Santa Cruz
Budget overnighters dig this cute hostel set inside five rambling Victorian cottages and surrounded by flowering gardens, just two blocks from the beach…
Must-see hotels in California
Death Valley National Park
First-come, first-served Mahogany Flat has only 10 spaces and, being located at 8200ft, the distinction of being the park's highest campground. Making it…
South Lake Tahoe & Stateline
South Lake's newest and most luxurious lakeside resort dazzles with an in-house spa, marble bathrooms with toilet night lights and heated seats, Keurig…
Monterey
An easy walk downhill to downtown Monterey, Inn on the Bay is the quiet achiever along the Munras Ave motel strip. Recent renovations have modernized the…
Joshua Tree National Park
This immaculately kept 1950s motel, run by the charming Ash, was where U2 stayed while working on the Joshua Tree album. It has a small pool and seven…
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
The historic and tastefully decorated Groveland dates from 1850. It houses a small bar and 18 bright, recently renovated rooms with wooden platform beds…
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
This atmospheric, creaky 1901 building is filled with things from the past. Old photos, mirrors, newspaper clippings and an antique phone with a vintage…
Joshua Tree National Park
Close to 29 Palms Hwy/Hwy 62, this campground accepts reservations for tents and RVs via phone or www.recreation.gov from October to May (first come,…
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
Perched above the highway and overlooking Westward Beach is this humble shingled inn with 16 fairly large rooms that are clean and white with subdued…
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
Each of the three white-palette rooms has peaceful creek views and a private balcony; two have gas fireplaces. From the comfortable rooms or the back…
Kings Canyon National Park
A forested campground another 1.5 miles uphill from Landslide Campground in the Sequoia National Forest with 11 sites. Reservations may be available in…
Santa Barbara
Kudos for all the freebies (DVDs, continental breakfast, afternoon wine and cheese, evening milk and cookies), the newer Mediterranean-style front section…
Big Sur
North of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Ripplewood has gotten behind fiscal equality by charging the same rates year-round. Throwback Americana cabins…
Lake Tahoe
Oriental rugs and arts-and-crafts decor give this luxurious six-room inn a classic, aged ambience, and the lake’s so close you feel like you could dive in…
Yosemite National Park
The 20 quiet, wooded sites at Yosemite Valley’s campground are open only to backpackers holding valid wilderness permits (and only for a night before and…
Death Valley National Park
This congenial inn helmed by the friendly Cynthia has hostel-style bunks and eclectically decorated rooms in vintage trailers, all with private bathroom…
Napa Valley
A former estate, this 78-room resort has rooms in satellite buildings on sprawling manicured grounds. The vineyard-view rooms are loveliest (each has…
San Diego
About halfway between Legoland and Carlsbad Village, this hyper-friendly, independently run, 86-room inn caters to both business travelers (note business…
Monterey
Be lulled to sleep by the surf at this low-lying retreat hidden in the sand dunes north of Monterey. Reached via golf carts, townhouses harbor petite…
Berkeley
This 100-year-old downtown jewel features a foyer of red Italian glass lighting, flocked Victorian-style wallpaper – and yes, a peace sign tiled into the…
Kings Canyon National Park
This restored 1930s USFS patrol station built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) sleeps six people and offers a rustic stay. Around 4 miles east of…
Mt Shasta Region
Easily accessible from Everitt Memorial Hwy, this campground has running water and pit toilets, but no showers. It’s near mile marker 4, at an elevation…
Death Valley National Park
Teensy Thorndike is one of four free first-come, first-served campgrounds in the mountains. With only six sites at an elevation of 7400ft, you'll likely…
Joshua Tree National Park
Fancy sleeping among glowing wig heads, in an Airstream or a horse stall? Then check into one of nine wackily decorated vintage trailers (and one cabin)…
Joshua Tree National Park
The charming Carrie presides over this three-room adobe retreat and will turbocharge your day with scrumptious breakfasts if you're staying in one of the…
Lake Tahoe
Spend the day on a private sandy beach or in the outdoor pool, then light the barbecue grill after sunset – ah, now that’s relaxation. All of the simple…
San Diego
Despite the name, Little Italy's La Pensione isn't a pension but an intimate hotel of 67 modern, carpeted rooms with one or two queen-sized beds and…
Santa Barbara
Two blocks from the beach, this meticulously run inn offers bright sandy-hued studios with hardwood floors, small kitchens and mod cons such as SmartTVs…
San Diego
Location, location, location. This Gaslamp Quarter HI facility is steps from public transportation, restaurants and big-city fun, and it has a wide range…
Sacramento
This stylishly updated mid-century motel is one of Sacramento's hippest places to stay. The area is charming, with a cute coffee shop and an art gallery…
Santa Cruz
Built around a running creek amid meandering gardens and old pine and redwood trees, this wood-shingled inn has 13 cozy rooms named after impressionist…
San Jose
A burbling lobby fountain and deep-red corridor carpeting set the tone for this tranquil and very conveniently located 212-room contemporary hotel in the…
Santa Barbara
Poised between downtown and the beach, this petite Euro-chic boutique hotel has all the right touches: curated contemporary-art displays, outdoor terraces…
Greater Palm Springs
Palm Springs goes Hollywood – with all the sass, sans the attitude – at this former Howard Johnson motel turned hipster hangout. The 176 rooms (many with…
San Diego
Hollywood glam in San Diego. A 9000lb bronze front door pivots to reveal Nepalese carpets and multitextured surfaces: wooden blocks to sand-dollar-shaped…
Oakland
Artist and activist Traci 'B-Love' Bartlow rents out part of her funky, friendly West Oakland home, which is cannabis friendly and includes a garden with…
Greater Palm Springs
This Rat Pack playground has been given a boho-cool makeover and sparkles brighter than ever. Expect the full range of mod-cons in nearly 400 rooms amid…
Kings Canyon National Park
Sentinel is Cedar Grove’s busiest and most centrally located campground, near the visitor center and campfire ranger programs (open in summer only)…
Lake Tahoe
This recently upgraded lodge features modern rooms with new bathrooms, pillow-top mattresses and flat-screen TVs, afternoon tea and cookies, and a guests…
North Coast & Redwoods
The motel is a marvel: it’s paneling came from a single curly redwood tree that measured over 18ft thick in diameter. Progressively restored and polished…
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