Coastal Orange County
This 21st-century update of an older motel lets guests stay close to Newport Beach at less than Newport prices. The 325 sq ft rooms are smallish but well…
Must-see hotels in Southern California
Laguna Beach
A mile northwest of the village, this easygoing, better-than-average shingled motel charges bargain rates, at least for Laguna. In keeping with the theme,…
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…
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,…
Laguna Beach
A bargain for Laguna, especially considering its convenient location just three long blocks north of the village. The feel is understated refinement:…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort
Newport Beach
RVs and tents aren’t required for a stay at this upscale campground: two dozen tiny, well-kept A-frames and picket-fenced one-bedroom cottages are…
Santa Monica
Behind the charming historic facade, this older boutique hotel around the corner from the Promenade has just redone its rooms with craftsman-style…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
This 878-room behemoth flanks the massive LA Live entertainment complex. Chef Ben Ford (son of Harrison) heads the Californian restaurant in the lofty,…
Santa Barbara
While it’s still just a motel at heart, this property’s ‘Mexican pop meets modern’ motif livens things up with a color palette from a Frida Kahlo painting…
Newport Beach
This three-story, reimagined motel flexes some surf-themed muscle. From Endless Summer posters to complimentary fresh-baked cookies and free rental movies…
San Diego
Wake up to a view of the 27-hole golf course at this lush, green campus-style resort a few miles from Old Town. The Corkfire Kitchen restaurant sources…
Newport Beach
The 86 spacious rooms have up-to-date furnishings and extras like microwaves, minirefrigerators and work desks. Centrally located on a busy stretch of…
South Bay Beaches
A mile from Manhattan Beach and 10 minutes' drive from the airport, the 127-room Belamar is a bit off the beaten track on busy Sepulveda Blvd, so it’s…
Anaheim
This friendly, professional 104-room hotel has a clean, mid-century modernist look with hardwood floor and pops of color, fitness center, pool and guest…
Santa Barbara
Minutes from West Beach, the harbor and Stearns Wharf, you can't get better priced accommodations in central Santa Barbara than at the Castillo Inn. The…
Hollywood
Location, location, location! This tower hotel soars beside the Hollywood & Highland shopping center, right in the heart of Hollywood. Rooms are clean,…
Anaheim
About five minutes on foot to Disneyland, the large, four-story motel is recently renovated (though won't win any awards for chic design) around a large…
Santa Monica
The friendly, family-run lodgings at this comfy 25-unit motel put you just a Frisbee toss from the beach on happening Main St (quadruple-pane windows help…
Santa Monica
Across the street from Palisades Park and the Pacific beyond, this eye-catching, 1933 art deco landmark has a snug ocean-view veranda for breakfast (get…
Long Beach & San Pedro
Get rocked to sleep by the waves aboard your choice of five yachts sleeping three to five people. Each yacht is different, but all have galley kitchens…
La Jolla
This 1926 pink-walled, Mediterranean-style landmark was designed by William Templeton Johnson. Among its 115 rooms, those in the main building are rather…
Santa Monica
Modern with clean lines, lots of woods, whites with pops of orange and aqua, this is Santa Monica's only gold LEED-certified (low carbon footprint) hotel…
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
Mid-century modern gets a 21st-century spin at this fashion-crowd fave, which was Marilyn Monroe’s old pad in its days as an apartment building. Funky…
San Fernando Valley
Ignore the oh-so-corporate moniker. This tower hotel with a frosted-glass facade has class and value around a soaring atrium lobby. All rooms are suites,…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
Set in a string of boho studio and apartment hotels overlooking the Boardwalk, rooms here are fairly large with new wood floors, wall-mounted flat-screen…
San Diego
Family-owned and operated, Beach Cottages has everything from plain motel rooms to cozy 1940s cottages, just across the bike path from the sand. Sure,…
Death Valley National Park
With no TV, no wi-fi and soft mattresses, don't come to this sprawling motel looking for luxury. But what it lacks in comforts, it makes up in kookiness…
Orange County
On a former dairy farm in Brea Dam State Park, 6 miles north of Disneyland, this two-story hacienda houses 20 beds in three dorm types (male, female,…
Huntington Beach
The sprawling, lounge-filled poolside is reminiscent of Vegas, but then you see the backdrop: miles and miles of gorgeous deep-blue sea. As you enter,…
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…
