Los Angeles - BedConway Contributors

		Bachelor Pad You might remember the Terranea Resort as where Jason and Molly from Season 13 of The Bachelor held their over-the-top wedding. If you missed the show, don't miss the resort — perched on a jagged cliff and as close to the ocean as any Los Angeles-area hotel. This sprawling property opened in fall 2009 as a classic Southern California resort with an exotic Mediterranean touch. Only 20 miles south of LAX in Rancho Palos Verdes, Terranea seems a world away with its world-class spa, two miles of mountainous hiking trails, and the highly touted stand-alone restaurant mar'sel. Fine fare from its on-site herb and vegetable garden is best enjoyed while sitting on the terrace, warmed by a fire pit, and gazing out at Catalina Island — dramatic for sure, even without The Bachelor. 100 Terranea Way 310-265-2800 www.terranea.com

		Beautiful Downtown Burbank The Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport is not only spunky and swanky but innovative. Sliding glass doors take the lobby outdoors, brightened by natural light and chartreuse upholstered furniture. There, business types convene for al fresco conferences and to take advantage of the Southern California sun and the opportunity to close business deals. This hard-to-believe airport hotel (directly across the street from the Bob Hope Burbank Glendale Airport) is also remarkable for its friendly yet professional staffers, abundance of punchy colors (like a wall of illuminated red glass behind the front desk), and a grand entrance so snazzy you'll swear you've arrived at a big-time Hollywood resort. 2500 Hollywood Way 818-843-6000 www.marriott.com

		A Nice Vice With its 18-foot check-in desk, the reception area of the Viceroy Santa Monica demonstrates just how grand yet stylish this ultimate urban retreat directly across from the Pacific Ocean can be. The same is true of the dramatic lobby, which welcomes you to put up your feet on a white leather chaise. Outside, two plunge pools afford twice the opportunity to catch some rays, while several cabanas offer shade in the same scenic location. Other awesome amenities at this unique boutique hotel: luxurious in-room spa treatments (including a complete Red Carpet makeover) and the sizzling Cameo Bar, a mid-century modern fantasyland for fun libations and the chance to make the scene with local partiers, visiting celebrities, and your fellow hotel guests. 1819 Ocean Ave. (310) 260-7500 www.viceroysantamonica.com

		Gastro-Rock Only a big stretch of sand stands between you and the sea at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, where the mouth-dropping bi-level lobby extends beyond the scattering of conversational fire pits to the great outdoors. Inside, lanky palms reach toward the ceiling, while a huge poolside hot tub beckons year-round. Other benefits of the beauteous Loews include an ambitious staff, ocean-view rooms, a pet-friendly policy, and an alluring lobby-side restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows and its own fire pit for yet another unobstructed view of the majestic Pacific. 1700 Ocean Ave. (310) 458-6700 www.loewshotels.com

		Dig the Fig It’s tradition for stars to stay at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, with such famous residents as Greta Garbo in the 1920s, Jean Harlow in the 1930s, and Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s. But the star du jour is a 123-year-old, 80-ft.-tall Moreton Bay fig tree that stands proud just inside the hotel’s gates. Today’s guests — famous and not so famous — cherish this Santa Monica refuge and former Senator’s mansion for its panoramic Pacific views and luxurious lobby of rich woods and limestone flooring. Then there’s the vast variety of room styles. For an ultimate treat, book a bi-level garden bungalow, if only to raid the minibar’s wide selection of private wines to enjoy while taking in an unobstructed view of a dramatic sunset slowly dissolving into the sea. Discerning gourmands will dig FIG, the on-site bistro featuring seasonal products directly from the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Choose the communal table for sharing travel tales while whetting your appetite on starters from the highly touted restaurant’s cheese and charcuterie bar. 101 Wilshire Blvd. (310) 576-7777 www.Fairmont.com/santamonica

		New Hollywood The recipient of a $25 million-plus overhaul, the once merely functional Sheraton Universal (adjacent to the studio) has now — after 40 years — finally earned its title “Hotel of the Stars.” The new look is classy, yet hip. It’s modern, but not extreme, favoring a deep brown-on-white motif with soft blue trim and bold furniture. The main lobby's large, glowing bar is where movietown movers and shakers take refuge. 333 Universal Hollywood Dr. (818) 980-1212 www.sheratonuniversal.com

		Counting Sheep Little Bo Peep would feel right at home. Those facing layovers at LAX can get that cozy feeling at the nearby and new Custom Hotel, where the lobby offers sheep-shaped stools to rest yourself after a long flight. Equally out of the ordinary are the tube socks, neon-pink tape and model airplanes in the mini-bar. In addition to its hip quirks, this boutique hotel offers a good night's sleep at affordable rates (starting at a $149-a-night Park & Fly special) with a sweet view of the L.A. skyline. Best of all, you and your flock baa-rely have to leave the airport. And it's pet-friendly. 8639 Lincoln Blvd., Los Angeles 310-645-0400 www.customhotel.com *Confidential Deal: Get two free drink coupons and 15% off Custom Hotel’s BAR (best available rate) when you present this article.*

		Pacific Package With most of its 18 stories serving up views of Santa Monica harbor, The Huntley has it all: location, luxury lodging, spa and restaurant, to say nothing of a recent $18-million renovation, which also included the Presidential Suite (available for $1,800 a night). The New York Times calls this "a destination hot spot." Rooms with a Pacific vista go for under $300, which includes spa access. (Among those who've accessed it: Sarah Jessica Parker.) Zingy cocktails are available in the Penthouse restaurant, which also offers four-star stargazing. The secret is to arrive early (say, 6-ish), when you won't need a dinner reservation. 1111 2nd St., Santa Monica 310-394-5454 www.thehuntleyhotel.com

		Bed, Breakfast, Bear Someone's been sleeping in every one of the 14 bedrooms at Santa Monica's Channel Road Inn - and will still be there when you check into your room. And who's been sleeping in your bed? A teddy bear. The back story: Four sisters grew up in the present-day Green Gables Inn in Pacific Grove and would always leave their stuffed animals in plain view on the beds. When the girls were still teens, they began welcoming summer guests, who took a liking to the stuffed dolls. This seasonal vocation grew into a year-round business, and the Four Sisters chain scooped up 10 other West Coast properties - and the signature teddy bears have spent the night in each of them to this day. In Santa Monica, the inn is less than a half-mile from the Pacific. And you can take the bear home - or swimming. 219 W. Channel Road 310-459-1920 www.channelroadinn.com

		Come on Down! A favorite of Price Is Right hopefuls, given that CBS Television City is right across the street (as is such other tourist favorites as Farmers Market and The Grove outdoor shopping mall), unconfirmed legend holds that the TV show's longtime host Bob Barker was the one who built this hotel. The Beverly Center, a veritable Shangri-La for shoppers is also nearby, and the Farmer's Daughter has recently undergone a multi-million-dollar renovation - growing from just a modest hideaway motel into a modern-day home-away-from-home with tongue-in-cheek rural details. Where else does one find a denim bedspread — and, yes, the price is right. 115 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles 800-334-1658 www.farmersdaughterhotel.com

		Find Your Zen It's telling that downtown Los Angeles's Japanese district is called "Little Tokyo," for it is nearly as cramped and vertical as its namesake original. But there is an escape - really, an escape within an escape. The new, 21-story Kyoto Grand Hotel & Gardens boasts a "Garden in the Sky," with cascading waterfalls, soothing ponds and scenic flora amid its bamboo-shaded alcoves. Situated on a third-story terrace, this eye-pleasing half-acre also features an on-site spa that provides shiatsu massage and facial treatments. The hotel itself offers business-friendly guestrooms with work desks, 3 multi-line phones, laptop-compatible safes, complimentary weekday newspapers and high-speed Internet access, for when you're not in the garden. 120 South Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles 888-354-0831 www.kyotograndhotel.com

		Golf and Gulf Just add water, and play. Once a favorite desert hideaway for the likes of Bob Hope, and Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the luxurious Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa has, after a more than 60-year history, added a pair of 100-ft. waterslides, pool and sandy beach, a lazy river, and tot-sized fountains and sprinklers - and calls those two acres Splashtopia. Still available to the adults while the kids get wet: the spa, as well as golf and tennis. 41-000 Bob Hope Dr., Rancho Mirage 866-423-1195 www.rancholaspalmas.com

		Eternal Beauty Every grande dame can use a little touch-up, and the iconic Millenium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles is no exception. Over its 85 years, this Beaux-Arts wonderland has enjoyed many an overhaul, emerging each time as the showplace it is (listed as an Historical Cultural Landmark). The glam lobby is a great place to start. Formerly the hotel's Music Room, this massive space — with its ornate marble fountain and intricate inlaid carpet — was the scene for fashionable tea dances in the 1930s. Fifty years later it served as the backdrop for the Ghostbusters movies. And today, this is still a great place for a good night's rest. 506 South Grand Ave. 213-624-1011 www.millenniumhotels.com

		Party on the Strip The Andaz claims its rooftop pool is West Hollywood’s highest. Maybe that’s why Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant once stood on its balcony — back when the building was known as the “Riot House” — and declared, “I am a Golden God!” Fresh off a $48 million makeover, the rooms are classy yet quirky — with a silhouetted palm tree painted on one wall, and “California … knows how to party” emblazoned on a window overlooking the Sunset Strip. Each room key has its own adjective (we got to choose between “creative” and “unforgettable”), and the room comes with a vinyl album (but alas, no record player). Call the place endearingly pretentious, a cool reflection of the La La Land world strutting just outside the lobby. 8401 Sunset Blvd. (323) 656-1234 www.westhollywood.hyatt.com