by Anna Nordberg, Sunset Special Projects Editor

Many national park lovers think fall is the best time to visit Yosemite, before the big snows hit but after the summer throngs depart. The Evergreen Lodge, which opened 24 new cabins in April, celebrates shoulder season with a bargain hunter's dream—25% off its weekday rates, Sunday to Thursday (rates start at an already attractive $90/night). Anticipating your next question ... sadly, Thanksgiving does not apply. But hey, look how beautiful this place is (it's a mile from Yosemite, at the entrance of Hetch Hetchy Valley): 

PHOTO: David Fenton for Sunset

While you can get a dusting of snow in November, most trails will still be clear for hiking. And if you're the kind of person who, say, likes apres ski more than the real stuff, you can curl up with a book in front of the fire.

PHOTO: David Fenton for Sunset

Book it: Cabins from $90 (off-peak and non-holiday); evergreenlodge.com

Plan your trip: Sunset's ultimate guide to the national parks

Talk to us: What's your favorite season at Yosemite? What national park hotels do you love?

By Rachel Levin, Sunset senior editor

No, we don’t mean now—mid-November—when the Sierra slopes are still bare-naked. (Despite a dusting last night. Yeah!) But, a good deal that’s actually during ski season. Our favorite boutique hotel in Truckee is offering a third night free—on a weekend. Which, just to spell it out for you, means you can arrive on Thursday or stay till Monday (which is the right way to do a Tahoe weekend anyway) and only pay for Fri and Sat. You can read more about Cedar House here. And here. But book now, I say, before these dustings turn to dumps—and the owners of this eco-luxe little inn revoke their very kind offer. 

(Like they say they might in the fine print.)

Book now: Rooms from $150 a night

Plan your trip to Tahoe

By Peter Fish, Sunset Editor-at-Large

OK, times are tight. The recession may be ending, or softening, or something. But everybody I know is still watching pennies as devoutly as Scrooge McDuck (relevancy of cartoon reference to be made clear shortly).

So it may seem strange to recommend a splurge hotel. But here’s why: It’s genuinely spectacular, it’s a great place to be this time of year, and you’re not just splurging for yourself, you’re splurging for your loved ones.

The hotel is the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa at the Disneyland Resort. Its 9 years old now, and it’s aged well—in fact the Disney people just added a bunch of new rooms to it earlier this fall. The Grand Californian’s architecture was inspired by national park palaces like Yosemite’s Ahwahnee and Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn. And while I know people who consider this opinion heresy, I think it’s as beautiful as those hotels, even if you see a lot more people with mouse ears here.  

Rooms aren’t cheap, but they are cheaper this time of year than in summer. Right now, you can get a room for $233 per night if you stay two nights. And remember those loved ones, especially loved ones at prime Disneyland-going ages. What do they get? First, they get incomparable access to Disneyland and California Adventure. It really is more convenient to stay at the park hotels than elsewhere, plus you get the benefit of the Magic Mornings program, which lets hotel guests enter parks a full hour early so they can rush as fast as they can to Space Mountain or Tower of Terror and ride them repeatedly while the rest of the world is waking up and sipping coffee. What do adults get? The gorgeous lobby, the best pool in any of the park hotels, and also the best bar—in fact one of the best bars in Southern California, which I know seems unlikely but is true.

Plus it’s the holidays. Disney does holidays very, very well. Sleeping Beauty’s Castle is covered with icicles, and snow falls on Main Street U.S.A. People who come from cold climates where real snow falls may sneer. But we native Southern Californians respond: imitation snow and icicles are just as good, and maybe even better because they’ve been carefully designed to complement the park decor.

A great holiday is always a mix of the artificial and the heartfelt. Nobody does the blend better than Disneyland, and no place at Disneyland is quite as cozily luxurious as the Grand Californian.  

Book it: Rooms from $239.

by MacKenzie Geidt, Sunset assistant travel editor

If you're bored with your stay-at-home, football-inundated Thanksgiving tradition, maybe it's time to consider taking this holiday party to the beach. Maybe sprinkle a little sun and sand into the occasion?  Santa Barbara is a mighty fine spot to feel thankful, and the West Beach Inn is a sweet little beachy spot to base yourself for under $200 a night as we're heading into low season.

The greatest advantage of this place is the prime beachfront real estate—RIGHT across the street from the beach and the gorgeous coastal bike path, and within walking distance of all the action on State Street. It's got a bit of the motel vibe on the exterior, but the lush garden landscaping and abundant palms give it a nice touch of the tropics. (And the rooms are definitely more "hotel" than "motel.") Throw in continental breakfast and afternoon wine and cheese, and you've got yourself a steal.

Photos courtesy of Coast Hotels and Resorts

Book it: Rooms from $170, 805/963-4277, 306 West Cabrillo Blvd.

Plan your trip: Cruise through  Santa Barbara County's wine country, check out Santa Barbara's waterfront, try the tamales on Milpas Street, and discover SB's SoCo neighborhood.

by Lisa Trottier, Sunset travel editor

I’m not the turkey-baking type, so for me Thanksgiving means one thing: four full days to get out of town. Last year, I soaked up the sunny skies and 70-degree weather in Monterey, California, at the just-opened Clement Monterey.

Choosing the Clement broke several of my own personal rules. First of all, it’s on Cannery Row, a tourist haven of souvenir shops and candy stores. Plus, it’s part of an international hotel chain—the Intercontinental.

But, what can I say? I loved my stay at the Clement. Mostly for its back deck right over the crashing waves of Monterey Bay. From the fire pit, where cocktails are served under the moonlight, we could see seals peep out of the water. Plus, the hotel is literally next door to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, eliminating any parking or traffic hassles for the town’s biggest attraction.

Best of all, every day my husband and I loaded our kids into their bike seats and cruised along a path that crosses right in front of the hotel, skirting the edge of the bay all the way to the Pacific Ocean. After that, we’d dig in to the fish and chips at locals’ favorite Sea Harvest. And I have to say, we didn't miss the turkey one bit.  

Book it: From $199, (831) 375-4500

Plan your trip: Read Sunset’s advice on where to hike around Monterey and a great bike ride in nearby Pacific Grove.

by Anna Nordberg, Sunset Special Projects Editor

The revamped motel-turned-hotel is catching on now, and one of the shiniest examples is Portland's Hotel Modera, a makeover of an old Days Inn. The only inkling that this used to be a dumpy motel chain is the facade of cookie cutter window casings, but the resemblance ends there. Witty decor (including faux-fur bedspreads) and an ultra-cool courtyard with fire pits and a living wall of plants scream boutique hotel, in the best possible way.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Hotel Modera

The real mystery, though, is how the hotel seems to have upgraded everything but the rates. Rooms start at the bargain basement price of $119 (OK, for Portland, that's pretty incredible), with rates dipping below that if you're a AAA member, a government employee...the list goes on. 

PHOTO: Courtesy of Hotel Modera

Book it: from $119; hotelmodera.com

More of our favorite things to do in Portland

Talk to us: What hotel bargains have you stumbled across recently? Share!

By Rachel Levin, Sunset senior editor

I was happy to see an ode to Sunset’s favorite little Apple Farm in the Times magazine last Sunday, as part of its series on Slow Food. With a scattering of cozy-quiet cabins, acres of heirloom apple orchards, hands-on cooking classes, and a roadside stand that operates on the honor system, the Apple Farm, in Northern California's Mendocino County, was the haycation before haycations were cool.

You can read about our favorite farm weekends in our November issue, now on newsstands. (Yes, our article includes the Apple Farm, too.)

Book it: Cottages are $175/night midweek; $250 on weekends, including breakfast. Cooking classes are booked for the rest of the season, but start up again in February. Call now to reserve.

Plan your trip to the Anderson Valley

By Peter Fish, Sunset Editor-at-Large

Never underestimate the power of sunshine and palm trees. Back before Phoenix was the fifth biggest city in the nation, it was above all a tourist town, luring shivering citizens of Chicago and New York to bask in its winter warmth.  

The way things worked out a lot of those shivering people ended up moving to Phoenix full-time, and what was a little town became a big city. But there are still places where you feel the romance of Phoenix’ desert oasis days.  

The Wigwam Golf Resort and Spa is one of them. It’s a gorgeous hotel, with 500-acres of grounds, including a truly spectacular rose garden. It was actually built as a private retreat for executives of Goodyear Tire and Rubber. (Why were the Goodyear execs here?  Because the Arizona winter warmth is good for growing cotton, which apparently is needed in making rubber.) The Wigwam opened to the general public in 1929, which means that this year it’s celebrating its 80th anniversary.   

Among the anniversary specials: A Wigwam 80th Anniversary Package, from $80 per person. Not bad for a palmy bit of desert paradise.

Book it: www.wigwamresort.com; 800.327.0396

by MacKenzie Geidt, Sunset assistant travel editor

Very exciting news, people....Salt Lake's ski season kicks off THIS FRIDAY, November 6th, at Solitude Mountain Resort. Time to get your ski on!  I personally don't like being marooned at a ski resort (no matter how great it is), and Salt Lake is really the perfect place to base yourself in the city, with awesome skiing a quick 30 minutes away. Downtown Salt Lake is full of corporate chain hotels, so the Peery, a 73-room historic gem dating back to 1910, is like a breath of fresh air.

Photos courtesy of the Peery Hotel

Check out the cozy lobby—I clocked some time on that couch by the fire after a day on the slopes. And did I mention the primo location? It's only 7 miles from the airport, and within walking distance of restaurants, bars, brewpubs (my favorite is Squatters, just across the street), and historic downtown hits like Temple Square.  And 30 minutes from Salt Lake's 4 ski resorts!  My favorite is Solitude, opening this Friday with a brand-new quad lift (the only new lift in the state this season).  Check out the adorable alpine village....

Here's me at Solitude last season (a good reminder that I need to retire my desert storm ski outfit). Even a blizzard couldn't keep me off the slopes!

Book it: From $99-$129, Check the Peery website for specials (including $100 room rates for the first 100 days of 2010); or call 800/331-0073.

Buy it: consider the Ski Salt Lake Super Pass that you can use at any of Salt Lake's 4 ski resorts: Alta (opening November 20th), Brighton, Snowbird (opening November 21st), or Solitude (opening this Friday, November 6th). 

Plan your trip: check out why Sunset's senior editor Rachel Levin loves Salt Lake's Alta resort. And here's some tips on two of Salt's Lake's coolest neighborhoods: 9th & 9th and Sugar House.

by Lisa Trottier, Sunset travel editor

I have a soft spot for Costanoa. I can’t help it. When it opened a decade ago, a cluster of stylish tent bungalows, cabins, and lodge rooms along an otherwise undeveloped stretch of coast south of Half Moon Bay, it was so completely unlike anything else in that tech-happy era.

There were no phones, no TVs. Trails led into the grassy hills and across Highway 1 to a pair of deserted beaches. Tents with robes, comforters, and pictures on the “wall” had you hoofing it across a field for middle-of-the-night bathroom runs. But when you got there, you’d find heated floors, a sauna, a crackling fireplace with a pair of adirondacks. This was glamping before the term had even been coined.

I liked the place so much I got married there nine years ago—spoke my vows on a grassy bluff where we could hear the elephant seals calling, then hiked down to Costanoa’s lodge for a barbecue and s’mores in the slanting November sun. So, when the place changed hands once, then again, I was worried.

More than I needed to be, it turns out. I stayed in a tent bungalow here with my kids this past summer, and while the place isn’t maintained to the exacting standards of its early days, it’s still a great way to spend a weekend outside in a glorious spot. We hiked to the beach, ate pancakes under the sun, and trekked to the nearby Pigeon Point Lighthouse.

The only thing I will say is that summers along that stretch can be foggy and windy, and it often was the July weekend we were there. Today, though, the forecast is 75 degrees and calm. Perfect. Plus, off-peak rates started yesterday, and tonight is a full moon. So what, you say? Costanoa celebrates full-moon nights with a 50 discount. If I had nothing pressing going on, I’d be on my way right now.

Book it: costanoa.com, 877/262-7848

Plan your trip: Get Sunset's tips on what to do in nearby Pescadero and, north of that, Half Moon Bay.