HotelChatter

Highlights: There’s “not a bad view on the property,” which you can drink in from a private balcony. “Crammed with cozy furniture.” Wood-beamed ceilings feel like a “Tuscan country home.” Steep in “unapologetic luxury” with marble floors, glass-enclosed shower, and glass lamps imported from Italy. Room-service breakfast arrived hot and in 15 minutes, reports Times-er Geraldine Fabrikant. Plus, the resort has two Tom Fazio-designed golf courses, the self-boasted “largest circular saline pool in the world,” and a spa with 22 treatment rooms. And, the cherry on top: an ice cream parlor that serves a dozen flavors of gelato.

Lowlights: Well, it’s not actually located on the beach, for one thing. And, er, such extravagance costs a diamond-dusted penny (rooms start at $695, yikes, though it’s worth noting Fabrikant was able to get $200 lopped off that price merely by telling the reservationist that rate was beyond her means).

Bottom line: “Yes, every luxury is available,” writes Fabrikant. “Italian homes benefit from the imperfections of time and the use of warm colors that give them a relaxed and lived in quality. But Pelican Hill is so grand, so perfect and so beige — even the roses are beige — that it can feel a bit formal at first.” So, you know, it's not for everyone.

[Photo: Stephanie Diani for The New York Times]