PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Still near the top of L.A.'s coveted \"in\" list is this über-chic hotel on the sea side of Santa Monica. Of course, part of being \"in\" is breaking new ground, and that's certainly what designer Kelly Wearstler has achieved with her \"Modern Colonialism\" makeover. It's the startling color scheme that first grabs your attention as you enter the lobby -- a rather unorthodox blend of parrot green, driftwood gray, and wave-crest white with chrome, silver, and ebony highlights. Then there's the dish thing: hundreds of custom-made china arranged in symmetrical patterns throughout the hotel and guest rooms. (Where's The Who when you really need them?) The array of white patent-leather chaises in the lobby seems more for form than function; most guests prefer more conventional seating in the Cameo bar or private poolside cabanas. The edgy-English theme is applied to each guest room as well, along with an array of high-tech toys (27-in. flatscreen TV, another flatscreen TV in the marble-laden bathrooms, a CD/DVD player, and T1 Internet access), custom-made furnishings, and luxuries such as Miscioni linens and bathrobes, Thyme products, and down comforters and pillows. The Viceroy's restaurant, Whist, serves superb contemporary cuisine. You'll enjoy the location as well -- a short walk to the beach and in the thick of the shopping, entertainment, and restaurant scene. Full spa services are offered either in-room or at the poolside spa tent. Tip: Splurge for an oceanview room; your only other choice is the hotel parking lot.

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

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