The Adolphus Hotel (1321 Commerce St., 214/742-8200, www.hoteladolphus.com, $239 d) is the best way to experience Dallas. This beautiful Baroque-style 1912 architectural gem from beer magnate Adolphus Busch welcomes visitors with an opulent lobby area, ornate furnishings, fancy bathrooms, flat-screen TVs, and excellent dining for a very reasonable price. Guest rooms—the hotel has 432 available—feature antique furnishings and separate sitting areas, as well as minibars and walk-in closets for those wishing to up-grade. Walls display European lithographs, and feather pillows, deep tubs, and brass-accented fixtures add to the hotel’s luxurious feel. Just to top things off, tea is served in the stately Lobby Living Room while beautiful music emanates from an authentic 1893 Victorian Steinway grand piano.

The Hotel Palomar (5300 E. Mockingbird Ln., 214/520-7969, www.hotelpalomardallas.com, $249 d) is pretty fancy but worth the extra money for the memorable experience. From the time you enter the spacious and impressive lobby, it’s evident this is a hotel that pays attention to details—color schemes, geometric patterns, and open atmospheres are prevalent themes throughout the entire building, including the nearly 200 guest rooms. The rooms offer DVD/CD players, 32-inch plasma televisions, minibars, marble bathroom vanities, and bathrobes. The hotel hosts complimentary evening wine hours and serves light fare in the lobby lounge; its restaurant Trader Vic’s was once a famous Polynesian spot where celebs such as Bob Hope, Kirk Douglas, and Mickey Mantle sampled the bar’s inventive cocktails.