The Pacific Coast Highway in Three Stays: A Study in Coastal Luxury

Sponsored by The Leading Hotels of the World

There’s a rhythm to California’s Highway 1, a cadence that moves from sun-drenched cliffs to hushed coves, from cinematic surf breaks to winding hillside drives. To journey it is to trace the state’s many moods—expansive, glamorous, nostalgic, untamed. But the true artistry of the trip lies in the pauses: the stays that frame the road with perspective, comfort, and style.

On my recent Pacific Coast Highway road trip, I partnered with The Leading Hotels of the World to stay at three extraordinary properties that embody the very essence of coastal California: El Encanto, Santa Barbara; the Malibu Beach Inn; and Villa Mara Carmel.

LHW is a curated collection of 400+ independent luxury hotels around the world and each of the three properties I was lucky enough to call home (even just for a few nights) offered its own interpretation of luxury—whispered, cinematic, and intimate—and together they painted a portrait of the coast I thought I knew, but was only beginning to discover.