Sara's Bed & Breakfast, in The Heights neighborhood

Houston's increasingly hip Heights District has dozens of beautifully restored Victorian houses, including Sara's Bed & Breakfast Inn (941 Heights Blvd., 713-868-1130 or 800-593-1130), a gay-friendly hostelry set inside a glorious Queen Anne-style mansion on tree-shaded Heights Boulevard. It's an easy walk to the antiques shops and cafes along West 19th Street, and convenient to the I-10 freeway. Sara's has 11 well-kept rooms, and each has Wi-Fi, irons and boards, private baths, cable TV, and either queen or king beds. There's also free parking on-site, and rates a light Continental breakfast on weekdays and a full breakfast buffet on weekends. This is a laid-back property where guests enjoy plenty of privacy - the owners live nearby but not on-site, and the stylish, unfussy decor eschews old-fashioned clutter in favor of elegant modernity - it's no surprise that this small inn with rates starting around $100 nightly draws a mix of leisure and business travelers.