faked her death and that her abusive ex-husband was now stalking her.  Andrew is not-surprisingly watching the two women from across the street, while playing with a cigarette lighter and contemplating how to do away with Lynn.  Like I said, it’s not a great movie.  Unless you’re familiar with Palm Springs and want to see the city onscreen, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it.

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For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.  And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Azul Tapas Lounge Hidden Away filming (14 of 14)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Azul Tapas Lounge, from Hidden Away, is located at 369 North Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs.