Iconic Hotels

It costs a bundle to spend the night, but there’s no charge for wandering inside, taking in the splendour of this 1920s-era hotel. This National Historic Landmark in Yosemite Valley has several “public rooms” where visitors can soak up its 1927 architecture, designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood. Everything in the Majestic Yosemite (formerly Ahwahnee) is built on a grand scale, from the massive hand-stencilled timber beams to sandstone fireplaces so large you could hold a tea party inside. Adorning this hefty structure are colourful stained-glass windows, Native American tapestries and baskets, Turkish kilim rugs, and Yosemite-inspired 19th-century paintings depicting the park’s waterfalls and giant sequoia trees.

Many famous people have slept in the Majestic Yosemite, including John F. Kennedy, Greta Garbo, Queen Elizabeth II, and Winston Churchill. It’s a worthy splurge to stay in one of its 123 rooms, suites, or cottages, but even if you don’t, you can still book a table for the sumptuous Sunday brunch at the Majestic Yosemite Dining Room, or simply sit by the fireplace in the Great Lounge, look up at the wrought-iron chandeliers dropping from the dining room’s 34-foot, richly painted ceilings, or enjoy a cocktail at the bar. Free one-hour guided tours of the Majestic Yosemite are offered throughout the year; check with the hotel's concierge desk for a current schedule. 

Lavish and elegant, Riverside’s Mission Inn Hotel & Spa combines Old World romance with the splendour of Southern California’s citrus-growing era. From its modest start in 1876 as an adobe guesthouse, the Mission Inn grew into a veritable castle of turrets and ornate tile domes, archways, and lush garden courtyards. For more than a century, its grandeur has drawn glitterati and big names, from Hollywood royalty (Cary Grant and Barbra Streisand) to Albert Einstein and American presidents. In fact, Richard and Patricia Nixon were married at the inn and Ronald and Nancy Reagan honeymooned there.

For all of its grand architecture and history (which you can learn about on walking tours), the Mission Inn has plenty of contemporary comforts too, with a full-service spa and several restaurants. And its downtown Riverside location puts you within easy reach of art museums, galleries, and events at the Fox Performing Arts Center, located in a restored 1929 theatre.

The historic Inn at Death Valley (formerly known as the Inn at Furnace Creek Resort) was built for roundabout reasons—the Pacific Coast Borax Company financed its construction as a means to save the company’s Death Valley Railroad after the borax business slowed. In the days before cars were common in the desert, many Hollywood stars rode the train to this desert getaway. The railroad didn’t survive the changing times, but this lovely hotel has aged gracefully since 1927.

Designed by a Los Angeles architect who took his inspiration from California’s Spanish missions, the 66-room inn is perched on a hill facing west, its stone patios offering views of Death Valley and the Panamint Mountains. Red tile roofs and stucco walls glow in the afternoon sun; palm trees sway and water fountains burble. Outdoor fireplaces flicker and glow around the edges of the spring-fed swimming pool. Splurges don’t feel much more special than this. If you’re just visiting on a day visit in the park, relax over lunch or afternoon tea in the inn’s restful dining room. A 2017 revamp to the property will include adding 11 two-room casitas, a new wellness centre, a new dining room, and more.   

The Oasis at Death Valley also offers a budget-minded 244-room property, The Ranch at Death Valley, just down the road.

Since 1958, this San Luis Obispo landmark has drawn Central Coast visitors eager to experience its 110 one of a kind rooms. Feel girlie in rooms like American Beauty and Rose Room, or go Neanderthal in the solid rock confines of the Caveman room, complete with 'Stone Age clubs,' in case you need them, or practice your 'Tally ho!' in the expansive Fox and Hound suite. Though it can be tough to leave these spectacular and sometimes eccentric rooms, the Madonna Inn also features over 1,000 acres of surrounding hills, with trails for hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding (guided trail rides are offered). You can also spend time in the on-site spa, enjoy on-site wine tasting, and dine at Alex Madonna’s Gold Rush Steak House.

Built for $1.9 million, an unimaginable fortune when the hotel opened in 1910, the 437 room US Grant Hotel was the opulent vision of the late president’s son, Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., who believed that this Southern California city needed a fine hotel. The hotel debuted with an all day ceremony that drew the cream of California society, who marvelled at the Italian marble lobby, balustrades of alabaster, and sweeping views out to Coronado Island from the hotel’s Palm Court

But over the decades, the US Grant went through tough times. Thankfully, a major restoration by a Native American tribe, which bought the hotel in 2003, removed decades of modifications and renovations to show off the hotel’s original finery. In room details include original drip painting headboards by artist Yves Clement as well as authentic Native American art. For a craft cocktail and a little something to nibble-perhaps a toasted cheese sandwich (aged fontina, rosemary bread, speck ham, and balsamic tomatoes)-relax in the Art Deco sleekness of the Grant Grill Lounge.