New and noteworthy hotels throughout the West that offer easy access to the outdoors for when it’s safe to travel.
Just a 90-minute flight from Seattle, Salmon Falls Resort is an unpretentious rustic luxe all-inclusive fishing lodge nestled between the forest and the ocean. It boasts cozy rooms, a vaulted timber-clad dining room with views of the bay, and access to stunning scenery and abundant wildlife. World-class fishing is a boat ride away, and ethical bear watching is available for the brave.
On the east side of Santa Barbara County, the revitalized 1952 Cuyama Buckhorn is a stylish Western-themed retreat for city dwellers looking for stargazing, wildflower-spotting, and hiking in the nearby parks. With a new pool, bocce court, and tri-tip on site, you’ll want to stay awhile.
Nearby Nature: The Carrizo Plain National Monument is the largest native grassland in California, a superbloom destination, and only one hour away.
The serene waters of the Sea of Cortez, swaying palms, and luxurious accommodations are a can’t-fail formula for a full reset by sea at the Four Seasons Resort, particularly when you have two miles of wide open beach just off your private patio. Dine in-room on impeccable seafood from the Baja outpost of renowned seafood specialist Estiatorio Milos.
Palisociety continues to expand its chic updates of classic West Coast properties with Palihouse Santa Barbara, a graceful Mediterranean revival in Santa Barbara’s historic Presidio Neighborhood. The throwback retreat boasts a pool and cabanas, rooms with fireplaces, balconies, saltillo tile floors, and a vintage preppy vibe.
The biggest resort opening in Sonoma County in recent years, Montage Healdsburg sets the bar for wine-country lodging. Situated on 258 acres of vineyards and oak forests, the low-slung modernist hotel smartly embraces outdoor living, with open-air dining throughout the property, guest bungalows with private patios and firepits, and outdoor showers. Bonus: Montage practices best-in-class safety protocols.
Nearby Nature: The 155-acre Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve offers an easy three-mile hike with views of the Russian River.
Proper Downtown L.A., interior design star Kelly Wearstler’s reimagining of a 1920s California Renaissance Revival building in the historic Broadway Corridor incorporates vintage Moroccan and Mexico City influences in a way that feels fully at home in modern DTLA. The forthcoming restaurants from Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne will echo the mindful international mashup.
Portland is at its prettiest in spring, and the Hoxton offers a handsome home base loaded with mid-century furnishings and local art in the city’s historic Old Chinatown. Explore the city’s many verdant open spaces, including nearby Hoyt Arboretum or Forest Park, with its 5,200 acres of woodlands. Head up to the rooftop restaurant Tope for dinner with a view.
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