California Hotels Archives - Brad A. Johnson

Review: AutoCamp Joshua Tree

AutoCamp redefined the American campground several years ago with its Airstream "hotel" campsites. Opened in 2021, AutoCamp’s third location was this roadside trailer park five miles from the West Entrance of California’s Joshua Tree National Park, 40 miles northeast of Palm Springs.

Quick Look: Pendry, San Diego

Pendry is the less-expensive, next-gen offshoot of ultra-luxe Montage Hotels & Resorts, and this location in San Diego's Gaslamp District is where the brand debuted in 2017.

Motel Review: White Water, Cambria CA

The central coast village of Cambria is a popular overnight pitstop on California’s fabled Highway 1. The priciest (thus presumably the nicest) place to stay here is White Water, which debuted anew in October 2020 following a major renovation that included the annexation of a neighboring property.

Motel Review: Cuyama Buckhorn, New Cuyama, CA

The 21-room Cuyama Buckhorn is a mid-century motel redux in the boondocks of California’s high desert, midway between San Luis Obispo and Maricopa. Nobody travels to this remote hideout by accident. You really must make an effort to get here.

Quick Look: Hotel Cerro & Brasserie SLO, San Luis Obispo

Although its debut was inauspiciously timed (coinciding with the beginning of the pandemic), the 65-room Hotel Cerro and its beautiful Brasserie SLO have breathed new life into downtown San Luis Obispo on California's Central Coast.

Closer Look: Stonehouse Restaurant at San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito

I don’t believe there’s a better restaurant in Santa Barbara than Stonehouse at San Ysidro Ranch. The food is truly outstanding. The service, impeccable. The wine list, world-class. And the…

Hotel Review: San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito

San Ysidro Ranch is a world unto itself. It’s that unique place on the outskirts of Santa Barbara where Southern California merges with the European countryside. It’s where John and Jaqueline Kennedy honeymooned...

Hotel Review: Fairmont Grand Del Mar, San Diego

This was my first time back to the Grand Del Mar in north San Diego County since the resort rebranded as the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in 2015.

Hotel Review: Mission Pacific, Oceanside California

The six-story, 161-room Mission Pacific Hotel overlooking the beach in downtown Oceanside is part of the largest oceanfront development in San Diego County in more than 50 years.

Quick Review: Valle, Oceanside CA

Inspired by Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe where the chef first made a name for himself, Roberto Alcocer’s cuisine at the new Valle in Oceanside is intensely farm-to-table. It is uniquely Mexican, distinctly Californian and not always what it appears to be.

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