Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
Close to the beach, the Venice canals, bars and restaurants, this mid-century-themed, 43-room motel sports brightly hued rooms with a good range of…
Must-see hotels in California
Greater Palm Springs
Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack once frolicked poolside at this newly spruced 1964 tiki-style motor lodge. Wrap up the day with a tropical potion in the…
Joshua Tree National Park
The name keeps its promise with 124 spaces tucked among lovely rock formations, making it the largest site in the park. Bonus: sheltered rock alcoves that…
Sequoia National Park
Popular campground with decent shade near swimming spots on the Kaweah River. It’s 3 miles northeast of the Ash Mountain Entrance, with 42 sites. There's…
Sequoia National Park
With around 25 sites (11 reservable), this primitive campground, accessed off Generals Hwy via unpaved roads in Sequoia National Forest, feels less…
Mono Lake Region
Situated at 7000ft, this is a good acclimatization spot along the creek. The 26 sites come with picnic tables, bear lockers and campfire rings with grills…
Mono Lake Region
Good shade and fishing in adjacent Robinson's Creek make this an excellent spot. Each of the 21 sites has picnic tables, bear lockers and campfire rings…
Kings Canyon National Park
Nine primitive but spacious woody campsites (only six tent sites) are a few miles uphill from Hume Lake in the Giant Sequoia National Monument (elevation…
Santa Ynez Valley
This remodeled motel is to wine-country lodging what IKEA is to interior design: a budget-friendly, trendy alternative. Crisp, modern rooms have bright…
Central Coast
Toast the sunset on your balcony while listening to the lull of the surf, then retire for deep sleep on pillowtop mattresses in spacious rooms perked up…
Eastern Sierra
This Inyo County–run campground is worth considering for its year-round availability and the bucolic creek that runs through it. It's only 3 miles west of…
Dr Wilkinson’s Motel & Hideaway Cottages
Calistoga
This good-value vintage-1950s motel has well-kept rooms facing a swimming-pool courtyard with hot tub, three pools (one indoors) and mud baths. Also rents…
Coastal Highway 1
A quarter-mile west of town, the sunny, exposed tent site at Manchester State Park is open seasonally (late May to early September) and has quiet sites…
Central Coast
This sand-colored inn may not impress at first glance, but behind the ho-hum exterior are 20 supremely comfortable rooms with fireplaces, pillowtop…
Gold Country
For a lovable alternative to Gold Country’s cookie-cut chains, this historic hotel hits the sweet spot. Rooms feature period decor and guests take to…
Point Mugu State Park Campground
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
You have two choices here: the creekside campsites shaded by gnarled, native sycamores and oaks, or the windswept beachside spots that are visible (and…
San Jose
Formerly the Sainte Claire, this atmospheric 1926 landmark hotel overlooking Plaza de Cesar Chavez has a drop-dead gorgeous lobby with stretched-leather…
Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa
Santa Ynez Valley
Spacious rooms and suites, done out in calming, contemporary design, set the scene at this luxurious spa hotel in the center of Los Olivos. Fireplaces are…
North Coast & Redwoods
A majestic and enormous historic hotel with a mock Tudor frontage. The style is cozy, in an early-20th-century-lodge, vaguely Wild West sort of way, the…
Mammoth Lakes
A snowball’s toss from the Village, this Euro-flavored inn has updated lodge rooms with tasteful accent walls and ski racks; larger rooms and cottages…
San Diego
This exceedingly cozy Spanish-style former mansion from 1902 has rooms and suites around an outdoor courtyard of shops, restaurants, pool, hot tub and…
Russian River Area
Right downtown, Riverlane has basic cabins with kitchen, decorated with mismatched furniture, but they’re very clean and have decks with barbecues. Best…
Calistoga
Surrounded by vineyards, with gorgeous views of Mt St Helena, CDV has five modern, elegantly decorated B&B rooms with top-end amenities and zero froufrou…
Mt Shasta Region
Ten walk-in tent sites (no drinking water) sit at the timberline, right at the base of the mountain. They’re a few miles up the mountain from other…
Mt Shasta Region
The understated rooms surround a garden courtyard, allowing you to enjoy the intimate feel of a B&B without the pressure of having to chat with the…
San Diego
This property is so big that golf carts are needed to shuttle between the four swimming pools, rose bushes, palms and a 10-story tower. There’s a trolley…
Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa
Russian River Area
Sprawling over 11 acres, this mid-century modern hotel doubles as a conference center. Rooms are business-class generic, but the pool is gigantic – and…
Central Coast
An intimate B&B pulls off no-fuss luxury with four suites decorated with art and antiques, and perhaps a fireplace, a deep soaking tub, a canopy king…
Coastal Highway 1
In a wooded canyon 2 miles north of town, with secluded drive-in sites and hot showers. A moderate 2.7-mile trail leads from the campground into a fern…
Sequoia National Park
It could be a run-of-the-mill, two-story courtyard motel, but this family-owned establishment surprises with its spotlessly clean, if dated, rooms and…
Eastern Sierra
Spacious McGee Creek campground has 28 reservable sites at 7600ft, with campfire rings, drinking water, flush toilets and bear lockers. It also has sun…
Lake Tahoe
Right in town behind the Cabin Fever knickknack boutique, this good-value option offers quiet motel-style rooms with a tidy country look, fridges and…
The Deserts
You can't get any closer to the lake when staying at this central resort where every room has water-facing balconies or patios. Updated rooms have knotted…
Russian River Area
Guerneville’s mellowest gay (and straight-friendly) resort sits on a wooded hillside, walkable distance to town, and has simply furnished rooms, little…
Mono Lake Region
The campground closest to Tioga Pass is at Tioga Lake, and has a handful of sunny, exposed sites right on the lake but visible from the road. No…
Kings Canyon National Park
Among stands of evergreens, the nicest of the 110 sites at this busy campground border a green meadow. It's off Generals Hwy; General Grant Grove is a…
Pismo State Beach – North Beach Campground
Central Coast
About a mile south of downtown Pismo Beach, near the Monarch Butterfly Grove, this popular campground is shaded by eucalyptus trees and has more than 170…
Along Highway 101
The best of the chain gang in Ukiah, with a whiff of Hilton about it. Expect excellent amenities, including a fitness center and comprehensive offerings…
Hollywood
This B&B offers four rooms in a lovingly restored 1910 bungalow on a quiet street. Your outgoing hosts speak several languages, serve a generous…
Castle Crags State Park Campground
Mt Shasta Region
This campground is one of the nicer public campgrounds in this area, and very easily accessible from the highway. It has running water, hot showers and…
