Gaslamp Plaza Suites

Description:

• You can't get closer to the center of the vibrant Gaslamp Quarter than this restored Edwardian beauty. Built in 1913, its 11 stories made it San Diego's first skyscraper. Crafted (at great expense) of Australian gumwood, marble, brass, and exquisite etched glass, the splendid building originally housed San Diego Trust & Savings. Various other businesses (jewelers, lawyers, doctors, photographers) set up shop here until 1988, when the elegant structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and reopened as a boutique hotel. Timeless elegance abounds, from the wide corridors to the guest rooms furnished with European flair. Most rooms are spacious and offer luxuries rare in this price range, like pillow-top mattresses and premium toiletries; microwaves and dinnerware; and impressive luxury bathrooms. Beware of the cheapest rooms on the back side -- they are uncomfortably small (although they do have regular-size bathrooms) and have no view. The higher floors boast splendid city and bay views, as do the rooftop patio and breakfast room. And despite noise-muffling windows, don't be surprised to hear a hum from the street below when things gets rockin' on the weekends.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2009
•  Highly Recommended 2010