Funny everyday jokes: 🌺 California & Hawaii's Best Stays. Here's Where to Book.

Thursday, July 30, 2026

🌺 California & Hawaii's Best Stays. Here's Where to Book.

July 30, 2026

Travel Newsletter

Some trips don't need a transatlantic flight to feel extraordinary. From a Forbes Five-Star hacienda tucked into the hills of Rancho Santa Fe to a freshly reimagined craft hotel steps from Waikiki Beach, these five properties make the case that the West Coast and Hawaii are operating at their own level entirely. Santa Monica, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rancho Santa Fe, Kauaʻi, and Honolulu—here's where to stay.

Oceana Santa Monica, LXR Hotels & Resorts

Santa Monica, CA

Seventy suites, no two alike, make Oceana Santa Monica one of the California coast's most distinctive addresses. Each is finished with Frette linens, Loro Piana bedding, Bamford bath products, hand-tufted Nepalese rugs, and artwork commissioned exclusively from Los Angeles artists—coastal ease and quiet refinement in equal measure. La Monique, the hotel's coveted French brasserie, sets the dining tone with seafood, steak, and seasonal produce in an intimate jewel-box dining room where Paris meets the Pacific. The Veranda handles poolside meals and cocktails; the Sunset Terrace catches golden hour above the Pacific. A heated freeform pool framed by olive trees, private yacht charters, and a beach butler program round out the experience. Santa Monica's farmers market, the pier, and the best of Southern California are at the door.

Terranea Resort

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Perched on 102 oceanfront acres atop the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Terranea Resort commands 270-degree views of the Pacific and Catalina Island that set the tone for everything that follows. Accommodations span guestrooms with private balconies to bungalows with fireplaces and fire pit patios, casitas with full kitchens ideal for families, and villas overlooking the Links golf course for those who want maximum privacy. Eight dining destinations—anchored by Mar'sel for elegant oceanfront dinners and Nelson's for beachfront seafood—draw on farm and sea-to-table sourcing overseen by Executive Chef Andrew Vaughan. Four oceanfront pools with private cabanas, The Spa at Terranea, a 9-hole par-3 Links course, kayaking, and tide pool exploration round out a property that operates as a full coastal destination. One of Southern California's most complete resort experiences.

Rancho Valencia

Rancho Santa Fe, CA

On 45 acres of lush gardens and citrus groves in the heart of Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Valencia is a Forbes Five-Star Spanish Colonial hacienda enclave that operates at a register most Southern California resorts can only approximate. The 49 casitas each have private garden patios overlooking olive groves and surrounding canyons, with rustic custom furnishings and fireplaces; three private residences handle families and groups seeking full seclusion with VIP concierge service. The Pony Room delivers Coastal Ranch cuisine—seasonal produce sourced directly from California farms, fishermen, and ranchers—in a candlelit modern hacienda setting with valley views. The Spa at Rancho Valencia covers the full spectrum from hydrotherapy and massage to a Serenity Yoga Pavilion and Pilates studio. Ranked Southern California's top tennis resort by Tennis Magazine since 2008, the property also offers padel and pickleball on world-class courts. The kind of place that makes every other resort feel like a compromise.

Kiahuna Plantation® & Beach Bungalows by Castle

Poʻipū, Kauaʻi, Hawaii

On 35 beachfront acres in sunny Poʻipū, Kiahuna Plantation® & Beach Bungalows by Castle captures the feel of old Hawaiʻi in a condo resort setting that rewards longer stays. The 333 individually decorated one- and two-bedroom suites come with full kitchens, private lanais, and garden or ocean views—the kind of setup that makes a week feel like living rather than visiting. The beach is steps from the door, once named America's Best Beach by the Travel Channel. Poʻipū Beach Athletic Club provides a pool with waterslide, jet spa, fitness center, and tennis courts; 14 barbecue areas and the historic Moir Gardens fill out the grounds. Poʻipū Shopping Village is across the street, and Waimea Canyon, championship golf, and Kauaʻi's legendary coastline are all within easy reach.

OUTRIGGER Waikiki Paradise Hotel

Honolulu, HI

Steps from Waikiki Beach and next door to International Market Place, OUTRIGGER Waikīkī Paradise Hotel is Waikiki's newest craft hotel—fully renovated and designed in collaboration with local Hawaiian artists and influencers whose murals and prints give the property a cultural grounding most Waikiki hotels can't claim. Rooms and suites range from standard city-view accommodations to spacious one- and two-bedroom suites with Pacific Ocean views; deluxe studios add wet bars for longer stays. Dining spans Appetito Craft Pizza & Wine Bar, teppanyaki at Tanaka of Tokyo, and Waikiki's most Instagrammed coffee shop at Hawaiian Aroma Caffe. Complimentary cultural programming—hula lessons, ukulele instruction, lei making, and Hawaiian language proverbs—runs twice weekly. A reimagined property that earns its winner's nod from TravelAge West's Best New Resort or Major Renovation category for Hawaii.

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