The Mosaic Hotel Beverly Hills Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Beverly Hills/Bel Air, Los Angeles, California

Lobby sports mosaic tile accents

Housed in a quaint, yellow four-story building just off Wilshire Boulevard, this 49-room Beverly Hills boutique offers up more personal -- and significantly cheaper -- lodging than some of the grand Beverly Hills superhotels like the Peninsula and Beverly Wilshire. Slightly pricier than other Beverly Hills boutiques, including (Maison 140 and Luxe Rodeo), the Mosaic bridges the gap between these boutiques and the extravagant mega-hotels. It has all the boutique charm and personal service you'd expect, along with added amenities you don't -- like a car to shuttle guests around within a three-block radius, pitchers of cucumber-infused water in the lobby, and a heated outdoor pool.

Mosaic plays its name out in the distinct brown, gold, and white mosaic tiles that accent lobby walls, as well as the bar table, and the curving restaurant banquette. Other itty-bitty boutiques, take note: The greeting area -- flowing from the lobby into mosaic-tiled enclaves separating the warmly lit bar and restaurant -- is a study on how to make a limited space look invitingly cozy instead of cramped and disjointed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the rooms. Standard rooms (called Deluxe) are noticeably small at 250 square feet and all of them are decorated in a considerably more staid fashion (the cheery gold and brown tile work of the lobby, now exchanged for muted tapestry prints). Top-of-the-line amenities like plush Frette spa robes and Bulgari toiletries help make up for the rooms' modest size. But if space is still a concern, book a Preferred Luxury Room -- these corner rooms cost around $50 more and offer about 30 to 50 more square feet of space (note: Rooms 302 and 402 are the biggest corner rooms). Or request a standard Deluxe Room with outdoor patio seating -- they don't cost more, but a lot of guests don't realize that.

The Mosaic's nightly rates run a bit higher than Maison 140's or Luxe Rodeo's, but Mosaic offers the extra aforementioned features, as well as a restaurant (which the Luxe has, but Maison lacks). Score a cheap nightly rate at the Mosaic, and you'll find that this diminutive yellow house packs a lot in for the price.

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The Mosaic is located just off Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, an enclave of wealthy living and luxury shopping on L.A.'s westside. It's about five blocks, and a few minutes' walk, from the high-end designer shops of Rodeo Drive.

• There's little nightlife in Beverly Hills; the Sunset Strip, the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard known for its cutting-edge rock clubs and night spots, is a 5- to 10-minute drive away.
• Santa Monica Beach is a 20- to 30-minute drive.
• A few miles, or about a 10- to 15-minute drive, to touristy Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame, and the celebrity footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre
• Universal Studios Hollywood, a movie-themed amusement park, is about 10 miles or a 25-minute drive.
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is about 16 miles away, a half-hour's drive in light traffic or more than twice as long in heavy traffic.

On-site restaurant, Hush, serves Californian fare.

While the one-computer business center and one-room fitness center are pretty standard for a small boutique hotel, the free car and pool with poolside service are rare treats. (Maison 140 guests have to use the pool at Avalon; Luxe Rodeo doesn't even have access to one.)

• Small, heated outdoor pool (open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.) only accommodates a max of 20 people, but you'll only see a few people out there at a time anyway; cabanas free, which is pretty unusual; poolside service with food and drinks from the restaurant.
• On-site Californian eatery, Hush, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner off the pool area.
• The current free fitness center is not the one described on the website, with "glass-chambered treadmills and a Wii fitness center"; plans to open that center have been put on hold. In the meantime, there's a small room in the basement a single Cybex treadmill, Arctrainer, LifeCycle bike, and a weight bench with free weights
• Guests can, if they wish, also visit the Sports Club/LA in Bevelry Hills, at a rate of $30 a day.
• Free car service, available on a first-come-first-served basis, will bring guests anywhere within a three-mile radius of the hotel from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (good for getting to and from Rodeo Drive).
• An armoire in the lobby houses the "business center," a single Dell computer and printer (there's no chair -- the porter has to bring one over every time a guest wishes to use the computer). It's not much, but it's a step up from what you get at the Thompson Beverly Hills or Maison (a laptop lying on the front desk or lobby coffee table).
• Free Wi-Fi throughout hotel
• Flat-screen TVs in rooms
• One pet less than 30 lbs. is allowed per stay for a $150 fee.
• Sports Activity Center on-site, with cardio equipment and weights
• Sports Club/LA is available to guests for $30 per day; located several blocks away