4 Central Coast hotels ranked among the best in Northern California. Here’s where to stay
Looking for a weekend getaway on the Central Coast?
Condé Nast Traveler recently released its list of the Top 20 Hotels in Northern California as part of the 2024 Readers Choice Awards.
“Northern California ... is home to iconic nature and hotels worthy of the views,” Condé Nast Traveler said.
The travel publication announced the award winners — ranging from luxurious beachside lodges to farmhouse inns nestled among vineyards — on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Here were the Central Coast spots that landed on the list:
Where are the best Central Coast hotels?
A total of four Central Coast hotels were featured on Condé Nast Traveler’s list of best places to stay in Northern California.
Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay
Location: Two Portola Plaza, Monterey
Ranking: No. 4
The bayfront hotel is near downtown and Fisherman’s Wharf, and describes itself as a grand escape for “families, romantics, and adventurers,” along with their pets, according to its website.
The hotel contains two restaurants, a spa and 379 coastal-inspired rooms with city, garden and harbor views that provide a “peaceful retreat” for guests.
Portola Hotel & Spa landed on Condé Nast Traveler’s list of the best places to say in Northern California for the eighth year in a row.
Location: 47900 Highway 1, Big Sur
Ranking: No. 5
Perched on the cliffs of Big Sur, the newly renovated Post Ranch Inn pairs breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean with a luxury restaurant, spa and infinity pools.
Seven of the 39 rooms are built among redwood trees with custom-crafted beds and skylights that allow nighttime stargazing.
The hotel advertises itself as a place to disconnect, with no televisions or alarm clocks in sight.
It’s been a frequent favorite on Condé Nast Traveler, making the Gold List in 2022.
Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa in Monterey
Location: 400 Cannery Row, Monterey
Ranking: No. 14
This 290-room luxury lodge calls itself “the grand dame of the bay.”
In addition to a redesigned lobby, a rooftop spa and stunning oceanfront views, Monterey Plaza Hotel offers an in-house artisan coffee shop and two award-winning restaurants.
Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa is a stone’s throw from the area’s historic Cannery Row and aims to provide “coastal hospitality refreshed by a spirit of conviviality,” its website said.
Location: 652 Cannery Row, Monterey
Ranking: No. 20
This boutique Cannery Row lodge emits tranquility and charm by the ocean.
The historic three-story hotel was built in 1927 and offers a number of suites with expansive ocean views.
“The scale and elegant design of the Spindrift Inn evokes romance, intimacy and nostalgia,” its website said.
What other Northern California hotels landed on the list?
These were the top 10 hotels in Northern California, according to Condé Nast Traveler readers:
The Lodge at Bodega Bay, Bodega Bay
Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel, Berkeley
The Farmhouse Inn, Sonoma
Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay, Monterey
Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur
Napa Valley Lodge, Yountville
Vintage House at The Estate Yountville, Yountville
Auberge du Soleil, Auberge Resorts Collection, Rutherford
Château du Sureau, Oakhurst
MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa, Sonoma
How did Condé Nast choose the winners?
All winners were “independently selected” by Condé Nast readers, the travel magazine said.
Readers cast more than 575,000 votes on hotels, spas, trains, cruise lines and more for the magazine’s 37th annual Readers’ Choice Awards.
