Inspired by its surroundings, San Diego's Hotel Solamar has adopted a theme of "art lies within" to celebrate the local East Village art scene. The interiors, done in chocolate browns and pale blues, are breathtaking indeed. So are the panoramic views of downtown from Jbar, the hotel bar located on the fourth-floor pool's deck. And business travelers will find that the hotel lies an easy 1⁄2-mile walk to San Diego's convention center. When spring finally arrives, though, Padres fans may think less about art or business conventions than about baseball: The Solamar―which marks the first Southern California outpost of the San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group―is so close to Petco Park that you almost feel as if you're partying in your own box seat. ―Wendy O'Dea
INFO: Hotel Solamar (235 rooms and suites from $209; 435 Sixth Ave., San Diego; www.hotelsolamar.com or 877/230-0300)
