Need a Presidents Day getaway? 12 born-again California lodges with vacancies

California’s hundreds of historic motels, lodges, hotels and resorts have gotten a serious glow-up since the pandemic.

Everything from Gold Rush saloons to Old Hollywood hideaways to mid-century monuments have been redesigned from the ground up to host a generation of revenge travelers.

Just in time for Presidents Day weekend, The Standard compiled a list of a dozen extraordinary hotels around the state that recently reopened following multi-million-dollar renovations.

Tiny homes, seafood and stargazing | From $299 per night for Presidents Day weekend

In far West Marin, a small fleet of high-style “tiny homes” has replaced a former trailer park on a bluff overlooking a lone cypress, the mouth of Tomales Bay and miles of dunes. Rechristened the Dillon Beach Resort, the oceanfront lodging is the most recent incarnation of a fishing and weekend destination that dates to 1888.

From this remote, windswept coastline near the border of Marin and Sonoma counties, guests are not far from oysters in Marshall, seafood in Bodega Bay, long walks on the beach and some of the Bay Area’s best dark skies for stargazing.

Mineral pools, vineyards and skydiving | From $549 per night for Presidents Day weekend

After nearly three decades as a Christian college, Murrieta Hot Springs Resort was born again this month, reopening access to its 50 hot spring pools, bathhouse, rooftop sauna and 174 guest rooms on the Old California hotel property first established in 1902. 

Soaking in mineral pools sound a bit too tame? Murrieta is only an hour’s drive south of the Ontario Airport and is dangerously close to Temecula Valley wineries, as well as Southern California’s destination for skydiving and hot air balloon rides.

Strolls, style and tranquility | From $699 per night for Presidents Day weekend

It’s not too often that mere mortals can overnight in an architectural masterpiece, lounging in Paul McCobb chairs and exploring grounds featured in an SFMOMA exhibition. Yet a stay at Sea Ranch Lodge provides just that. 

A 2023 refurbishment of the 17 guest rooms stripped out the remains of less-faithful remodels for a return to the pioneering 1964 eco-focused design, which aimed to provide seamless integration into the surrounding meadows, cypress groves and bluffs above Sonoma’s wild Pacific Coast. A long weekend of strolling the windswept cliffs and beaches and soaking in mid-century design delivers unparalleled peace of mind.

Cuisine, karaoke and baths | From $193 per night for Presidents Day weekend

While Korean everything is still having a moment, get yourself to the Line Hotel in Los Angeles’s Koreatown for some of what the LA Times deems the region’s “most exciting food scene.”  

Set in a refurbished 1964 mid-century tower between Downtown and Hollywood, the Line puts guests in the center of K-town, with a “Deco-disco” cocktail lounge, karaoke and rooftop pool on the property. Plus, you’re near authentic Korean food, bars and spas.

Skiing, trails and gambling | From $265 per night for Presidents Day weekend

The north shore of Lake Tahoe has become something of an accommodation ghost town. Despite the lake’s dramatic increase in popularity, many of the old motels and casinos near the California-Nevada state line have shuttered. 

The Incline Lodge steps into this void with a bottom-up rebuild of a former roadside inn. Modern design and furnishings are warmed by High Sierra touches—and the indoor pool is heated year-round. Best of all, the property makes a convenient base from which to ski Diamond Peak or Mount Rose, snowshoe near the lake, traverse the East Shore Trail past Sand Harbor, bowl at the all-new Bowl Incline or try your luck at the casinos.

Sunshine, chaises and shops | From $274 per night for Presidents Day weekend

Between the time Bob Hope checked in as its first guest in 1946 and its $31 million renovation in 2023, the Lafayette Hotel has witnessed San Diego’s maturation as a tourist mecca. The new eye-popping decor means the Lafayette will never be mistaken for a chain motel—and its classic poolside chaises are dreamy.

The hotel is situated in the center of the trendy North Park neighborhood and not too far from Balboa Park, Hillcrest and Petco Park. 

Village life, 17-Mile Drive and galleries | From $599 per night for Presidents Day weekend

A tribute to its 1905 beginnings as a luxe Bohemian mansion, La Playa Hotel’s 2023 redesign oozes early California glamor. Most of the guest rooms have ocean views and the property sits just steps from the sand.

If you can pull yourself away from La Playa’s heated pool and garden paths, a cruise down 17-Mile Drive, a stroll through village galleries and an expedition to see the marine life and birds of Point Lobos State Reserve are all minutes away. 

Cottages, wine and spa time | From $599 for Presidents Day weekend

After 150 years as a destination and a four-year renovation, MacArthur Place Hotel and Spa has reopened its elegant rooms, cottages and spa to guests.

The five-acre property is located just blocks from the Sonoma Plaza and a short drive to landmark wineries like Buena Vista and Gundlach Bundschu. A body polish using oils made from plants grown on site sounds like an ideal mid-winter refresh.

Saloons, Gold Country and cross-country skiing | From $205 per night for Presidents Day weekend

Host to Gold Rush luminaries like Mark Twain, Lotta Crabtree and Black Bart, the historic Holbrooke Hotel in the Sierra foothills glitters from a 2021 restoration that catapulted its rooms, restaurants and famed 1852 Golden Gate Saloon into the 21st century.

Downtown Grass Valley’s shops and happenings have something for most visitors, but winter also offers cross-country skiing at Royal Gorge just 45 miles away and hiking on nearby trails. 

Desert vibes, palm trees and cabanas | From $411 per night for Presidents Day weekend

Opened in November 2023, the new Life House Palm Springs preserves the soul of the 1960s Royal Sun motel it replaced.

Situated right on Palm Canyon Drive, the property’s groovy origins received an infusion of Japanese sensibility in the redesign, which incorporates Palm Springs must-haves like poolside cabanas, cacti and desert-inspired lounges.

Urban forest, SF history and pizza | From $410 per night for Presidents Day weekend

Haven’t seen Tunnel Tops, the largest parkland to open in San Francisco in decades? Book a weekend at the Inn at the Presidio to see what’s new in the nation’s first urban national park.

A former army officers’ residence dating from the turn of the last century, the inn is now one of the city’s most popular boutique hotels, boasting a 2024 cozy redesign of its common areas. The Presidio provides access to a full weekend of adventure, including countless trails, the indoor Field Station science center and a new pizza spot, Il Parco.

Art Deco design, maritime history and ghosts | From $280 per night for Presidents Day weekend

Almost sunk by skyrocketing renovation costs, the Queen Mary was saved by the city of Long Beach in 2021 and reopened its hotel in 2023, giving back the port its one-of-a-kind lodging experience. Guests can spend the night in 1930s Art Deco staterooms once slept in by movie stars and political dignitaries—from Winston Churchill and Jackie O. to Clark Gable and Elizabeth Taylor—and still reportedly inhabited by numerous ghosts. 

Take a tour of the famous ocean liner and then disembark to explore Long Beach’s Fourth Street “Retro Row”—a corridor locals regard as better than Hollywood’s Melrose Street—and the Southland’s best Cambodian eats. Best of all? It’s a 15-minute drive from the blissfully tiny Long Beach Airport.