Hollywood
This sociable hostel puts you within steps of the Hollywood party circuit. Private rooms are a bit cramped, but making new friends is easy during staff…
Must-see hotels in California
West Hollywood & Mid-City
With a prime Boys Town location, this large hotel has simple, clean, three-star rooms, guest laundry room and a palm-lined pool deck, plus lots of…
Big Sur
Almost at odds with Big Sur’s hippie-alternative vibe, Ventana injects a little soul into its deluxe digs. Honeymooning couples and paparazzi-fleeing…
Gold Country
This mid-century motel, recently renovated by a young couple, is the best bargain in Placerville, even if it lies at the lonely north end of town. The…
Russian River Area
Ground zero for party-hardy gay lads and lesbians, Triple R (as it's known) has plain-Jane, motel-style rooms surrounding a bar and pool deck that get so…
Northern Mountains
With antique timber pillars, white-painted brick walls, old barn-style doors and the occasional wagon wheel for decoration, this friendly motel (in the…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Established in 1939 to accommodate visitors arriving via the new Golden Gate Bridge, the Marina has an inviting Spanish-Mediterranean look, with a quiet…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
A rambling cottage turned impeccably run inn overlooks the state-protected Ballona Wetlands. It has 23 individually decorated rooms with a contemporary…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
A good-value hotel at Union Sq, the eight-story Stratford has simple white-walled rooms with blonde-wood furnishings and occasional scuff marks – but they…
University Plaza Waterfront Hotel
San Joaquin Valley
If you’re spending the night here, the best option is University Plaza Waterfront Hotel, where business travelers mingle with University of the Pacific…
San Diego
Right in Old Town State Park, this creaky, 10-room hotel is restored to its 1870 glory and has oodles of charm, antique furnishings and is possibly…
Central Coast
This rambling cliffside compound about 1 mile north of town is a winner with families thanks to its many diversions, from a pool to a playground, giant…
Joshua Tree National Park
History oozes from every nook and cranny in this old-timey inn on the ancient Oasis of Mara. Choose from air-conditioned 1934 adobe bungalows, outfitted…
Santa Cruz
Budget overnighters dig this cute hostel set inside five rambling Victorian cottages and surrounded by flowering gardens, just two blocks from the beach…
Hotel Indigo San Diego Del Mar
San Diego
This collection of whitewashed buildings with gray clay-tiled roofs has two outdoor heated pools, a spa, and new fitness and business centers. Rooms have…
Death Valley National Park
First-come, first-served Mahogany Flat has only 10 spaces and, being located at 8200ft, the distinction of being the park's highest campground. Making it…
South Lake Tahoe & Stateline
South Lake's newest and most luxurious lakeside resort dazzles with an in-house spa, marble bathrooms with toilet night lights and heated seats, Keurig…
Central Coast
This state-park lodge sprawls by sand dunes in pine forest. Skip ho-hum motel rooms and opt for historic houses designed by early-20th-century architect…
Marin County
With views of the bay and Mt Tamalpais, and a lobby with a welcoming fireplace, this boutique hotel doesn’t lack for eye candy. Contemporary rooms are…
Monterey
An easy walk downhill to downtown Monterey, Inn on the Bay is the quiet achiever along the Munras Ave motel strip. Recent renovations have modernized the…
Joshua Tree National Park
This immaculately kept 1950s motel, run by the charming Ash, was where U2 stayed while working on the Joshua Tree album. It has a small pool and seven…
Anaheim
Though the Majestic's a bit off on its own north of Disneyland (get there by free hotel shuttle), it's good value for the spacious rooms and gracious…
San Fernando Valley
Close to Warner Bros, the 100 rooms at this boutique business hotel are inspired by Hollywood movie sets, from doors like those on actors' dressing rooms…
Coastal Highway 1
Run by the same folk who own the superb River's End Restaurant, these ocean-view cottages are wood-paneled and have no TVs, wi-fi or phones, but many do…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Impeccable service sets the Campton Place apart – this is the place to put your fur-clad rich aunt when she wants discretion above all. Details are lavish…
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
It might be on the older side, but this Euro-style property offers good value. Rooms aren't huge but please with their mid-Century Modern accents, and the…
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
The historic and tastefully decorated Groveland dates from 1850. It houses a small bar and 18 bright, recently renovated rooms with wooden platform beds…
Anaheim
Connoisseurs of kitsch will hug their Hummels over this 42-room, snow-covered chalet facade on an A-frame exterior and icicle-covered roofs – framed by…
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
This atmospheric, creaky 1901 building is filled with things from the past. Old photos, mirrors, newspaper clippings and an antique phone with a vintage…
Joshua Tree National Park
Close to 29 Palms Hwy/Hwy 62, this campground accepts reservations for tents and RVs via phone or www.recreation.gov from October to May (first come,…
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
Perched above the highway and overlooking Westward Beach is this humble shingled inn with 16 fairly large rooms that are clean and white with subdued…
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
Each of the three white-palette rooms has peaceful creek views and a private balcony; two have gas fireplaces. From the comfortable rooms or the back…
Santa Barbara
Kudos for all the freebies (DVDs, continental breakfast, afternoon wine and cheese, evening milk and cookies), the newer Mediterranean-style front section…
Kings Canyon National Park
A forested campground another 1.5 miles uphill from Landslide Campground in the Sequoia National Forest with 11 sites. Reservations may be available in…
The Deserts
At this rustically elegant inn, you can wrap your days tucked into rooms filled with Southwestern knickknacks and Native American weavings or into a…
Eastern Sierra
For awesome stargazing and rustic car camping, spend a night at the Grandview Campground, spread out on a plateau at 8600ft. About halfway up to the…
Big Sur
North of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Ripplewood has gotten behind fiscal equality by charging the same rates year-round. Throwback Americana cabins…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Upgrade from hostel to hotel at the cheerful Fitzgerald, whimsically decorated with mismatched furniture liquidated from fancier hotels. The old-fashioned…
Central Coast
Any closer to the ocean and your bed would actually be sitting on the sand. With families in mind, this apartment-style hotel offers suites and villas…
Northern Mountains
Located 10 miles west of Chester, this old-world charmer has seven B&B rooms with views to the mountains and forest. All have knotty-pine paneling and…
