HotelChatter

That said, the designers didn't haphazardly splash paint on the walls and come up with concepts that were out of touch with Casa del Camino's sense of tradition. This is a hotel where well-worn carpets, dark woods, and hammered tiles speak to its history and place in Laguna, so going the Philippe Starck route would've been a horrible call.

At the same time, the rooms were a good reflection of each individual designer and the companies they partnered with, and were wildly different while still staying true to Casa del Camino's overall feel. One minute, we were standing in Quiksilver's sexy, darkened suite with leather accents and a low bed, and the next a super-femme L*Space alcove with what looked like bikini rings as lampshades and lots of white linens.

The real standouts were those that managed to change the guest experience by experimenting with space, material, and threw out old rules of design. Riviera Magazine's suite could easily passed for a modern New York studio apartment, with cheeky accessories like an impaled Mickey Mouse hand and obscenity-printed dishes decorating the room. Work, living, and sleeping areas are creatively separated (a wall is placed at the room's entrance, for instance), so it loses that stodgy hotel feel.

We were also really impressed with Etnies' eco suite, with its skate-pool shaped sink and reclaimed headboard, and Billabong's playful take on surf design in their women's suite, complete with beach chairs you can take outdoors, and "grass" Flor tiles you could very well have a room service picnic on.

It's also worth mentioning that a portion of the room's proceeds go to specially-chosen charities, including Global Green and Invisible Children, and that this is only the beginning of changes to come at La Casa del Camino. While the ten rooms are a good jumping off point, we hope that any future renovations take a cue from the other designers, whether its Riviera's attention to architecture or Etnies' green-friendly bent.

As a final note, we noticed a pretty diverse clientele at the hotel, from a few small families to couples and young groups of friends at The Rooftop Lounge. We're not sure the steady buzz of activity makes the hotel ideal for a romantic getaway, if that's what you're looking for, but it's lively, fun, and definitely worth visiting to check out the Surf Project updates alone.