How to Find Luxury Hotels in California

At least one of the stories you've heard about California is true: you really can travel from the mountains to the desert to the beaches in a single day. The geography of California is unmatched for its sheer variety, and finding luxury accommodations in the Golden State to match your travel itinerary will offer just as many possibilities.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Know Your Destination

1. Organize your itinerary by planning activities around the four largest cities in California: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco.
2. Venture into some of the more desolate places in California, such as the formidable Mojave Desert, the dense redwood forests, or the rugged coastline just below the Oregon border.
3. Explore the lowest spot in the Western Hemisphere, 282 feet below sea level, at Death Valley, which has also experienced some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded.

Getting Around California Cities

4. Consider renting a car, which is by far the best way to travel around California, especially in the Los Angeles area, where destinations can be spread far apart.
5. Use the popular mass transit systems while staying in the larger cities, such as The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) or San Diego's Metropolitan Transit System (MTS).

Find Luxury Accommodations in California

6. Book accommodations at The Westin Bonaventure by calling [phone] or visiting its Web site (see Resources below).
7. Call [phone] to make reservations or book online.
8. Choose luxury accommodations at one of the two wine-producing areas of California. The vineyards in Napa and Sonoma counties, northeast of the Bay Area, have been producing some of the finest wines in the world for decades. The wine country of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties have been enjoying increased interest after the film “Sideways.”
9. Find luxury accommodations with a glorious ocean view at Big Sur, Newport Beach, San Diego or Mendocino County.
10. Stay at luxury accommodations at one of the posh ski resorts at Big Bear Lake, in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles.
11. Book luxury accommodations at one of the many major chain hotels in the newly renovated Disneyland Resort area in Anaheim, just south of Los Angeles in Orange County.

Explore California

12. Watch the bodybuilders pump iron at Muscle Beach, in Venice, near the Los Angeles International Airport.
13. Head out to the desert in Palm Springs for a ride on the aerial tramway up to the top of the tallest mountain in Southern California, or to relax at one of the many world famous spas.
14. Make your golfing dreams come true by booking a tee time at Pebble Beach, one of the most desirable courses in the world.