Click here to book accommodations at the Mission Inn.

From our very own Carolyn Faye Fox at The Improper Bostonian.

Sixty miles east of Los Angeles, in the heart of California’s Inland Empire, the sprawling city of Riverside isn’t exactly a hotbed of tourism…except for one remarkable place. Whether you’re an architecture buff, a spa devotee or a traveler who revels in the uniquely idiosyncratic, the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa will capture your attention and hold it for days on end.

For starters, this National Historic Landmark is the country’s largest Mission Revival-style building, taking up an entire city block. But there’s more than Mission going on here—original owner and developer Frank Miller was unconstrained by consistency, building wings in differing architectural styles and adding whatever details suited his taste. That’s why the row of flying buttresses along one side are merely Gothic decorative elements, instead of serving their usual structural function. Miller built the inn in stages, finishing the final Rotunda Wing in 1931, when Riverside was thriving as the birthplace of the California citrus industry and a destination for Hollywood celebrities and other notables; the Mission Inn was where they unpacked their trunks and stayed for months at a time.

Click here to book accommodations at The Oxbow Hotel.

Click here to book accommodations at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins – Top of the Mark.

From our very own Carolyn Faye Fox at The Improper Bostonian:

For more luxurious digs, check in to the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel, which has epitomized San Francisco hospitality since it opened its elegant doors in 1926. In the morning, there’s an exceptional breakfast buffet, including ethereal shrimp dim sum dumplings; at night, the Top of the Mark restaurant offers unrivaled panoramic views of the city, as well as an extensive cocktail list. It’s also convenient. Located atop Nob Hill at the crossing of three cable car lines, the hotel is a six-minute walk to Union Square and just a block from the Grace Cathedral, a landmark famous for its Ghiberti doors, stained glass, AIDS interfaith chapel and labyrinths.

Click here to book accommodations at the Stowe Mountain Lodge Resort.