Best Boutique Hotel

Holy deluxe, Batman, what a B&B! Beautifully decorated rooms laden with antiques, breakfast in bed if you desire, wine and cheese in the magnificent lobby every afternoon -- what could possibly be better? A great escape without going far, this French Empire-style mansion turned 10-room hotel was built at the turn of the 20th century as a home for the archbishop of San Francisco (do they all really take a vow of poverty?) and is imposing inside and out. Crystal chandeliers grace the ceilings, tapestries adorn the walls, and the oval, leaded-glass dome above the grand stairway is to die for. Across from the northeast corner of Alamo Square, and in the shadow of the much-photographed Victorians known as the Painted Ladies, the place isn't on anyone's bargain list. Rooms go for $250 and up. But some things are worth paying for.