Some travelers like to stay in five-star resorts. Others prefer some grit with their lodging – motels with fun history, quirky charm and plenty of “character”(that’s what they call those mysterious carpet stains).
With a car culture and natural beauty that encourages roamin’ around, California is full of such unpolished gems. The Los Angeles Times recently rounded up a bunch of them for its “34 coolest, kitschiest, most fascinating motels in California.” These are motel-style accommodations between San Francisco and San Diego, built between the 1930s and ’70s, many with recent renovations.
The hospitality industry “might tiptoe around the m-word, but they’re bringing those properties back,” writes the paper’s Christopher Reynolds. “Every week, it seems, another revived California roadside lodging reopens, many of them festooned with the bold, space-age shapes and signage that mid-century design geeks know as Googie.”
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The Los Angeles Times’ coolest and kitschiest motels in California (Bay Area edition)
1 Motel Capri – San Francisco (Marina District)
2 Hotel Del Sol – San Francisco (Marina District)
3 Phoenix Hotel – San Francisco (Tenderloin)
4 Beck’s Motor Lodge – San Francisco (the Castro)
5 Sea & Sand Inn – Santa Cruz
6 Le Petit Pali Ocean Avenue – Carmel
7 Glen Oaks Resort Adobe Motor Lodge – Big Sur
8 Cambria Beach Lodge – Cambria
9 Melody Ranch Motel – Paso Robles
10 Pacific Motel – San Luis Obispo
Source: www.latimes.com/travel/list/best-motels-california-guide
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