This is one of Seattle’s three great historic hotels (the other two are the Fairmont Olympic and the Mayflower Park). Like those two, the Sorrento is a hotel full of charming period details and rooms that convey personality rather than conformity, with carved wood moldings, restored vintage furniture, and white marble bathrooms with porcelain pedestal sinks and full-length mirrors. One big difference here is the rich color palette, far more inventive than at the Fairmont or Mayflower Park (and there are unique designer suites, too). The Sorrento beds are remarkably comfortable (Sealy Posturepedic Crown Jewel mattresses and Egyptian cotton sheets). Suites offer more space but even a basic room here is just dandy. You won’t be in the thick of downtown Seattle but it’s an easy walk to get there, and the Sorrento offers a host of amenities more typically found in luxury hotels that cost twice as much.