SeeCalifornia.com

Sometimes you have to pay a little bit more to get the best–if you are particular about your sleeping arrangements and routine, you may find that stepping up to a top-ranked hotel or resort makes all the difference. Conference planners on a budget don’t always book 5 Diamond hotel rooms but they certainly look for the qualities and characteristics that the top notch resorts offer. Pictured above are severalCalifornia 5 Diamond Hotels and Resorts.  20 hotels in California made the 5 Diamond list in 2013.  One city (Beverly Hills) lives up to its reputation for luxurious living and vacations, having four of the top-awarded resorts in their city.  3 out of 4 of these properties don’t have rooms available for today, according to their website booking tools.

5 Diamond Hotels  lowest priced room available July 24, 2013 (from each hotel’s website)
BEVERLY HILLS  L’Ermitage Beverly Hills – Room not available
Montage Beverly Hills – Room not available
The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows $540
The Peninsula Beverly Hills – Room not available
CARLSBAD Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa  $259
DANA POINT St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach; The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel $595
HALF MOON BAY The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay  $575
LA JOLLA  The Lodge at Torrey Pines $405
LAGUNA BEACH  Montage Laguna Beach   $695
MARINA DEL REY The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey  Room not available for July 24, 2013
NEWPORT BEACH  The Resort at Pelican Hill  $595
OJAI Ojai Valley Inn & Spa $389
SAN DIEGO The Grand Del Mar $445
SAN FRANCISCO The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco $555
SANTA BARBARA Four Seasons Biltmore Santa Barbara $495
TRUCKEE The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe  $289
WESTLAKE VILLAGE Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village  $260