Spin & Margie's Desert Hide-a-Way
Joshua Tree National Park
This handsome hacienda-style inn is perfect for restoring calm after a long day on the road. The five boldly colored suites are an eccentric symphony of…
Must-see hotels in Southern California
Coastal Orange County
A longtime OC favorite, this five-star property is perched on a 150ft cliff above the ocean – lovely strolling paths take you there. Sea-blue carpets and…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
This 1929 art-deco marvel evokes the romance of Hollywood's Golden Age, when Errol Flynn, Truman Capote and Marilyn Monroe resided here. Recently…
Joshua Tree National Park
Bed down where yesteryear's silver-screen stars slept while filming at the 1946 Pioneertown Hollywood-Western movie set. New owners have upgraded the…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
This 31-room beachfront property feels like home away from home. A cool wooden elevator takes you up to stylish studios and suites boasting wood floors,…
Newport Beach
This 2nd-floor oceanfront B&B was built in 1891 and retains that Victorian country style. Each of the 11 rooms is unique, and some boast ocean views and…
Greater Palm Springs
Swing back to the '50s – pinkie raised and all – with free ‘Orbitinis’ during cocktail hour at this fabulously retro property, with high-end mid-Century…
Santa Ynez Valley
In tiny Santa Ynez town, the eponymous inn is the height of wine-country sophistication. The 20 rooms are tastefully decorated with elegant, Victorian…
South Bay Beaches
This '60s property on its own peninsula north of the Redondo Pier blends urban sophistication with nautical lightheartedness. Get an ocean-side room with…
Residence Inn Anaheim Resort/Convention Center
Anaheim
This new hotel near the convention center, yet only about 10 minutes on foot to Disneyland, shines with sleek linens, marble tables and glass walls within…
The Deserts
Over a century old, this rustic mountain lodge is as welcoming as a friend's hug. Choose from dorms or doubles with or without bath and meet fellow guests…
Greater Palm Springs
With Indonesian teak furnishings, this 10-suite gay male resort raises the bar for luxury with its pillow menu, flawless landscaping, two pools and a…
San Diego
If you like your oceanfront stay with contemporary cool style, this modernist place has an awesome location, minimalist decor, lots of teals and mint…
The Deserts
Cradled by tall pines, these charming creekside cabins beckon you to unwind by the fireplace or in hammocks on decks overlooking woodsy acres. It's an…
San Elijo State Beach Campground
San Diego
Great location overlooking the surf at the end of Birmingham Dr. Services include fire rings, laundry, showers, restrooms and a convenience store.
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
Now part of Four Seasons, the Beverly Wilshire has corked Rodeo Dr since 1928. Home to 395 elegantly appointed rooms and suites, it exudes a formal…
Orange County
Say 'good night,' not 'good grief,' in a Snoopy-themed room at this nine-story, 320-room hotel bordering Knott's Berry Farm and its beloved Camp Snoopy…
Disneyland Resort
Sunbursts, surfboards and a giant superslide are all on deck at the Paradise Pier Hotel, the smallest (472 rooms), cheapest and maybe the most fun of the…
Laguna Beach
You literally cannot get any closer to the beach than the Surf & Sand. It's right on the beach, so crashing waves lull you to sleep. Up-to-date rooms have…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
Gingham bedspreads, country-style throw pillows and down-home art lend this flirty motel a farmhouse vibe, mixed with big-city sophistication such as…
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
This recently modernized, 18-room motel offers a minimalist cool vibe with comfy beds draped in crisp linen, slate floors in the bathrooms, plus coffee…
Banana Bungalow West Hollywood
West Hollywood & Mid-City
This popular, well-run hostel occupies a converted nursing home. Translation: the Fairfax bubbies are gone and the global backpackers have moved in to…
Santa Barbara
On a busy block downtown, this grand multistory hotel has a rooftop pool and sunset-watching perch for cocktails. Stylish accommodations show off four…
South Bay Beaches
Steps from the sand, the halls of this convivial hostel with a newly renovated kitchen offer mostly co-ed four- and six-person dorms. Even the private…
Hollywood
The W's soaring, sparkly atrium makes quite an impression, as does the sceney, palm-fringed rooftop pool deck. In shades of grey, silver and white, rooms…
Santa Monica
Stylish enough to be alluring, but not too stuck up or intimidating, this 70-room 1939 art deco classic, across the avenue from the bluffs, sports suites…
Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa
Huntington Beach
This 517-room property with conference center hulks like a Spanish-style condo complex, but spacious, recently renovated rooms are inviting and have…
San Diego
Now managed by Hilton, San Diego’s iconic hotel provides the essential Coronado experience: over a century of history, a pool, full-service spa, well…
Laguna Beach
A bargain for downtown Laguna, this 1929 Spanish-style hotel has 36 rooms and the awesome Rooftop Lounge bar. No two rooms are the same; most have carved…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
What was originally a 1920s hostel for women is now one of Downtown's coolest slumber pads, recently revamped and adorned with specially commissioned…
Borrego Palm Canyon Campground
The Deserts
Near the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center, this campground is a great base from which to explore the park. Despite its size, it fills up…
San Fernando Valley
This valley classic (Clark Gable, Katharine Hepburn and other Hollywood stars once stayed here) had fallen on hard times but is back and swinging after a…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
Old Venice funky and old-sandal comfy, this place right on the Boardwalk scores big for bend-over-backwards staff. Take Betsy, the creaky 1913 elevator,…
Newport Beach
This 30-room, two-story 1960s-era motel is simple, homey and spotless, with genuinely friendly owners who dispense lots of local knowledge. Other perks…
Santa Barbara County
Inland from El Capitán State Beach, this ‘glamping’ resort is for those who hate to wake up with dirt under their nails. No cars are allowed up-canyon…
Death Valley National Park
The 83 rooms at this private resort have beds draped in quality linens and accented with cheerful Native American–patterned blankets. The small pool is…
San Diego
Overshadowed by the neighboring Hotel Del, the Glorietta is built in and around the neoclassical 1908 Spreckels Mansion – 11 rooms in the mansion, 89 in…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
This independently owned, 95-room hotel is smack-dab in the W 3rd St shopping district and just a five-minute walk from the Beverly Center mall. Natural…
Hollywood
Breathtaking city views, a curvaceous pool guarded by a 17th-century pagoda, and roomy digs with balcony and kitchen are among the assets at this older…
San Diego
Tropical landscaping and tiki decor fill this resort backing onto Mission Bay (there’s a luau on some summer evenings!). A plethora of activities make it…
