Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by Lauren Belzer Sanford
If you’ve explored my blog, you’ll know that boutique hotels are the key to my heart. I love the way each one is unique and tells its own story — from the thoughtful design details to the local flavors on the breakfast table — and how staying in a boutique hotel can transform any trip into something truly memorable.
As we head into 2026, I’ve been daydreaming about the bucket list hotels I’d love to experience in the year ahead. This list is a mix of dreamy boutique hotels in California — the state I live in and still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of — and one European stay in Puglia that has completely captured my imagination. Will I stay at all of them? Probably not. But this is my 2026 hotel bucket list, and I’m manifesting at least a few (and sharing them here so you can dream along with me).
You’ll notice that most of these are in California, which feels right. Since planting ourselves here more permanently in 2022, I’ve fallen deeper in love with the state every time I explore a new pocket of it — from boutique hotels along the coast to cozy hideaways tucked into wine country. I have a feeling 2026 is going to be a year of California adventures, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.
I’m starting this list with the properties closest to home — the ones I can most realistically visit for a quick weekend getaway — and ending with the furthest (in Puglia, of course… shocker). That one might take a little extra convincing to make happen.
Le Petit Pali Laguna Beach – Laguna Beach, California
Playing tourist in your own backyard can be surprisingly magical — sometimes a one-night staycation in Laguna Beach is all you need to shake things up and see a familiar town from a fresh perspective.
I’ve been obsessed with the Le Petit Pali properties for quite some time, and the Laguna Beach location feels like the perfect excuse for a dreamy one- or two-night escape. Perched along the iconic Coast Highway at the southern end of Laguna Beach, just steps from Treasure Island Beach and Goff Cove, this boutique hotel is as well-placed as it is well-designed.
Best for: OC locals looking for a staycation with genuine charm, or anyone spending a long weekend exploring Laguna Beach.
The property has 41 king and suite rooms, a sparkling pool shaded by palm trees, and a Champagne Continental Breakfast featuring pastries from local bakery Rye Goods, seasonal fruit, and mimosas for those who want to start the morning right. Every evening, freshly baked cookies are delivered to your room — which might be reason enough on its own.
If you want to make a full weekend of it, Laguna is also home to a handful of excellent galleries, tide pools, and some of Orange County’s best restaurant patios. A little inspiration for planning the full trip: check out my guide to the best hotels in Laguna Beach for more options across every budget and style.
Hideaway Santa Barbara – Santa Barbara, California
If 2026 ends up being a year of closer-to-home escapes, Hideaway Santa Barbara is high on my list. Tucked just a few blocks from the beach in the quiet West Beach neighborhood, this boutique inn is the epitome of effortless coastal California style: airy, sunlit, and full of that signature Santa Barbara charm.
Best for: Couples looking for a romantic coastal weekend, or anyone who wants easy access to Santa Barbara’s wine scene and waterfront without staying in a big resort.
The design reads as classic California with a soft, modern palette — whitewashed walls, natural wood, woven textures, and light bedding that lets in as much sunshine as possible. Each morning starts with a complimentary gourmet breakfast, and with its location, you’re a short walk from The Funk Zone, the harbor, and more wine tasting rooms than you could visit in a week.
If a California escape is calling your name, check out availability for all Santa Barbara hotels on Booking.com.
Villa Mara – Carmel-By-The-Sea, California
If you’ve ever dreamed of a getaway to Carmel-By-The-Sea (and I do quite often), let Villa Mara be at the top of your list for your coastal stay. Located near the water’s edge, Villa Mara pairs elevated, contemporary design with warm, refined California comfort. Expect leafy courtyards, coastal-inspired décor, simple yet plush bedding, and the soothing sound of waves just beyond your doorstep. It’s intimate, elevated, and effortlessly chic — exactly what a boutique coastal California escape should be.
Best for: Couples seeking a quiet, design-forward retreat; anyone who loves the idea of a slow Carmel weekend built around beach walks, wine, and lingering dinners.
The 16-room boutique gem offers a calm, refined escape where understated luxury meets seaside simplicity. Beyond the rooms, the entire property is designed to slow you down and make you linger: lush garden grounds dotted with firepits, water-features, and intimate seating areas — a rare kind of privacy and calm for a beachside stay.
For someone like me — who loves soft, feminine aesthetics, European-inspired travel, slow living, and dreamy destinations — Villa Mara Carmel feels like the perfect blend: coastal California charm meets quiet, boutique-hotel elevation.
Beltane Ranch – Glen Ellen, California
There is something about a family-run spot that will always speak to my soul. Beltane Ranch is a six-generation-owned working farm stay in California’s Sonoma Valley, complete with estate vineyards, gardens, and on-site olive oil production. It sits on 105 acres of land filled with vines, olive groves, orchards, and animals — the kind of place where the property itself is the experience.
Best for: Wine lovers, slow travelers, and anyone craving a genuine farm stay over a polished resort — especially a romantic Sonoma weekend for two.
Staying here means waking up to vineyard views and spending your days wandering the land, meeting the animals, taking a 4×4 tour through the property, and tasting estate wines made with a deep respect for regenerative farming. The guest accommodations are charming and intimate, with that lived-in, cared-for quality that only truly independent properties have — nothing corporate, nothing curated within an inch of its life.
It’s the kind of romantic, unhurried getaway that pairs beautifully with a slow travel sensibility — especially for anyone who loves vineyards, history, and sunny afternoons beneath ancient oak trees. If you’re building out a Napa or Sonoma trip, it pairs wonderfully with a stay at one of the best hotels in Napa Valley for a longer wine country escape.
VISTA Ostuni – Ostuni, Italy
I’m not sure a trip to Europe is on our bingo card for 2026 — especially following our extended stay for our destination wedding in Puglia and 12-day Italian honeymoon extravaganza. But if it somehow finds its way onto the calendar, I’d love to make a return to Puglia, the region in Southern Italy that absolutely stole my heart.
Best for: Design-forward travelers returning to Puglia who want something new and modern; anyone who wants to stay on the outskirts of Ostuni with easy access to the White City’s restaurants and nightlife.
A hotel that opened in August 2025, VISTA Ostuni would be one of my top choices for at least part of a potential Puglia trip. Perched just outside the White City, VISTA is a design-forward hotel inspired by olive groves, limestone, and that dreamy Apulian light — clean lines, neutral textures, and earthy tones that feel both modern and deeply rooted in the land. It’s the kind of stay that matches the Puglia I fell in love with: luxe yet homey, intentional, effortlessly beautiful.
Mornings that start with sea-salt air and cappuccinos on the terrace. Evenings that melt into sunset-colored skies and long, leisurely dinners at one of the best restaurants in Ostuni. If Puglia ends up calling our name in 2026, I can’t imagine a more magical stay.
If you’re dreaming of a trip to Puglia and want to explore more of the region’s incredible masserie and boutique hotels, my full guide to where to stay in Puglia covers everything from intimate countryside retreats to Adriatic-front escapes.
More Boutique Stays Worth Dreaming About
If this list has you ready to start planning, here are a few more guides to help you narrow it down:
- The Best Hotels in Laguna Beach — for a dreamy Orange County getaway, hand-picked by a local
- Where to Stay in Napa Valley — boutique picks and wine country favorites from someone who is in the valley often
- Where to Stay in Puglia — masserie, design hotels, and coastal stays in Southern Italy
- The Best Boutique Hotels Around the World — for when my bucket list stays have lived up to the hype
Every year feels like a new chapter in the way we travel — what we’re craving, what feels inspiring, and what kind of beauty we want to soak up next. Whether 2026 takes us across the world or keeps us closer to home, these hotels are the ones calling my name: places rooted in thoughtful design, slow living, and that little spark of magic I always look for when I travel.
Here’s to future getaways, sun-drenched mornings, cozy nights, and the kind of trips that remind you how beautiful the world can be!