The Best Resort in California Is Nowhere Near the Beach—but Travelers Love It for the Farm-fresh Food and Wine

Travel + Leisure

08-07-2025

When it comes to California resorts, it's clear that T+L readers love the state's wine countries, from Napa Valley down to the Central Coast—and the beaches lining the Pacific. And it's no wonder. All of these regions have become synonymous with an idealized, laid-back version of life in the Golden State, where the sun shines over neat rows of vineyards, surfers catch endless waves, and where natural beauty is everywhere you look. Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe—to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Nearly 180,000 T+L readers completed the 2025 survey. A total of more than 657,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.). Hotels were classified as either resort hotel, city hotel, inn, or safari lodge based on their location and amenities, and they were specifically rated on the criteria below: Rooms/facilities Location Service Food Value For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.
A courtyard in a Suite at The Inn at Mattei's Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection.
Auberge Resorts Collection
In Montecito, near Santa Barbara, San Ysidro Ranch (this year's runner-up) has gained icon status, having opened in 1893. It's played host to everyone from Winston Churchill to John and Jackie Kennedy on its sprawling, cottage-dotted property. One reader, when visiting with her mother, noted, 'Every staff member treated us with kindness and respect. From the moment we entered the property, we were amazed at all the small details."
Further up the coast, the natural beauty of Big Sur is complemented by another reader favorite, Alila Ventana Big Sur (No. 11), an excellent adults-only resort. "It's all-inclusive, and the food is incredible, as is the service at the restaurant,' said one reader.
And down near San Diego, Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa (No. 5) in Rancho Santa Fe had particularly enthusiastic fans. As one repeat visitor to the property put it: 'Rancho Valencia is hands-down my favorite resort in the U.S.. It kind of feels like a secret, but arriving at the gate and being greeted by one of the impeccably mannered staff, you know exactly where you are. It's heaven!'
The Inn at Mattei's Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection Exterior view of The Inn at Mattei's Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection.
Auberge Resorts Collection
'The rooms are beautiful and the tavern and restaurant have been fabulously restored to showcase all of the history of the property.'
— T + L Reader
While it only opened in 2023, this year's winner, The Inn at Mattei's Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection, has quickly become a reader favorite. 'A fantastic, understated, luxurious hotel,' is how one reader described this 6.5-acre property, surrounded by olive groves and vineyards in the little town of Los Olivos, a two-hour drive north of Los Angeles. 'The rooms are beautiful and the tavern and restaurant have been fabulously restored to showcase all of the history of the property.' Being in the heart of Central California's agricultural land, the culinary offerings are naturally a big part of the draw here. The hotel's primary restaurant, The Tavern, is an ode to regional produce and ingredients, many of which are grown on-site, and as you'd expect, there's a wide-ranging wine list showing off the best of California.
1. The Inn at Mattei's Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection, Los Olivos
Reader Score: 99.27
2. San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito
Reader Score: 98.76
3. Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection, Calistoga
Reader Score: 97.83
4. The Ranch at Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach
Reader Score: 97.25
5. Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, Rancho Santa Fe
Reader Score: 97.02
6. Auberge du Soleil, Auberge Resorts Collection, Rutherford
Reader Score: 96.29
7. Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection, Napa
Reader Score: 96.20
8. Mission Pacific Beach Resort, Oceanside
Reader Score: 96.00
9. The Seabird Resort, Oceanside
Reader Score: 95.35
10. The Lodge at Torrey Pines, La Jolla
Reader Score: 94.29
11. Alila Ventana Big Sur, Big Sur
Reader Score: 94.23
12. Alisal Ranch, Solvang
Reader Score: 93.93
13. Fairmont Grand Del Mar, San Diego
Reader Score: 93.38
14. Terranea, Rancho Palos Verdes
Reader Score: 93.29
15. Bernardus Lodge & Spa, Carmel Valley Reader Score: 92.70