PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

The first style-conscious boutique hotel on the L.A. scene, this mid-20th-century-inspired gem in the heart of Beverly Hills still leads the pack. With a soothing sherbet-hued palette and classic atomic-age furnishings -- Eames cabinets, Heywood-Wakefield chairs, Nelson bubble lamps -- mixed with smart custom designs, every room looks as if it could star in a Metropolitan Home photo spread. But fashion doesn't forsake function at this beautifully designed hotel, which offers enough luxury comforts and amenities to please design-blind travelers, too. The property is comprised of the former Beverly Carlton (seen on I Love Lucy and once home to Marilyn Monroe and Mae West), as well as two neighboring 1950s-era apartment houses. The main building is the hub of a chic but low-key scene, but I prefer the quieter Canon building, where many of the units have kitchenettes and/or furnished terraces. No matter which one you end up in, you'll find a gorgeous, restful cocoon with terry bathrobes and Miscioni linens. You'll also have easy access to the sunny courtyard with its retro-hip amoeba-shape pool, the fitness room, and blue on blue, the groovy blue-hued restaurant and bar that shakes a terrific green apple martini. Service is friendlier than you'll find in other style-minded hotels. Note: I've received complaints of noisy pool parties that have kept guests up at night -- if you're a light sleeper, request a room away from the pool area.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Los Angeles 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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