Mt Shasta Region
Divinely situated away from town, this upscale golf resort and spa has arts-and-crafts-style chalets nestled in the woods around the shores of Lake…
Must-see hotels in California
Yosemite National Park
This private enterprise rents more than 130 fully furnished accommodations of various sizes and levels of comfort, from rustic log cabins to spacious six…
Coastal Highway 1
Of the precious few parks that allow camping along Sonoma Coast State Beach, this is the best, even though sites lack privacy and there are no hot showers…
Healdsburg
This classically styled boutique hotel pays homage to the French countryside. Each room is decorated with unique antiques. Every morning, you're greeted…
Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown
San Diego
Yeah, we know, Courtyard is often known for bland rooms in suburban office parks, but this Courtyard is cool because it’s in a beautifully updated 1928…
The Peninsula
Inside Sam McDonald County Park, this rustic A-frame cabin is a 1.7-mile hike from the parking lot. Rented by the Sierra Club to couples, families and…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
Graced with chandeliers, Renaissance-inspired ceilings and legend (the Academy Awards were founded in the Crystal Ballroom in 1927), this grand dame has…
Best Western Sunset Plaza Hotel
West Hollywood & Mid-City
Don't let the Best Western brand deceive you – this hotel packs plenty of charm in its Mediterranean-inspired shell. Around a pool deck strewn with palms,…
North Coast & Redwoods
These spotless and bright cabins with equipped kitchens and all the mod-cons are in a perfect mid-parks location – they're great if you're traveling in a…
Laguna Beach
A bargain for Laguna, especially considering its convenient location just three long blocks north of the village. The feel is understated refinement:…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
A revamped motel full of green ideas: reclaimed-wood headboards, repurposed-bottle light fixtures and soft fleece bedspreads made from recycled soda…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
For the complete Haight experience, stay in a historic commune. This rambling 1904 Victorian houses a dozen quasi-resident idealists plus guests who share…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
A sleek, fashionable, six-story hotel in the heart of the mid-Wilshire district, ideally located near some of LA's best museums and blessed with a…
Calistoga
About a mile west of Calistoga, sitting on 20 lush acres, Meadowlark has homey rooms decorated in contemporary style, most with deck and Jacuzzi. Outside…
W Los Angeles - West Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
Despite a $25-million renovation, wear and tear is evident in the W's lobby, an aquatically themed space with wave-shaped wooden panels, digital art and…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
A kooky motor lodge in an ersatz Victorian offers bigger-than-average rooms named for San Francisco icons, swathed in colorful fabrics and festooned with…
Yosemite National Park
This complex enjoys its own little world a mile up a spur road, away from the hubbub and traffic of Hwy 120 and Yosemite Valley. There are 24 spartan four…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Opened in 2013, this savvy eco-conscious downtowner by the Viceroy group caters to overworked techies ready to play – above the art-filled lobby there's a…
Ocean Beach International Hostel
San Diego
Central OB's cheapest option is easy to spot with its psychedelic colored exterior and peace sign on the top of the building. Only a couple of blocks from…
North Coast & Redwoods
Shaw House, an emblematic ‘butterfat palace,’ was the first permanent structure in Ferndale, completed by founding father Seth Shaw in 1854. Today, it’s…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
This repurposed 1928 YMCA hotel right off the waterfront has tiny rooms, all of which were redesigned in attractive textures and colors as part of a $14…
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
Recently renovated, the Palomar mixes elegance and playfulness in the lounge, where handsome wooden panels, modernist-style furniture and sculptural…
San Luis Obispo
The fantastically campy Madonna Inn is a garish confection visible from Hwy 101. Curious global tourists and irony-loving hipsters adore the 110 themed…
Sequoia National Park
Remote, little-used, tent-only campground on the river. It's 13 miles from Three Rivers at the end of a beautiful, but slightly hair-raising drive. The…
Santa Cruz
Proud of being Santa Cruz's only oceanfront hotel, the Dream Inn has good-sized rooms brimming with retro-chic charm and turquoise color accents. Catch…
Central Coast
Inside a 19th-century parsonage, surrounded by a garden, this European-style guesthouse has a quaint, raffish charm. There's a communal kitchen and five…
North Coast & Redwoods
Shelter Cove's most family-friendly hotel has a choice of rooms and suites; the latter including options with a full kitchen, private hot tub and sauna…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
This hostel in a refurbished 1904 building has spectacular rooftop views of Venice Beach, bright, beachy swatches of color and four- to eight-person dorms…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Inside a remodeled early-20th-century building, the Abri has an updated deco sensibility, with jazz-age black-and-tan motifs, sleek wood-paneled…
Kings Canyon National Park
Set amid towering sugar pines, the accommodations here include aging tent-top shacks, rustic camp cabins with electricity and outdoor wood-burning stoves,…
Northern Mountains
Not a ‘dude’ ranch but rather a ‘guest’ ranch: instead of shoveling stalls, guests are pampered with mountain-trail rides, riding lessons, even rodeo…
Crystal Cove State Park Campground
Newport Beach
The Moro Campground of this beachside park accommodates both campers and/or tents and has toilets, showers and more. Heartier campers might opt for a…
San Diego
This 1959 gem is showing its age, which is why new owners are giving it a big-bucks face-lift while preserving its mid-century-modern bone structure. The…
San Diego
Across from Westfield Horton Plaza, the historic Sofia has 211 rooms with fashionable darkwood furniture and sprightly printed fabrics. There are also in…
Salt Point State Park
Just a few minutes south of Salt Point State Park is Ocean Cove Lodge Bar & Grill, a godsend for those on a budget. It's just a basic motel but the…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
An elegant 1872 Italianate-Victorian mansion has become a stately Mission District inn, impeccably maintained and packed with antiques. All rooms have…
Lake Tahoe
Tucked behind an atmospheric four-story redbrick streetfront arcade, Truckee’s most historic abode has welcomed weary travelers since 1873. A recent…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Arrive at the dramatic 1925 Spanish lobby to check into your dashingly handsome guest room, blending Moorish patterns, Victorian flourishes and…
San Francisco
Back when it opened in 1958, Beck's rooms cost $5 a night – but after recent upgrades, this mid-century motel is good as new, clean, sharp, even a tad…
Death Valley National Park
Tailor-made for families, this rambling resort consists of 224 rooms with patios or balconies in one- and two-story buildings that flank lawns and lanes…
