Luxury Lodging With Star Appeal

For those who may have forgotten their loved ones this Valentine’s Day, there is still time to plan a future romantic getaway. And you won’t even need to leave town. A number of hotel rooms here in L.A. are perfect for igniting the flames of passion.

For Tinseltown history and golden-age glamour, the Clarion Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel can’t be beat. Have a drink in the Art Deco lobby by the staircase where Bill “Bojangles” Robinson reportedly taught Shirley Temple how to tap dance.

Then check in and head upstairs to your Hollywood-themed suite--the Humphrey Bogart deluxe or the Marilyn Monroe room, where she is rumored to have stayed with hubby Arthur Miller. (The famous two-story Gable/Lombard love nest is currently occupied by the hotel owner.) Spend the day soaking in the hotel pool, decorated by L.A. artist David Hockney.

“The property has a lure because of its history,” says the hotel’s marketing director, Tony Chawla.

Rates: $149 to $399 a night. Hotel Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, (323) 466-7000.

Another Hollywood haunt is the infamous Cha^teau Marmont. Grace Kelly, Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, Dominick Dunne, Helena Christensen, David LaChapelle and Courtney Love are a few celebs who have stayed at the hotel (or had romantic trysts there), since it opened in 1929. The two-bedroom penthouses have an amazing view of Sunset Boulevard, plus a living room and kitchen area. The poolside cottages and hillside bungalows have a more relaxed feel, and some have private gardens. Penthouses, bungalows and cottages, $350 to $1,900 a night. Cha^teau Marmont Hotel, (323) 656-1010.

For B&B; fans, the Channel Road Inn in Santa Monica is “a little piece of New England in L.A.,” according to associate innkeeper Christine Marwell. The 14-room home was built in 1910 for the family of Thomas McCall and is a rare West Coast example of Colonial Revival architecture.

Suite No. 6, in the back of the house, has a pencil-post canopy bed and two-person spa. Or choose one of the smaller rooms and use the outdoor garden spa. The inn has bicycles for exploring the nearby ocean path, after which you can enjoy afternoon tea or a glass of California wine in front of the living-room fireplace. Rates: $125 to $275 a night. Channel Road Inn, (310) 459-1920.

The Beach House is a hotel of ocean loft suites right on the Strand and the sand in Hermosa Beach. Each penthouse unit has a spectacular view of the waves, a private balcony for sunning, a sitting area, a fireplace, two televisions, a mini-kitchen and one spa. Wander over to the Rajin’ Cajun Cafe on Pier Avenue or shop the low-key antiques stores in this sleepy beach town, where, hotel spokeswoman Kelly Cutrone says, “you can go all weekend without running into one of your friends.” Rates: $199 to $299 a night. Beach House, (310) 374-3001.

Travel to more exotic ports with the New Otani Hotel’s “Japanese Experience.” The package includes one night in the Japanese suite, which has a sitting room with Shoji screens, a bedroom with a platform futon bed and a bathroom with whirlpool tub and sauna. Have a welcoming drink of sake before you slip into a cotton Yujata (a kimono you can keep) and head to the spa for a shiatsu massage. Saturday dinner and Sunday brunch are included. Rate: $599. New Otani Hotel, (213) 629-1200.

For those who have marriage on their minds, Catalina’s Seacrest Inn makes tying the knot easy with its “Isle of Romance” package. Included are two round-trip boat tickets to Catalina, a bride’s bouquet, champagne, two nights in a Victorian-style suite with whirlpool, a nondenominational wedding ceremony and a blood test. Rates: $580 to $680. Catalina Seacrest Inn, (310) 510-0800.