Andaz San Diego

Sure, the seaside is lovely, but it turns out that one of San Diego’s hippest hotels is a decidedly urban one: Andaz San Diego lies not on the beach but in the city’s Gaslamp quarter, a downtown district that’s known for its lively nightlife. In a former life this was the rather more risqué Ivy Hotel, and even now it’s one of the more dramatically stylish of the Andaz hotels, with a crisp modernist-influenced look to the rooms and vibrant colors and unusual contemporary artworks in many of the suites.

It’s an experience that’s greatly improved by the sort of professional service you can expect from Hyatt’s luxury-boutique brand, and the comforts are all in order, from Hyatt’s signature beds to the 46-inch televisions, plus see-through showers, an inheritance from the hotel’s earlier incarnation.

And the Andaz San Diego doesn’t just passively observe that famous Gaslamp nightlife — with an STK Steakhouse on the first floor and an expansive poolside bar on the rooftop (also featuring a menu by STK), it’s an active participant in the scene, and something of a downtown destination in its own right.