Bill Evans is passionate and a slightly obsessive man. He's an artist whose medium is the early 1900’s Craftsman-style of architecture. His latest creation, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, is his tribute to this architectural style and to his pursuit of a coveted “great” hotel status. Consider this one fact alone; The Lodge at Torrey Pines is the first hotel EVER to open with the AAA five-diamond standing.

Of the Lodge at Torrey Pines’ authenticity, Evans expresses it like a painter hurling gobs of oil on his canvas–in a one-breath flurry of finger pointing around the Lodge’s stunning lobby, “See those chairs over there? Blacker house chairs. And those. Those are from the Charles Pratt house in Ojai. And those? Once designed for Mr. Gamble’s bedroom. Never got made, but we took the blueprints and had them made. That paneling is seven layers of wood to the exact proportions within one sixteenth of an inch of the original specs to achieve the proper shadowing. Everything is authentic. All of the fixtures are bronze. Nothing’s fake. There are no veneers. If you see a rock, it’s a rock. A beam-it’s solid-there’s no air inside. See this floor? We assembled it in a warehouse-distressed it completely-disassembled it-and then installed it here.”

The Lodge at Torrey Pines’ staff is warm and pretty well knowledgeable of the hotel’s architectural heritage and pedigree. I comment to Evans about the exemplary service and he spouts the Evans Hotel Group philosophy. “We don’t thrive on the construction. We're boring. It’s not the construction that excites us. It’s making our hotels better. The measure of a hotel is its service and the training of its employees. If there are 100 5-Diamond hotels, then there has to be the best of the 5-Diamond hotels. That’s what we can strive for. Everything in hotels is perspective – understanding our guest’s needs – from their perspective. I send our management team out to other top hotels to experience good service. To gain a perspective of what service is about because guests remember the consistency of service, long after the aesthetics of the hotel are gone.”

The Thorsen Room: A-
A heavy, dark wooden front door adjacent to the brass doorbell and warm foyer entrance welcomes travelers into the wonderful Thorsen Room–a junior suite designed in an economy of space but not of style. It features a handsome mix of authentically Craftsman detailed tables, chairs (both for sitting and lounging), couches and consoles–all placed within a pleasing palette of sage and green. There’s a well-placed seating group around the glowing fireplace (flip-of-a-switch type), a handsome desk to sit my laptop on, and a high-speed Internet outlet to plug into. On the occasion of our stay, Let is Snow, White Christmas and other holiday songs waft cheerfully, courtesy of the Bose® wave radio/CD player.

Bill Evans recreated one of the more notable G and G architectural features just outside the rear French doors–a huge deck with outdoor fireplace and enough girth to sleep a family of five. Back in the day, it was believed that the therapeutic effects of the night ocean air would best be provided snoozing al fresco, so the large porches served as outdoor bedrooms. The beauty of this particular wraparound “porch,” is its unencumbered second floor view, save for one annoying tree, of the 18th green of the Torrey Pines Golf Course. It also offers views of the Pacific Ocean in the distance, a croquet court, pool, and a splendid panoramic "photo op" of the Lodge’s back. The Thorsen Room will undoubtedly be the most sought after accommodations for viewing the 2008 U.S. Open, but hold on tiger. The Thorsen Room is among several suites that a certain Mr. Woods snares when he’s in town for tournaments.

Lighting and Details: A-
Suddenly it struck me that the ceiling heights are only (though I suppose for Craftsman-style authenticity) the standard 8-foot height. Fortunately they appear optically higher courtesy of the handsome, double Brazilian cherry wood crown moldings - 5.5-inch by 1-inch - separated by another 6 inches - that top the walls. Add to this visual expanse some dimmer-switched, indirect ceiling cans and dramatic spotlights that pour onto a glorious offering of colorful original oils.

Safe to say, Evans had his hand in all of the details. During our meeting, I begin describing a stained glass Tiffany-type table lamp with 5 tulip lamps sprouting from the base that nearly burned my hand when I reached for the chain-pull switch (Opportunity/solution: put lighter wattage bulbs in lamp). Evans stops me mid sentence and finishes describing the lamp to me. He tells me there are only two of those lamps on the entire property and names them by number. He also mentions he spent 7 years making sure every detail of every room was perfect and boasts– and I believe him – that he can close his eyes and fly through every inch of every room at the Lodge.

The suite is highlighted by a collection of these Tiffany-style stained glass lamps. The rear porch glows warmly courtesy of yet another fireplace. One welcome addition to the landscape’s lighting scheme might be illumination of the18th green.

The Bed: A
The heavy wooden bed sits tall and is drenched in heavenly linens. Waiting patiently, neatly draped across the bed, is a wonderful cotton robe and a matching pair of slippers nestled on a pure white cloth square. On the robes, Bill Evans comments, “I remember my grandmother having the most comfortable, loosely woven blanket–so I wanted our robes to be as nice. They aren’t your typical terry cloth robes. They’re special.” I agree. The robes and the slippers are as fashionable, as they are cozy and comfortable. Flanking the bed are conveniently located light switches to control the reading lights that help your novel-of-the-week come alive. Bravo!

The Thorsen Room Bathroom – One of The Style Group’s Top 10 Best Luxury Hotel Bathrooms: A+
The bathroom is spectacular! A long galley-styled number with a stunning, double-sink, marble vanity, separate water closet with heavy door, and a large shower in the first half; followed by a secluded marble filled room with wonderful fireplace, an eight-jet Kohler whirlpool tub to soak in and a nicely padded seating area to lounge on. Spanning the length of the bathroom is a beautiful, intricately crafted, basket-weave tile floor. Sitting by the tub are tall, inviting stacks of plush white towels. Sparkling Kohler fixtures and an authentic Greene and Greene stained-glass window finish off this striking bathroom.

I mention to Bill Evans the two minor “negatives” I found in the bathroom: It takes the hot water a tad too long to reach the sinks and shower; and the caps of the shampoo and conditioner bottles were hard to open. Which leads to a pretty lengthy discussion about the bottles (Evans’ beautiful obsession continues). “I picked those bottles for their apothecary look. There are no bottles here that you’ll find in other hotels. All are chosen and made for the Lodge only.” The ingredients of the products are as lavish as the packaging: A lemongrass and sage shower gel and body lotion and a rosemary and sage shampoo and conditioner. Opportunity, remember? Have staff crack bottles open once first, prior to placing in rooms.

Dining at the Lodge at Torrey Pines: A+
Coming in during holiday traffic, we arrived too late to have dinner at A.R. Valentien, the restaurant named by Esquire magazine as one of America’s best new restaurants. So we missed having a fine dining experience. But, what we did have was equally spectacular. We consumed the best assortment of room service meals we’ve ever had. And, absolutely the best room “service.”

Dinner: Fare: A Service: A+
The room service dinner menu, that called our name as we stepped in the door at 8:00, had oodles of savory options. Equal to the gracious Tiffany - on the other end of the room service order line - was her call at 8:17 that our food was expedited and ready, should we wish to have it sent up. And so it was wished.

Two well-mannered and smiling wait staff roll in at 8:21 with: Appetizers: Caesar Salad; Dungeness Crab Cake, with red pepper sauce and layered Cole slaw; the most wonderfully rich Boston Clam Chowder with smoked bacon, potatoes and cream. Main Courses: A tender Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Sautéed Spinach, Blue Cheese Skillet Potatoes; Roasted Half Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Braised Greens; and for Desserts: Warm Risotto Pudding with Raisins and Vanilla and a Warm Apple Fruit Crisp á La Mode. My question is this: How did they make all of this truly wonderful food in just minutes?

Breakfast (times 2): Fare: A+ Service: A+
Good morning. Shall we dive into a little morning fare? We’ll kindly have some decaf coffee with cream; Freshly squeezed strawberry /orange juice and a plain orange juice; French Toast; Corned Beef Hash and Poached Eggs; and some Applewood Smoked Bacon. Oh and a side of sour dough toast, please. Within 13 minutes the phone rings with the familiar voice on the other end with the good news that our breakfast is ready and willing if we are. Send it up! Everything about this breakfast was delicious with a special note: the Corned Beef Hash and Poached Eggs were as good as the best I’ve found at believe it or not, the Raffles Hotel in Singapore!

A pleasant attendant whisks me away for a quick tour of the impressive amenities: We start at the small shop that sells their wonderful proprietary line of shampoos and conditioners; go through the separate men’s and women’s locker rooms –each maxed out with essentials; into the herbal-infused steam rooms; saunas, aromatherapy inhalation rooms and end up at the 14 private treatment rooms. Tour over, let the games begin: I start with a shower using their wonderful lemongrass and lavender bathing products. Next, I’m in the steam room where I can only handle 6 minutes before needing to down some of their ice-cold lemon cucumber water. I muster some steam of my own and crawl into the inhalation room where the permeating scent of Lavender fills the air for a few minutes of meditation. Lastly I partake of the wonderful sauna just before receiving a body melting 80-minute Swedish massage under the strong, comforting hands of Karleen who infused a few different techniques including Thai and deep tissue into my Swedish selection. I also went with an 80-minute Deep Cleansing Sea Mud Facial. Esthetician Lindsey worked wonders on my clogged dehydrated skin. This two-mask facial not only detoxifies but also is extremely soothing and left my face feeling hydrated and glowing. Bottom line: Soothing products; Comforting treatments; Calming music; Tranquil ambience.

Just across the hall from the Spa is a Cardio/Strength room that features treadmills, climbers and bikes facing huge plasma screen sets. Or if outdoor fitness is your thing, you’ll find yoga, Pilates, T’ai Chi and stretching classes outside on the Arroyo Terrace, a grassy stretch that overlooks the golf course and Pacific Ocean. A grand-scale pool and vanishing-edge whirlpool are available year-round in the temperate climate, and daily private and group hikes are available through the Torrey Pines State Reserve.