Los Angeles has plenty to keep you busy, but sometimes the best plan is to leave the city behind for a couple of days. One of the advantages of Southern California is how many places feel completely different from LA without requiring a flight or a week away.
Some of the best weekend escapes are only a few hours from the city, although drive times can change quickly once Friday traffic starts building. Leaving early and giving yourself some flexibility usually makes the journey a lot more enjoyable.
Whether you’re planning a quick overnight stay or a full weekend away, these are 11 of the best luxury getaways from Los Angeles.
1. Take a Self-Drive Weekend to Malibu
Let’s start with the easiest coastal escape.
Malibu stretches for more than 30 miles along the Pacific, so there’s enough here for much more than a quick lunch before heading back to LA. Surfrider Beach sits beside Malibu Pier, Zuma Beach is farther west, and the Santa Monica Mountains give you hiking and canyon roads when you’ve had enough of the sand.
For somewhere to stay, Malibu Beach Inn sits directly on Carbon Beach, while The Surfrider is across from the beach and has its own rooftop. Both make it easy to park the car and stay near the water once you arrive.
The drive is one of the reasons to go. Instead of treating Malibu as an ordinary hotel transfer, rent a luxury car in Los Angeles and take the Pacific Coast Highway north from Santa Monica.
For an open-top coastal drive, the Bentley Continental GTC rental in Los Angeles has four seats and a soft top that can be lowered in 19 seconds. If you’re travelling with more weekend luggage or want more rear passenger space, the Range Rover Vogue LWB rental in Los Angeles uses a long-wheelbase SUV body with an extended rear cabin.
Leave early, stop for lunch somewhere along the coast and don’t be in too much of a hurry to get to the hotel. Malibu is one getaway where taking the long way around is part of the point.
2. Slow Things Down in Ojai
Ojai is around 80 miles from Los Angeles, tucked into a valley beneath the Topatopa Mountains. It feels much farther away once you get there.
The town itself is compact. Spend some time around Ojai Avenue, browse the independent shops and stop at Bart’s Books, an outdoor bookstore just off the main street. There are wineries, olive-oil tastings and plenty of hiking nearby if sitting around all weekend starts to feel a little too relaxed.
For a luxury stay, Ojai Valley Inn is the obvious place to start. The resort sits on a large property with a spa, golf course and several places to eat, so there’s no real need to keep leaving the grounds unless you want to.
That is really the appeal of Ojai. Arrive, check in and stop trying to fit six activities into every day.
If you happen to be there around sunset, look towards the Topatopa Mountains. Ojai is known for its “Pink Moment,” when the fading light gives the mountains a pinkish glow. No booking required for that one.
3. Take a Chauffeur-Led Weekend to Santa Barbara and Montecito
Santa Barbara is far enough from Los Angeles to feel like a proper weekend away but close enough that you don’t need to lose half of Friday getting there.
Once you arrive, there’s the waterfront, State Street and the Funk Zone around downtown. Montecito sits just along the coast and gives you quieter streets, Butterfly Beach and some of the best hotels in the area.
Rosewood Miramar Beach is directly on the beach in Montecito, while El Encanto sits in the hills above Santa Barbara. Farther west, The Ritz-Carlton Bacara spreads across 78 acres beside the Gaviota Coast, with a spa, restaurants and easy access to the ocean.
This is also one trip where you don’t necessarily need to drive yourself. Starr confirms Santa Barbara transfers on request from its Los Angeles chauffeur service, so you can leave LA on Friday, arrive at the hotel and let someone else deal with the freeway.
Choose the chauffeur car around the group and luggage rather than the badge. The Maybach S-Class listed under Starr’s Mercedes chauffeur service in Los Angeles accommodates three adults, two large suitcases and one carry-on. The Ghost on the Rolls Royce chauffeur service page is listed for four adults, two large suitcases and two carry-ons.
Once the car has dropped you at the hotel, the rest of the weekend can be considerably less organised.
4. Spend a Weekend in Santa Ynez Valley
Carry on north from Santa Barbara and the coast gives way to vineyards, ranches and small towns.
Santa Ynez Valley is made up of several communities, including Los Olivos, Solvang and Santa Ynez itself. Wine is the obvious attraction, but the weekend doesn’t have to turn into one long tasting session. There are restaurants, spas, boutiques and countryside to explore between stops.
Los Olivos is an easy base because tasting rooms and places to eat are concentrated around the town. Fess Parker Wine Country Inn is right there and includes fireplaces and spa-style amenities in its rooms. Alisal Ranch takes a completely different approach, with thousands of acres of ranchland around the resort.
If you’re planning several winery visits in one day, arrange a local driver or wine tour rather than moving your own car between tastings.
Then leave Sunday morning fairly open. Solvang is nearby if you fancy pastries and a walk before the drive back, but nobody will complain if breakfast at the hotel turns into lunch.
5. Stay by the Water in Newport Beach
Newport Beach works well when you want the coast without making the whole weekend about lying on the beach.
Newport Harbor is a big part of the attraction. You can charter a yacht, rent a small electric boat or simply spend time around the waterfront restaurants. Fashion Island covers the shopping side of the weekend, while Crystal Cove gives you beaches and coastal trails a little farther south.
The Resort at Pelican Hill is the main luxury resort option. It sits on more than 500 acres above the coast and has villas, golf courses, a spa and the large Coliseum Pool.
Families or groups should have a look at the villas rather than automatically booking several hotel rooms. The extra space and kitchens can make a weekend with several people much easier.
Golfers can disappear onto Pelican Hill’s two courses for much of Saturday. Everyone else has the harbour, spa or Fashion Island.
If that sounds unfairly convenient, it is.
6. Book an Oceanfront Weekend in Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach is farther down the Orange County coast and has a very different feel from Newport Beach.
The town has galleries, restaurants and beaches within a fairly compact area, which means you can leave the car at the hotel for part of the weekend. There are also coastal trails and small coves when you want to get away from downtown.
Montage Laguna Beach sits on 30 acres above the Pacific with an oceanfront spa, pools and direct access to coastal paths around Treasure Island. The Ranch at Laguna Beach is tucked into Aliso Canyon instead, with a nine-hole golf course, spa and hiking nearby.
A beachfront stay is worth paying for here because the hotel can become part of the weekend rather than simply somewhere to sleep.
Spend Saturday morning by the water, walk into town for galleries and lunch, then come back to the resort before dinner.
Laguna is also one of the easier destinations on this list to enjoy without a complicated itinerary. Once you’ve checked in, wandering around is a perfectly respectable plan.
7. Trade the Coast for Palm Springs
Palm Springs is the getaway for anyone who looks at another beach weekend and thinks, “Not this time.”
Head east from Los Angeles and the scenery changes quickly. The Greater Palm Springs area is known for desert resorts, mid-century architecture, golf, spas and plenty of swimming pools. There are also mineral springs and the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway if you eventually decide to leave the resort.
Hotels range from smaller design-led properties to large resorts. Parker Palm Springs is one of the better-known choices, while The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage sits above the valley. There are also large villas and private-estate rentals if you’re travelling as a group.
In summer, plan around the heat rather than pretending it isn’t there. Pool in the morning, air conditioning in the afternoon and dinner once the temperature drops is a perfectly sensible itinerary.
Winter and spring give you much more room to wander around outside.
8. Head Into the Mountains at Lake Arrowhead
Lake Arrowhead feels nothing like Los Angeles, which is probably why people have been escaping there for so long.
The drive climbs into the San Bernardino Mountains, replacing freeways and palm trees with pine forest and mountain roads. Once there, you can walk around Lake Arrowhead Village, hike nearby trails or settle into a cabin for the weekend.
There is one important thing to know before packing the swimsuit. Lake Arrowhead and much of its shoreline are privately owned, so not every visitor has unrestricted lake access. Some vacation rentals include lake privileges, and sightseeing trips such as the Lake Arrowhead Queen provide another way to get onto the water.
Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa is a straightforward hotel option if you don’t want to sort through cabin listings. In winter, the whole place changes again once snow arrives.
This is also a trip where luggage and weather should influence the car more than appearances. A low sports car may be entertaining on a dry mountain road, but a larger vehicle can make much more sense when several people, weekend bags or winter conditions are involved.
Check the forecast before leaving LA. Mountain weather has very little interest in whatever was happening at the beach that morning.
9. Spend a Quiet Weekend Near Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree is where to go when even Palm Springs feels too busy.
The national park is the obvious reason to visit, with huge rock formations, desert trails and some of the clearest night skies within reach of Los Angeles. But the accommodation around the park has changed a lot too.
RESET Hotel near Twentynine Palms is one of the newer examples. Visit California describes it as a high-desert boutique property with modern rooms, private patios, fire pits and wide desert views.
Luxury here looks different from Newport Beach or Beverly Hills. You’re more likely to be paying for privacy, architecture and empty space than room service at 2am.
Spend the day in Joshua Tree National Park, come back before dark and leave time for stargazing. If your accommodation has an outdoor fire pit or terrace, there isn’t much need to go anywhere else.
Bring water, fuel up before heading deeper into the desert and download whatever maps you need. The remote setting is wonderful right up until you realise the restaurant you saved is 40 minutes away.
10. Go Farther South to La Jolla
La Jolla makes sense when two nights away starts turning into three.
It’s a longer run down the coast from Los Angeles, but once there you have beaches, restaurants, galleries and some excellent hotels packed into one part of San Diego.
La Jolla Cove and the coastal paths are easy places to start. Torrey Pines is nearby for hiking and golf, while the village has enough restaurants and shops to fill the evening without getting back in the car.
The Lodge at Torrey Pines gives you the golf-and-resort version of the weekend. Estancia La Jolla has a large spa and resort grounds, while La Valencia puts you right in the village and has been a local landmark since the 1920s.
Starr’s Los Angeles chauffeur page also lists San Diego transfers on request, so this is another destination where being driven down can work if you would rather start the weekend before you reach the hotel.
Otherwise, leave early and make a day of the drive south. Orange County gives you plenty of places to stop for lunch on the way.
11. Leave the Mainland for Catalina Island
Not every weekend getaway from Los Angeles needs a road trip.
Catalina Island sits offshore, with Avalon providing the hotels, restaurants and easy access to the island’s activities. Once you’re there, you can spend time at Descanso Beach Club, take a boat trip, kayak or simply wander around Avalon without giving much thought to traffic.
For a luxury stay, Mt Ada sits above Avalon Bay in the former home of William Wrigley Jr. and his wife Ada. It has just six guest rooms, a wraparound terrace and views across the harbour.
Guests also get transportation from the ferry terminal with advance arrangements, and Mt Ada provides a golf cart during the stay.
That makes the logistics refreshingly simple. Get yourself to the ferry on the mainland, leave the car behind and spend the weekend without it.
After ten destinations involving Southern California roads, finishing with an island where a golf cart is enough seems fair.
Plan a Luxury Weekend From Los Angeles With STARR Luxury Cars
The best transport depends on the getaway. Malibu, Ojai, Palm Springs, Lake Arrowhead and Joshua Tree all give you good reasons to drive, whether that’s the coast, mountain roads or simply having the freedom to stop when you want.
Other weekends work differently. Santa Barbara can be arranged as a chauffeur transfer from Los Angeles, while a wine-focused itinerary is much easier once nobody in the group has to think about driving after a tasting. Catalina is simpler still, get to the ferry and leave the car on the mainland.
STARR Luxury Cars offers both self-drive luxury car rental in Los Angeles and chauffeur service from Los Angeles, so there’s no need to use the same approach for every trip. Pick the destination first, then choose the transport that actually suits the weekend.
If you’re spending a few days in the city before or after the trip, there are plenty of luxury things to do in Los Angeles worth adding to the itinerary. And if the weekend away is tied to a celebration, our guide to luxury birthday ideas in Los Angeles has more ways to plan the occasion.
