The US Grant, A Luxury Collection Hotel, San Diego

Lately San Diego has stepped up its act insofar as providing urbane boutique accommodations for a new, younger breed of sophisticated tourists, as well as the throngs of sun-seeking Midwestern convention-goers who make up a goodly part of the downtown action. The US Grant remains stalwartly indifferent to this current foray through its sheer historical gravity. Actually built by Ulysses S. Grant Jr. in 1910, this is one of those hotels that intended to put San Diego on the map, but instead created its own zip code. In short, it’s a Beaux Arts castle, rich in lore and fable, though thankfully not tweed or toile.

Thanks to an award-winning overhaul in 2006, and expert management by the Starwood Luxury Collection, the current incarnation of the Grant matches both the grandeur of the building and the globally seasoned traveler’s eye. Rooms and suites are supremely comfortable, finished in neutral colors with a punch of robin’s egg blue. On-site spa services add another level of luxury with a bevy of in-room treatments. To keep things from getting too sedate, the popular Grant Grill serves up a stylish atmosphere that’s perhaps a bit more Old Hollywood than new San Diego — here you’ll be put in mind more of Cary Grant than of old Ulysses.