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…
Must-see hotels in Northern California
Healdsburg
This classically styled boutique hotel pays homage to the French countryside. Each room is decorated with unique antiques. Every morning, you're greeted…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Lake Tahoe
Tucked behind an atmospheric four-story redbrick streetfront arcade, Truckee’s most historic abode has welcomed weary travelers since 1873. A recent…
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…
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…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Retro rooms at this revamped mid-century motor lodge face a central courtyard and look sharp, with black-and-teal-checkerboard carpeting, studded white…
Gold Country
The more comfortable of the two historic hotels in Volcano: there are four lovingly updated rooms with crooked floors and private bathrooms and a large,…
Sequoia National Park
A short walk from the ranger station, Cold Springs has 40 sites (nine walk-in sites) and is a peaceful, creek-side location with ridge views and a…
Oakland
Paddle-printed wallpaper and lamps fashioned from faux lanterns round out the playful nautical theme of this cheerful harborside hotel. A huge brass…
North Beach & Chinatown
One of the city's best-value stays, the San Remo was built in 1906, right after the Great Earthquake. More than a century later, this upstanding North…
Coastal Highway 1
Half a block inland from Hwy 1, surrounded by grassy lawns and furnished with both real and faux antiques, this modest yet agreeable blue-and-white…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Welcome, art freaks: who needs red carpet when your room is painted with jaw-dropping murals by underground Bay Area artists? Service is weak, linens are…
Big Sur
What you’re paying for here is the peaceful location inside Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Duplexes each have a deck or balcony looking out into the redwood…
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
A year-round, outdoor-adventure base camp, Sorenson’s rents charming cabins with kitchenettes and cottages in the woods, not far from the Carson River. It…
Monterey
Steps from Fisherman’s Wharf, this 1904 Victorian is honeycombed with 69 rooms that channel historic character, with antique furniture, ceiling fans,…
San Luis Obispo
Located above a brewpub and live-music venue, SLO Brew Lofts offer a unique urban stay in downtown. Apartments range from one to three bedrooms – the…
Monterey
Four blocks from Cannery Row and the aquarium, this simple, clean hostel houses single-sex and mixed dorms, as well as private rooms for three to five…
Sequoia National Park
Closest to the Giant Forest area, with more than 200 closely packed sites, this place fills quickly because of its proximity to Kaweah River swimming…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
You've come to the right place – a block from Union Sq, this well-managed hostel looks fresh, clean and colorful, with contemporary furnishings. Dorms…
Central Coast
Infused with a beachy vibe, but still elegant and refined, the charming Capitola Hotel features ten rooms named after Caribbean islands. Antique maps add…
