HotelChatter

High Rooftop Lounge, Hotel Erwin, Venice Beach, CA
Since it opened in 2010, High Rooftop Lounge has quickly become one of the most spectacular views in all of Los Angeles. Sitting atop Hotel Erwin, this 6th floor Venice Beach rooftop offers 360-degree panoramic views of the city (smog and all). Recent reports were that Sylvester Stallone’s family visited, as well as Lindsay Lohan, but unlike other LA high-profile rooftops, this locale is much more about chillaxing than being “seen.” Make your reservation on urbanspoon.com before 7pm to ensure you get a table. A series of semi-private lounge areas surround the perimeter lit by fire lamps. Space heaters and blankets are interspersed for the thin-blooded or faint of heart. If you and your date get bored, just soak up the circus-like Venice Beach ocean front boardwalk below. Cocktails, beer and munchies are available to satiate your other appetites. Try the Strawberry Mule (a vodka cocktail) paired with homemade guacamole and chips or down a Sonoran Sun (a tasty tequila delight) with a lamb slider.

Different Point of View, Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, Phoenix, AZ
Who says Arizona is too hot? Try a visit in winter! Different Pointe of View at the Pointe Hilton delivers cool air, delicious grub and stellar views. Service is dispensed with a 25 year-old breathtaking smile atop North Mountain in Phoenix, with floor-to-ceiling windows extending the deep red décor inside into the dramatic panoramas of the desert landscape outside. Hold on to your hats and glasses because your date will soon be lost in the city’s twinkling lights on the terrace with Arizona’s breathtaking sunsets. Eat out or in-but try the pork belly, scallops, lobster bisque, strawberry salad, and bacon wrapped jumbo shrimp. Whew! And we love the liqueur flavored marshmallows offered free with any cocktail.

[Photos: HotelChatter]