The Varden Hotel (Long Beach, USA)

Very chic spot right in the center of downtown Long Beach with excellent proximity to stores, bars and restaurants. Clean, modern rooms with perfect amenities. Beds are of superior comfort with pillow top mattresses and high thread count linens. A private parking lot is just adjacent to the building with plenty of spaces (if full, try parking across the street in front of the building.) Front doors close around 9 pm and then guests can still enter with keys. Very quiet and serene - you'll catch up on some rest here!

Your comfort is actually a real priority for this staff! Reception greets you with warm, welcoming smiles and carries your bags to your room. Then they explain the agenda for the hotel, including the breakfast and wine schedules, and answer any questions you may have. (One guest went over to ask about purchasing a bottle of wine, and was given an entire bottle free - might not happen all the time, but that gives you an idea of their level of service!) They'll arrange taxis and rental cars for you, recommend restaurants as needed, and they don't mind hand-writing directions for you.

Free Wi-Fi, complimentary breakfast, and even wine-tasting hours in the evenings are all a bit hit with the guests.

Some were surprised at how small their room was; some are larger than others. Discuss square footage at booking if you like. Some of the bathrooms have a sliding door, which doesn't provide much privacy.

They carry your luggage for you, but the lack of elevators still annoyed some guests.

Some felt parking should be free, and disliked the small size and lack of monitoring of designated parking areas.