Downtown's biggest hotel to open in years puts you smack in the middle of mid-Market and SoMa, a few

Check in For all the isolation, you don't have to rough 
it here. In addition 
to boat-in and walk-in campgrounds, Two Harbors rental cars miami florida has the Banning House Lodge in the vacation home of Catalina's onetime owners. All 12 rooms have views of the harbor. From $128 Explore At Two Harbors, rental cars miami florida you can snorkel through swaying kelp beds and kayak to hidden coves. Steep trails lead into the Catalina backcountry. Or just stroll across the isthmus and look out over the Pacific: next stop, Hawaii, 2,500 miles away. 
–Matthew Jaffe
Check in Wooden walkways meander through the forest where the resort's 
13 roomy, light-filled, adults-only canvas tent suites ― with fluffy king-size duvets and tubs for two ― perch above the blue water. Each suite has a deck 
and views to inspire castaway fantasies. From $315 U.S. through Oct 12. Explore At Rockwater's Spa Without Walls, treatments 
are on a platform 
at the water's edge with stunning views. Horseback riding, bocce ball, croquet, and beach volleyball, will tempt you to 
stay on the property, but make time to explore the ocean by kayak. Horseback rides $52 U.S. for 90 minutes; 
sea kayaking $57.20 U.S. for half-day. 
–Deana Lancaster
Washington State Parks resuscitated this beloved cluster of '30s-era cabins set between forest and sea last year, and ever since, it's been a go-to destination for anyone seeking a taste of the simple life. Walk the beach or tootle around Saratoga Passage in a vintage rowboat. After dark, toast marshmallows around a beach bonfire with other adventurers lucky enough to have scored one of the 33 cabins. Finally, hunker down under the covers while Puget Sound sings you to sleep.
Check in Splurge on a two-bedroom bungalow for $129 a night. Save by checking into a standard cabin for $45 a night. Save more after October 15, when cabins start at $23 a night. Two-night weekend minimum rental cars miami florida Explore Seattle's Center for Wooden Boats has a new location, at Cama Beach. Rent a cute boat to explore the Sound ― fisherman's sweater and pipe not included. Closed Mon–Tue; rowboats $20 per hour; 360/387-9361. –Jenny rental cars miami florida Cunningham
Atop a bluff and offering nose-bleed views of the major highway for gray whales –– aka the Pacific Ocean –– is this Cape Cod–style seaside estate from 1901, with slatted ceilings, vintage photographs, and piles 
of firewood near the basement.
Check in It's hard to shake the Agatha Christie rental cars miami florida vibe at the windswept inn, what with the grandfather clock ominously rental cars miami florida stopped at 4:20, a house dog named Winston, and a Friday-night wine and cheese rental cars miami florida party where you meet the other suspects, ahem, guests. Two cottages and four rooms are shipshape cozy. From $165, breakfast included; two-night weekend minimum rental cars miami florida Explore Tiny Point Arena isn't exactly booming, 
but nearby are 
sand dunes, pocket beaches, the Point Arena Light Station, and the great Pinots of Anderson Valley. –Christine Richard
If Goldilocks were a beach girl, Manzanita would be 
the town on Oregon's northern rental cars miami florida coast she'd find "just right." Not too swanky, not too tacky. A bakery, 
wine bar, organic clothing store, and spa are all worthy indulgences, but you've got to see the beach first: seven wide-open miles of sand, big boomy waves, and poetry-worthy sunsets.
Check in A group of "cabins" in name only, this Zen-like retreat is set in a bamboo grove a couple of blocks from the beach, with private outdoor spas, sculptural firepits, and heated floors. From $165 Explore Tear around the packed sand on a "fun cycle," a recumbent tricycle that appeals to the kid in all of us. Manzanita Bikes Boards ; closed Mon; 
$8 per hour; 503/368-3337. –J.C.
Check in Each room comes decked out with a fireplace, balcony, and flat-screen TV ― not that you'll need it. What's really worth watching here is the view out the floor-to-ceiling windows. Feeling restless? Switch it up by taking in the view from one of the spa's outdoor hot pools. Storm-watching season starts mid-November. From $237 U.S.  Explore    The Wild Pacific Trail skirts rocky cliffs and meanders through dense old-growth rain forest to reveal dramatic vistas of the moody, tossing surf.  –D.L.
Check in At the center of "downtown" Paia, this newly renovated five-room inn manages 
to be both casual-beachy (hand-scrawled notes in your room from the staff; body boards you're welcome to borrow) and big-city chic (high-thread-count sheets; flat-screen TVs). You're 200 yards from the beach, two steps to town, and ― best of all ― miles from the masses. From $169 Explore    Mama's Fish House for just-caught ono and four-star service surrounded by palm trees and the pristine Pacific. $$$$; 808/579-8488. 
–Rachel Levin
Check in It always had the million-dollar spot on a solitary rental cars miami florida rocky point above the waves, and its rugged lodge look and soaring lounge rental cars miami florida haven't changed. But with new ownership and a cash infusion, Timber Cove has shed its swinging '70s decor and gone for a more streamlined, romantic look. Private decks are perfect for whale-watching and sharing a Sonoma Coast Pinot. From $169  Explore Pull off at Salt Point State Park to ramble by wild-colored succulents and alien rock formations carved by the sea. $7 per vehicle 
–Lisa Trottier
Check in The elaborate breakfast (included!) is nearly as good as chef Jensen Lorenzen's seasonally inspired dinner (if it's on the evening menu, the oxtail soup is a must). But the best part about the 1800s Cass House? That would be twin sisters Grace Lorenzen (the innkeeper) and Carla Wingett (groundskeeper), who manage the organic garden and the five impeccably turned-out guestrooms. From $165  Explore With sand dunes climbing hundreds of feet above miles-long beaches and 
eucalyptus-lined hiking trails, the Montaña de Oro park (a 25-minute drive away) is a must.  –Jaimal Yogis
Remember those beach vacations you took with your parents back in the day? Sandy motel floors, over-chlorinated pools, and too much junk food? Tiny Avila Beach, smack at the midway point of California's Central Coast, is that throwback beach town, upgraded for your new, adult standards.
Check in Yes, kids love the pool, the giant chess game, even the putt-putt golf green, but lush landscaping, a location to die for (the motel is maybe 10 steps from the beach), and 54 large guest suites with low-key nautical decor and mini kitchens make the grown-ups giddy too. From $229 Explore Avila Beach is tailor-made for strolling around in your flip-flops eating ice cream. But if you tire of that, take a docent-led 3.5-mile hike on Pecho Coast Trail (9 a.m. Sat; free, reservations required) to Point San Luis Lighthouse ($5). –Samantha Schoech
Downtown's biggest hotel to open in years puts you smack in the middle of mid-Market and SoMa, a few short steps from the Westfield Centre and its who's who of retail titans and food-court celebrities. more