Popular among locals for its rooftop bar and restaurant, the 18-story Huntley Hotel (movie buffs may remember it from a famed defenestration scene in the 1967 movie Point Blank) got an expert face lift in 2008. The quality of the work is due in no small part to Thomas Schoos, the German-born designer whose sensibilities are behind the local restaurants Citizen Smith, Koi, Wilshire and O-Bar. The black-and-white color palette and crisp modernist lines are playfully tweaked with rococo flourishes and naturalistic furnishings, such as fuzzy lamb's-wool pillows, a wall of swimming piranha sculptures and twisting sculptures that evoke marine plants and driftwood.

Most stunning is the Penthouse bar and restaurant. From the cabana-like booths, equipped with chandeliers and translucent white curtains, diners take in views of the city, the Santa Monica Mountains and the coastline from Palos Verdes Peninsula to Point Dume. (And those who don't get a window seat can still enjoy the best view in the house—from the ocean-facing windows in the restroom's large front stall.)

Drinkers and those seeking casual bar fare can sit in the fireside lounge or at the bar, with its centerpiece display of oversized candles. The menu includes plenty of seafood choices and seasonal produce, and the bar fare offers the usual small-plate suspects: cheese and charcuterie plates, flatbread, tacos, sliders. A glance at the garnish tray reveals that the Los Angeles cocktail craze is alive and well here: Next to the olives and lime slices are dried apricots, fresh grapes, kiwi slices and sprigs of thyme. And if an Aperol Smash or Thyme and Cucumber Amnesia won't do the trick, there's always a Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rose, or a pour from a venerable Napa red. As in all details, the Huntley offers a mix of contemporary and classic.

Amenities

• Executive business center
• Fitness facility
• Gift shop
• 24-hour concierge service
• Private chauffeur service
• Valet and laundry services
• Complimentary shoe shine
• Babysitting referral available
• Meeting facilities available
• 42-inch plasma television
• Wireless high-speed Internet
• DVD/CD player
• Bathrobes
• Mini bar
• Gilchrist & Soames bath amenities
• Nightly turn-down service
• Complimentary daily newspaper