Fodor's Expert Review The National Exchange Hotel

Once more proudly anchoring the southern portion of Nevada City's historic district, this three-story boutique property, whose structure dates from 1856, underwent a multiyear makeover, and the attention to Victorian-era detail impresses throughout. It starts with the wrought-iron balconies out front and continues in the lobby with its dark trim, porcelain-hex-tile floor, and floral wallpaper. Accommodations—which range in size from smallish rooms with full or queen beds to suites and studios with kings—all have furniture, photographs and prints, and accents like ornate retro phones that recall the hotel's early decades, as does the decor of the restaurant, Lola, named for the 19th-century entertainer Lola Montez. As in the 1800s, the bar is a swank place for a drink.