BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL

Where: Beverly Hills, California

The crowd: Aging screen beauties, Hollywood producers, and visiting New Yorkers in search of old-school glamour

How's the water? Swell—but the poolside cabanas are the main attraction. These Tinseltown icons have history: Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe once showed off their assets in them, and they're still prime territory for fledgling celebrity romances and power deals. The lower poolside cabanas are $225 per day; $100 for those farther from the action. Famous regulars request their favorites well in advance, confident that no embarrassing shots of cellulite will show up on the pages of Us Weekly, thanks to the hotel's tight security. Amenities include secluded sunning spots, private phone lines, and attendants with chilled towels. Chaise longues are on a first-come, first-served basis. And movie tunes are piped in through an underwater sound system.

Poolside tipple: Join the health-conscious with a fruit smoothie. You can always have a lunchtime Bloody Mary at the pool's Cabana Club Café.

The hotel: This place is stuck in the 1950s—and that's a good thing. Guests adore its unabashed old-school ways, from the chintzy decor to the classic food at the Polo Lounge. The 12 acres of landscaped gardens add to the fantastical, lost-in-time feel. Opt for one of the 21 bungalows, which continue the cabana theme on a larger scale: Liz honeymooned with six of her eight husbands here.

Beverly Hills Hotel
Tel: 310 276 2251
Doubles from $515

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