Hotel at a Glance: Best Western Plus Beach View Lodge

This hotel is as California as it gets. Situated just off the Pacific Coast Highway and across from Tamarack State Beach, it resembles a quaint SoCal cottage built in the classic Craftsman style popularized on the west coast. Inside the rustic lounge, a stone fireplace crackles beneath exposed wooden beams running along the ceiling.

• Go for a swim at the beach or stick to the oval-shaped pool in the hotel courtyard.
• Kickstart your day with a complimentary continental hot breakfast with pancake station and hot breakfast sandwiches, as well as fresh pastries, juice, coffee, cereal, and fruit.
• Admire the ocean from a lounge chair on the sunset terrace.
• Room amenities include a flat-screen TV, coffeemaker, mini-refrigerator, microwave, and free WiFi; many units also feature fireplaces and private balconies, and suites have full refrigerators.
• Within a 5-minute drive: Legoland, Sea Life Aquarium, Outlet mall, Museum of Making Music, and the Carlsbad Flower Fields

Carlsbad, California: Coastal Town North of San Diego

Carlsbad’s swath of golden coastline, nestled between San Diego and LA, is often called the Riviera of the West. It connects several of SoCal’s most well-known beach towns, including La Jolla and Coronado. This midsize city of 105,000 people was founded when an artesian well was discovered there in the 1880s, and the locals christened it after Karlsbad, a health-spa village in Bohemian Europe. The discovery of the mineral spring—coupled with the arrival of the Arizona Eastern Railway—helped promote Carlsbad as a tourist destination. It retains a small-town feel, though; its downtown is lined with boutique shops, antique stores, and restaurants.

Unspoiled natural beauty is part of what draws people to Carlsbad. Carlsbad State Beach stretches for 4 miles along the Pacific Ocean; here, you can swim, surf, or stroll beside the nearby rocky bluffs. The city is also renowned as a premier growing region for poinsettias and ranunculus. Each year, The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch herald the arrival of spring; you can watch as 50 acres of ranunculus fields blossom into a spectacular burst of color.

About 4 miles south of town, you’ll find the Museum of Making Music, which deals chiefly with pop culture, instrument innovation, and the business aspect of music. A current exhibit called The Sound of Sax tells the origin story of the Jazz Age’s most iconic instrument, but exhibitions change regularly.

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