Road Trippin' California

Description:

Hotel Angeleno, a Joie de Vivre Boutique Hotel is set at the crossroads of Brentwood and Bel-Air, 1 mile from UCLA and 7 miles from Hollywood. Guestrooms have complimentary wireless Internet access, work station with ergonomic chair, and laptop-size safes. Other amenities include an outdoor heated pool surrounded by a patio with fireplace, fitness center, restaurant, and lounge.

Description:

Stylish, business-friendly Silicon Valley accommodations

• Located near three major freeways, this 91-room boutique hotel is within 7 miles of Shoreline Amphitheatre and Great America.

• The rooms have complimentary high-speed Internet access, stylish furniture and a variety of low-tech toys.

• Guests can unwind before or after meetings by listening to music in the Hi-Fi Lounge or by soaking in the hot tub.

Description:

The Wild Palms Hotel in Sunnyvale, California features a vibrant Mediterranean ambience, with two spectacular courtyards and guestrooms decorated in colorful bungalow stylings. The hotel's island atmosphere is highlighted by lush tropical landscaping, exquisite mosaics, dramatic murals, and handcrafted furnishings. Surrounding the pool and hot tub, office cabanas and Soleil Lounge create the ideal environment for work and play. Wild Palms Hotel is a non-smoking hotel.

Description:

• This boutique hotel offers the feel of a private villa amid the quiet charm of historic downtown Los Gatos.

• Oversized rooms feature premium bedding; large, tiled bathrooms; and windows that open to courtyard and mountain views.

• Sophisticated service is provided via signature amenities including a Preston Wynne day spa.

Description:

This SoMa neighborhood hotel is ideal in summer and early fall months with its courtyard, sun deck, and a heated outdoor pool, that rises above the busy city streets and radiates a resort feeling. The architecture is a contemporary Mediterranean style that looks as if belongs in Southern California. Affordable, comfortable, and filled with amenities, it is recommended for its central location that provides easy access to the downtown business district and the city's tourist attractions.

Description:

Enjoy the maximum in convenience and comfort at this exquisitely renovated 1911 hotel that boasts a stunning black marble facade. Two blocks from Financial District, Union Square and Chinatown, this restored gem is the perfect place to relax after a busy day. The rooms are elegantly appointed with Old World charm and modern conveniences. Business travelers will appreciate the attentive support staff and office amenities.

Description:

Our local hip-hotel company, Joie de Vivre, revamped every one of this 1929 Spanish Revival hotel's 171 large, bright guest rooms in gorgeous modern style. They're real lookers, each with a walnut brown and mocha color palette and dark wood furnishings. Other plusses include firm mattresses, double-paned windows that open, quiet surroundings, voice mail, and plenty of elbowroom. Executive floors (7-16) also come with robes, upscale amenities, makeup mirrors, and stereos with iPod ports. Bathrooms are old but spotless, and have resurfaced tubs. Feel like splurging? Go for one of the two penthouse-level suites; one has lovely terraces with a New York vibe. Another good reason to stay here is the restaurant/bar Cortez, which draws a lively crowd of locals who meet here after work to nosh on small plates in the groovy lounge. Tip: Rooms above the eighth floor have good, but not great, views of the city.

Description:

If you're looking for wonderfully cheap, attractive, and clean accommodations and don't mind being in the gritty center of the city, book a room here. The Joie de Vivre hotel group is behind this 163-room hotel that was built in 1927 and revamped in May 2004 in "global vintage" decor. The interior design is globally eclectic, with travel photographs from the American Himalayan Foundation, tribal figurines, Oriental rugs, a vibrant sari-like color scheme, imported hand-painted Moroccan tables, and cool Lucite-beaded table lamps in the guest rooms. Outside, the neighborhood is drab, but it's only a 7-block walk to Union Square, and with doubles starting at a mere $93, you can splurge for a taxi with the money saved. Or stick nearby and try Saha, their Arabian-fusion restaurant (think hummus, pizza, Yemenese meatballs, and seared scallops), which serves breakfast and dinner. Heck, they even throw in a complimentary evening wine hour in the lobby.

Description:

The cheeriest motel in town is located just 2 blocks off the Marina District's bustling section of Lombard. Three-level Hotel del Sol is all about festive flair and luxury touches. The sunshine theme extends from the Miami Beach-style use of vibrant color, as in the yellow, red, orange, and blue exterior, to the heated courtyard pool, which beckons the youngish clientele as they head for their cars parked (for free!) in cabana-like spaces. This is also one of the most family-friendly places to stay, with a "Kids are VIPs" program, including a family suite (three adjoining rooms with bunks and toys); a lending library of kids' books, toys, and videos; childproofing kits; three rooms that have been professionally baby-proofed; bonded babysitting services; evening cookies and milk; and pool toys; and sunglasses and visors for the young ones. Fair-weather fun doesn't stop at the front door of the hotel, which boasts 57 spacious rooms (updated with all new bedding, paint, carpets, drapes, and sofas in 2006) with equally perky interior decor (read: loud and colorful) as well as unexpected extras like CD players, Aveda products, and tips on the town's happenings and shopping meccas. Suites...

Description:

All the best features of California and Japan are melded together at this serenely elegant Japantown high rise. The Hotel Kabuki offers fabulous amenities and services, all in a very Asian setting which aims to relax the weary traveler. Choose from Western- or Japanese-style rooms, the latter featuring futons and traditional Japanese bathrooms including a soaking tub. Shopping and sightseeing are minutes away. Let Kabuki's personable staff help you plan your day full of shopping, sightseeing, and exploring throughout San Francisco.

Description:

Petite Auberge, a "small inn," welcomes guests to a world of French provincial enchantment. The inn's 26 intimate guest rooms boast inviting beds, carved armoires and many with fireplaces. Petite Auberge is located just up the hill from Union Square and Chinatown and less than two blocks from our famous cable cars - within walking distance to the best restaurants and theaters. Honeymooners might want to select the "Petite Suite" with its private deck, hand painted king bed, spa tub, champagne and chocolates.

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Description:

The White Swan Inn is a splendid tribute to the luxury hotels of England. Rich floral carpets, comfortable furniture covered with elegant fabrics and enchanting English art and collectibles set the tone. With 26 guestrooms and 30 fireplaces the inn exudes warmth and serenity in the midst of a busy city. The inn is located just up the hill from Union Square and Chinatown and less than two blocks from our famous cable cars - within walking distance to the best restaurants and theaters.

As seen on

Description:

If you don't mind being out of the downtown area, this hip hotel is one of the most tranquil and affordably high-style places to rest your head. Tucked just beyond the southernmost tip of the Presidio and Pacific Heights, the outside is nothing impressive -- just another motor inn. And that's what it was until the Joie de Vivre hotel company breathed new life into the place. Now decor is très chic and modern, with Zen-like influences (think W Hotel at half the price). The rooms, some of which have excellent city views, are smartly designed and decorated in the style of a contemporary studio apartment. The continental breakfast is fine, but why bother when you're across the street from Ella's, which serves San Francisco's best breakfast? Other thoughtful touches: 24-hour coffee and tea service, pet-friendly rooms, a CD and video lending library, and indoor parking. There's also great shopping a block away at Sacramento Street; and the new and hip G Bar, which serves libations and a surprisingly active slice of glamorous young Pacific Heights-style revelry.

Description:

Located on one of the most sought-after blocks of residential property in all of San Francisco, the Drisco, built in 1903, is one of the city's best small hotels. Refinements by interior designer Glenn Texeira (who also did the Ritz-Carlton in Manila) are evident from the very small lobby and sitting areas to the calming atmosphere of the cream, yellow, and green guest rooms. As in the neighboring mansions, traditional antique furnishings and thick, luxurious fabrics abound here. The hotel's comfy beds will make you want to loll late into the morning before primping in the large marble bathrooms, complete with robes and slippers. Each suite has a couch that unfolds into a bed (although you would never guess from the looks of it), an additional phone and TV, and superior views. A 24-hour coffee and tea service is available on the ground floor, in the same comfy rooms where breakfast is served. If you're arriving by car, however, you may not want to stay here as there is no hotel parking.

Description:

Perched at the foot of the Embarcadero with outstanding waterfront and Bay Bridge views from east-facing rooms, this 199-unit hotel opened in early 2005 to instant popularity. In addition to its prime location across from the Ferry Building Marketplace, Hotel Vitale looks pretty darned chic, from the clean-lined lobby, lounge, and decent but not destination-worthy Americano restaurant (with a hopping after-work bar scene), to the modern and masculine rooms awash in earth tones and armed with contemporary perks like flatscreen TVs, CD players with groovy compilations, gourmet minibars and for-sale bath products, huge bathrooms with walk-in showers, and nature-themed pop art. Despite excellent service from the well-trained staff, there are a few subtleties that separate Vitale from true luxury hotel status: For example, my fancy flatscreen TV didn't face the bed or the couch and wasn't on hinges that allowed it to be adjusted -- very annoying -- and the fitness room is flat-out lame with three cardio machines and a few weights. However, they're now offering complimentary access to the nearby YMCA health club, which has all the workout essentials. So, if you can live with a few quirks,...

Description:

Joie de Vivre, the most creative hotel group in the city, is the brains behind this cleverly restored historic building, a restoration that was inspired by the San Francisco art and literary salons of the 1920s and '30s. JDV kept some of the imported furnishings and the European boutique hotel ambience, but gave the lobby and rooms a major face-lift, adding the decorative flair that makes its hotels among the most popular in town. The clublike lobby lounge is modeled after a 1920s literary salon and is, like all the group's properties, cleverly stylish. (They even host jazz artists Fri 6-8pm.) The guest rooms are above average in size, decorated with custom wall coverings, hand-painted lampshades, and works by local artists. If you have one of the rooms in the back, you'll look out over a shady, peaceful courtyard. It's also in a great location, situated near several fine galleries, theaters, and restaurants.

Description:

Make your next trip to San Francisco a trip to Japan...stay at the Best Western Hotel Tomo, one of the city's nicest and reasonably priced small hotels. When you step out the door, you will step into a colorful Japanese village with gift shops, bookstores, kimono shops, trendy fashion boutiques, Japanese baths, sushi bars, markets and 30 restaurants (Japanese, Chinese, Korean and American) making the neighborhood one of the city's most exciting places. And that's not all. The Best Western Hotel Tomo is ideally situated in the heart of San Francisco. The renowned Union Square shopping district is just 1 mile east of us, to the north is the Golden Gate Bridge, to the west is the Golden Gate Park and the ocean, and to the south is the Davies Symphony Hall, the War Memorial Opera House and the City Hall. Fillmore Street with its popular boutiques, cafés, and clubs is just a few blocks away, and Chinatown, the famed cable cars, and St. Mary's Cathedral also are nearby. The Best Western Hotel Tomo is easy to reach by car, airport shuttle or public transportation. Three municipal bus lines stop within ½ block of the Best Western Miyako Inn and provide excellent service throughout the city. read more