These Are Our Favorite Hotels for a Beachside Getaway

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These resorts and hotels are the 2025 winners of the Where to Stay: Coastal Gems category. Check out the complete list of winners here. For our definitive and searchable travel directory to help you plan your next trip in the West, click here.

Seabird Ocean Resort and Spa

Courtesy of The Seabird Ocean Resort & Spa

Exceptionally friendly staff, easy access to Oceanside’s lovely beach, delightful restaurants and bars, and sweet rooms decorated in soothing coastal colors—this is the kind of something-for-everyone resort you’ll want to return to again and again. A welcome addition to this classic California beach town.

Hotel Californian

100 years since its opening date, the latest iteration of the Hotel Californian is the best expression yet of this Santa Barbara coastal classic, thanks to its opulent interiors from Martyn Lawrence Bullard, excellent restaurant and bars, and the Moroccan-inspired Majorelle Spa. Beachside bliss.

Shutters on the Beach

The iconic Santa Monica oceanfront hotel channels casual Cape Cod vibes through a California lens, and it’s a delight, all the more transporting thanks to a stylish and inviting redesigned lobby, a.k.a. the Living Room, from design firm Nickey Kehoe, complete with new artwork from luminaries such as Robert Rauschenberg.

Sandbourne Santa Monica

A welcome addition to the top tier of beachside Santa Monica hotels. Soothing spaces designed by Gulla Jónsdóttir flow seamlessly from indoors to out, letting in the sea breezes and coastal light. Equally smartly appointed rooms and suites, some with balconies, and a restaurant from local legend chef Raphael Lunetta round out the experience.

The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay

This massive 261-room spa and golf destination is the San Francisco Bay Area’s only oceanfront resort, which means it attracts the gamut—surfers, golf aficionados, and city dwellers seeking a laid-back beach escape from the bustle. A true pro move is planning your s’mores at the firepits at the same time that the bagpiper plays over the dramatic coastal cliffs at sunset. It doesn’t get much more romantic than that.

Casa Loma Beach Hotel

The boho-chic beachside boutique retreat in Laguna Beach expresses the groovy side of the beach city with low-key organic furnishings, Mallorcan vibes, and a kickback sophistication. Hanging poolside, eating small plates in the guest-only restaurant, or lounging in the lobby, it’s like staying at your artsy jet-setting friend’s beach house.

Malibu Beach Inn

Name a better place to catch a sunset while slurping oysters. We’ll wait. Slowly rebounding after the wildfires that ravaged this stretch of coastline, this hotel is poised for the return of more visitors. Guests enjoy direct access, elevated dining at Carbon Beach Club, and exclusive entry to CURE Wellness Center’s spa and fitness facilities.

Hotel San Cristóbal

About an hour north of Cabo, you’ll find Todos Santos, a boho beach community that is really quite close, but feels a world away. Hotel San Cristóbal, situated along the picturesque Punta Lobos beach and the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains, was one of the earlier boutique hotels in the area, and it is still providing a serene (adults-only) setting where sea, desert, and mountains all converge.

The Surfrider Hotel, Malibu

If you’re after barefoot luxury, there’s no better spot than this 20-room Californian beach house perched right across the street from the world-famous Surfrider Beach. Surf culture is woven throughout the former ‘50s era motel, which includes a guests-only Roof Deck that serves the best coconut margarita you’ll find North of the border, a perfect sip for soaking in the California sunshine and brisk ocean air.

Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol

The Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas

Cabo’s newest luxury resort feels like the Mexican village of your dreams: Against the vivid blue backdrop of the Sea of Cortez, you’ll find whitewashed modern hacienda-style rooms and private villas; winding stone roads and paths; charming boutiques; a world-class serene spa; pools to fit families, couples, and fitness fans; restaurants serving modern Peruvian-Japanese food (from chef Richard Sandoval); and a rooftop cocktail bar and beach club serving up cocktails and beats against the setting sun.

Lodge at Bodega Bay

Perched along Highway 1 between Sonoma’s rugged coast and famed wine country, the Lodge at Bodega Bay is a tranquil seven-acre retreat with 83 ocean-view rooms and rustic-luxe charm. Guests can sip local wines by the fire, explore coastal trails and guided nature walks, dine at Drakes Sonoma Coast, or unwind in the infinity hot tub overlooking the Pacific.

Sea Ranch Lodge

Set on 53 acres of spectacular Northern California coastline in Sonoma County, the iconic Sea Ranch Lodge was designed to respond to—and live in harmony with—the natural elements, and it does so beautifully. Sustainably restored in 2021 by a collection of top-tier California architects and designers, the multi-year restoration pays homage to the originators of the greater Sea Ranch community, embodying coastal modernism at its best.

Bower Coronado

Coronado has long needed a new hotel, and The Bower delivers, bringing wabi-sabi-inspired luxury to the island with 39 serene rooms and a storied setting on a former Japanese tea garden. Featuring Dive, the island’s first rooftop bar, and curated local experiences just steps from the beach, this boutique retreat blends handcrafted design with laid-back coastal elegance that fits right in with the quaint area’s existing landscape.

Hotel Casa del Mar

Blending Mediterranean grandeur with laid-back Santa Monica charm, Hotel Casa del Mar is a reimagined 1926 oceanfront gem offering breezy, coastal-inspired rooms and sweeping Pacific views. With farmers market cuisine at Terrazza, live music in the Lobby Lounge, and a sun-soaked pool and spa, it’s a quintessential SoCal escape for locals and travelers alike.

Estancia La Jolla

Hot off a multi-million-dollar renovation, this treasured oasis just north of San Diego is beloved for its robust garden grounds, rancho-inspired design, and rich SoCal charm. Enjoy the expansive poolside or luxuriate at the oasis of a spa before returning to your well-appointed room, which, rather than going the expected coastal route, is equestrian-inspired.

Fairmont Breakers Long Beach

The nearly 100-year-old-hotel, favored by Hollywood stars like Clark Gable and Elizabeth Taylor, has been restored to its original glory and enhanced with contemporary design and amenities: The iconic Sky Room and Halo—the only rooftop bar in the city—offer stellar views, sips, and bites, and a 10,000-square-foot spa offers numerous restorative treatments to round out your stay by the sea.

Timber Cove Resort

Perched on a moody, windswept bluff where the redwoods meet the sea, this reimagined 1960s icon offers stunning views of the Sonoma Coast. With artisan design, modern comforts, and seasonal coastal fare at Coast Kitchen, it’s a soulful escape carved into the cliffs above the Pacific.