It is a place for bridge or for reading, watching TV, tending the plants. Some evenings the crowd pitches in for a potluck dinner using Faye's kitchen. There is the little feeling of a congregate living facility. That's because familiarity prevails. Rooms that were small and plain have now been reconfigured so that from 27 there are now 16 units, some with two bedrooms and some with one, but all with private baths.
Venetian blinds give privacy to rooms that open onto the lobby.
Some have floor fans. El Patio is the only remaining in-town hotel, and the only of those that in the Twenties gave Venice its upscale reputation. The liveliness at El Patio reflects Faye's own life-style1 Active and vivacious, she competes around the world as a gold medallist on the ballroom dance circuit. During the season she gets out evenings to dance, and her guests go out as well for everything from aerobics to knitting clubs and lectures at the Civic Center. When the season's at its peak, it's like a giant three-month party among the guests.