Road-tripping tends to warp your standards. After twelve hours on Route 66, Big Macs start to feel gourmet. And many a Frette fancy-pants has been seduced by humble motels, especially those that have traded up from ’50s convenience to self-conscious boutique chic. Here are the best from East to West.

Long Island Niceties
A multimillion-dollar face-lift by an I.M. Pei associate has raised the Greenporter above motel status. The Long Island wine-country resort is an ultra-modern getaway, with spa, wine bar, bistro, and placid minimalist rooms with blond wood floors and white-on-white platform beds (326 Front Street, Greenport, NY; 631-477-0066).

Googie Down
Nothing beats the Jersey shore for working-class resort chic. Spacey-astro motel style actually has a name down here: doo-wop. The best is the StarLux in Wildwood, where guests can rent a refurbished Airstream trailer. There’s a pool, Jacuzzi, and lots of neighborly interaction in the all-glass lounge (305 East Rio Grande Avenue, Wildwood, NJ; 609-522-7412).

Changing Keys
Casa Morada in the Florida Keys is more of an upscale boutique hotel than a motor lodge, which is what it used to be before a trio of Schrager disciples transformed it into a luxe, modern getaway, complete with open-air Jacuzzis, Mexican antiques, light-filled rooms, and fresh orchids (136 Madeira Road, Islamorada, FL; 888-881-3030).

Lone Star Stay
Family-run since ‘38, the Austin Motel has been putting up hipsters and rockers for almost as long as it’s been around. Snootier types will opt for the Santa Fe down the street, but the Austin is the true motel experience: Forty-one eclectically decorated rooms encircle a ’50s-style pool (1220 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX; 512-441-1157).

Rocker Chic
Formerly a hangout for the Hollywood set, the Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco is a fave of visiting rock stars like Bowie, the Chili Peppers, and Green Day, among others. The ’50s-style bungalows have bamboo furnishings and tropical plants and open onto the playfully decorated pool. The Bambuddha Lounge resto draws a steady stream of locals (601 Eddy Street, San Francisco, CA; 800-248-9466).

Prodigal Daughter
A fixture on L.A.’s Fairfax Avenue for more than 30 years, the Farmer’s Daughter recently got a much-needed revamp. Modern-meets-country rooms have gingham curtains, denim bedspreads, and Adirondack chairs. The farmer’s market is next door; swank shops and restos are within walking distance. No wonder it’s the first choice of stylish budget-conscious travelers (115 South Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA; 800-334-1658).

Lucky Star
Mid-century enthusiasts flock to Palm Springs like swallows to Capistrano. And they stay at the Desert Star, the beautiful 1954 oasis that’s an ode to modernist minimalism. With only a handful of units, mountain views, Eames furnishings, a 92-degree pool, and fully equipped kitchens, it will seem very exclusive, indeed (1161 Calle Palo Fierro, Palm Springs, CA; 760-778-1047).