6 Airbnb Getaways in the Western US

There is something so restoring about getting into nature, whether you’re taking a hike or just taking in the view.

If you’re feeling like you need a weekend away, here are some peaceful spots we’ve booked through Airbnb that are perfectly positioned for enjoying the great outdoors in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Nevada. All of them are close to hiking and most have kitchenettes.

I’ve included drive time to nearby cities and towns for reference.

Airbnb 101

For those who have never used Airbnb, it’s a site that allows people to rent out spare rooms or guest apartments, so you end up with a really unique stay with a more personal touch. As you’ll see, we’ve used it to find and book places like a cottage in remote Southeastern Arizona, a trailer near Monterey, and a cabin room near the San Juan Mountains in Colorado.

You can get $40 off your first stay when you sign up at airbnb.com/c/sliebold2. (Full disclosure: using that link also sends some credit my way…so win-win!)

California

1. Pasadena Glen Separate Cottage

The Setting: Lush, quiet neighborhood at the foot of the San Gabriel mountains that’s maybe technically part of Pasadena but feels like its own world.

Old Town Pasadena (or The Huntington) – 15 minutes
Downtown L.A. – 45 minutes
Phoenix – 5.5 hours

The Room: The cottage is like a standalone studio apartment next to a larger house.

Very comfortable bed.
Included mini fridge, dishes, fruit, breakfast bars, electric kettle with Starbucks Via and a selection of teas.
Lovely garden/mini-yard area outside with a table.
Private 3/4 bathroom inside the apartment.
Separate entrance with keypad.

Tips:

There’s a hiking trail at the end of the street.
You may get apples from one of their trees!
Sign a waiver if you plan to use the pool.
Two or three dogs also roam around the yard and will probably come to say hello. One of them is very large but very sweet.

How we ended up here: We stayed for a week while Phillip took a class at Fuller Seminary’s main campus in Pasadena.

2. Trailer or Tipi Camping

The Setting: Travel trailers (and a tipi/teepee) surrounded by sprawling gardens and DIY-projects-in-progress, wandering chickens and a few cats, a goat pasture, and forest.

Monterey (and Monterey Bay Aquarium) – 40 minutes
San Francisco – 1.5 hours
L.A. – 5 hours

The Room: Boho vintage travel trailer with cozy sleeping area, dinette, and posssibly-working kitchen.

Microclimate tends to be cooler and cloudier than surrounding area.
Primative toilet in the woods (with privacy screen) and solar-heated shower.
Self-serve breakfast available from a pantry with oatmeal, granola, fruit, etc. and fresh eggs in the chicken coop.
Fire ring available for cooking or evening bonfires.

Tips:

Think camping without the set up! Of course, if you’re not into camping, this is not for you.
You may be able to use the host’s Monterey Bay Aquarium pass at a discount.
The chickens greet you in the morning – and provide breakfast!
There’s also a tipi option, subject to availability. (It was already occupied when we stayed there.)

How we ended up here: We were going to be in the area the same weekend as the Monterey Jazz Festival, so lodging options were limited and pricey. We were on a tight budget and decided to take a chance. And we’re glad we did! It was the quirkiest place we’ve stayed via Airbnb, but it was a lot of fun!

Colorado

3. True Grit Mountain Retreat

The Setting: Cabin-like home with big picture windows looking out over gorgeous Colorado scenery and the San Juan Mountains.

Ridgway – 7 minutes
Ouray – 20 minutes
Denver – 5 hours
Albuquerque – 5.5 hours

The Room: On the split-level second floor, there are 2 guest rooms available with bathroom and laundry in between. (There is a second guest bathroom downstairs.)

The Queen Room has a queen-size bed and Mexico-inspired decor.
The Spruce Room has twin beds and a private balcony.
Lovely breakfast in the dining room.
Hot tub outside.

Tips:

It’s available during the summer only.
Get there before dark, if possible. Being out in the country means less light pollution – great for stargazing, challenging for finding house numbers.
Use of the kitchen downstairs is limited and may require an additional fee.
Nearby Ridgway is a one-stoplight-town that’s worth a stop. It’s home to the maker of the Grammy Awards and was the location for the 1969 western True Grit starring John Wayne. And a nice little roadside market!

How we ended up here: We needed a place to stay on the way home from a Denver road trip.

Arizona

4. Studio Cottage in Gated Community

The Setting: Quiet neighborhood street that winds through the Sonoran desert.

Downtown Tucson – 20 minutes
Phoenix – 2 hours

The Room: Roomy southwestern casita with dining table and kitchenette, colorful ceramic tile, and a pink clawfoot tub.

Food and coffee aren’t included, but the kitchenette is stocked with the dishes and appliances (coffeemaker, microwave, toaster oven, fridge) to let you do it yourself – everything including a kitchen sink.
Pool/hot tub.
Parking and separate entrance through the garage.

Tips:

Hike or drive through the scenic Gates Pass and stop to take in the view.
Nearby Mercado San Agustin has shops and restaurants surrounding a courtyard and is a nice place to hang out. There’s a Farmers’ Market out front on Thursdays.

How we ended up here: Basically, we’re always looking for excuses to go to Tucson and neat little places to stay there.

5. SE AZ Hiking, Birding, and Quietude

The Setting: Remote casita near the Dragoon Mountains.

Willcox – 30 minutes
Tucson – 1.25 hours
Phoenix – 3 hours

The Room: Separate little adobe house.

Well-stocked kitchen with sink, coffee, grinder, and milk in the minifridge.
Composting toilet and shower in a separate building.

Tips:

Breakfast may be available for an additional fee. (I think we paid $10/person. We had so much delicious food that even Phillip was stuffed.)
Property backs up to state land with hiking trails. You’ll want to get written directions (or a map) before you head out. We got mixed up and went the wrong way.
They provided a flashlight (for night visits to the outhouse, etc.), but you may want to bring a headlamp or other hands-free light if you have one.

How we ended up here: This is where we stayed for our 10 year anniversary after picking apples in Willcox.

Nevada

6. Las Vegas

The Setting: Neighborhood in the Las Vegas suburbs near the edge of where city streets give way to Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area.

Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area – 10 minutes
Las Vegas Strip – 30 minutes
L.A. – 4 hours
Phoenix – 5 hours

The Room: Apartment with a full bath and a few midcentury modern touches.

Keurig, coffee and tea pods, and snacks included, as well as minifridge, microwave, and dishes.
Separate entrance but very near the main house.

Tips:

We didn’t meet the hosts, but everything (including check-in) was taken care of with lots of thoughtful touches.
There’s a really cool guestbook/journal you can leave a note and/or memento in.
Check out our Las Vegas Off the Strip list for a list of non-casino things to see, including Red Rock Canyon picnic spots and easy hikes.

How we ended up here: Avoiding the craziness of The Strip while in Las Vegas for a wedding!

Have you used Airbnb? Where’s your favorite getaway?

October 3, 2016December 27, 2018

Jungle Garden

Since we knew there’d be way more to see at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens than we’d have time to explore while we were in the Pasadena area, we skipped the desert and cactus gardens (they’re supposed to be very good – we just have lots of desert gardens here in Arizona) and headed straight for something different: the jungle garden.

I really being enveloped in lush the rainforest-like landscape.

Thick trees were like an entire ecosystem of their own with vines climbing their trunks and air plants nestled in their branches.

We spotted ferns and flowers and plants with leaves the size of umbrellas.

My favorite spot was right next to the waterfall.

We received complimentary press passes to Huntington Library via Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau.

September 15, 2016September 15, 2016

Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena

Norton Simon - sculpture garden

Before Norton Simon the art museum, there was Norton Simon the entrepreneur and art collector.

Norton Simon museum

He started with works from European Old Masters, Impressionists, and Post-Impressionists and then began collecting works from Asia after a trip to India. He eventually added his collections to what was then the Pasadena Museum of Modern Art, which he was director of until his passing in 1993.

Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California

Museum

Now known as Norton Simon, the museum in Pasadena houses collections of 14th century to contemporary European art, Asian art spanning two millennia, and a sculpture garden.

Even the walkway to the entrance is surrounded with works of Auguste Rodin – the anguished faces of The Burghers of Calais, The Walking Man mid-stride, Saint John the Baptist with sinewy arm outstretched, The Thinker pondering Colorado Boulevard.

Norton Simon museum

European Art

Inside, the 19th century European art gallery just off the foyer immediately drew me in, and I found myself face-to-face with some of Degas’s bronze ballerinas, frozen in their moments of stretching, posing, preparing to dance.

Norton Simon art - degas

The collection actually includes over 100 of his paintings, drawings, and sculptures, as well as work by Cézanne, Gauguin, Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, and Goya.

Norton Simon Museum art

Norton Simon paintings

The 17th and 18th century galleries hold still lifes, Rembrandt portraits, scenes from history and mythology.

Norton Simon painting

Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California

Sculpture Garden and Cafe

I took a break in the outdoor Garden Cafe. On the menu are sandwiches, salads, tea, and bottled cold brew (inexplicably imported from Austin, Texas).

Norton Simon Cafe

It’s a lovely place to take in the view of the Sculpture Garden and to people watch. That particular sunny day, museum-goers were spilling out into the Garden in regular bursts, bounding, striding, or strolling the path around the pond. A group of giggling teens hunted for Pokémon. A man pulled his elderly mother’s wheelchair up to a table by the water, and she shakily stood up to stretch while he got them lunch.

Norton Simon Sculpture

Norton Simon Museum

Duchamp Downstairs

The lower level is primarily devoted to the museum’s Asian collection with a gallery for rotating exhibits, such as Duchamp to Pop. So I stepped from amongst statues of gods into the bright, irreverent world of pop art. It was a bit jarring. But, then, pop art was meant to be jarring, wasn’t it?

Norton Simon museum

Duchamp to Pop showed how the work of Marcel Duchamp influenced pop artists, such as Andy Warhol, whose Campbell’s soup cans and Brillo boxes are part of the museum’s permanent collection (but not always on display).

Norton Simon museum

Norton Simon Asian Art

Asian Art

Much of the museum’s Asian art collection comes from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. There are also Japanese woodblock prints that belonged to Frank Lloyd Wright.

Norton Simon museum

Starting at the foot of the stairs, you walk by stone, bronze, and terra cotta pillars, altarpieces, and statues depicting heroes and gods from Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions, especially the Buddha. It was fascinating to see the how portrayals change in different eras and geographic locations. (More in the museum’s video on their Asian Art collection.)

Norton Simon art - Buddhas

Looking at these ancient figures with heads, torsos, arms, and legs posed in a moment of sitting in quiet reflection, embracing, or dancing, I was struck by their humanness, by how much we had in common.

Norton Simon Museum art

Those ancient subjects really weren’t so different from the ballerinas that inspired Degas or the woman stretching by the pond or the teens playing Pokemon Go or me or you. We’re pretty much all the same.

Norton Simon art

We still sit and reflect, we embrace, and we dance.

Norton Simon Museum art

Norton Simon Art

————
The Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau provided us with complimentary press passes to Norton Simon Museum.

August 15, 2016August 15, 2016

July Photo: Pasadena

July was our trip to Pasadena, nicknamed “the City of Roses.” I took this photo in the inner courtyard of its iconic City Hall.

—

July 25, 2016July 25, 2016

Phoenix to Pasadena

Since I couldn’t take all of you to Pasadena with me, here’s the one-minute version of the drive.

You can see us travel from the Phoenix freeways, through the desert, over the state line/Colorado River, past the Cabazon Dinosaurs, and finally make it to the (much cooler!) Los Angeles County and City of Pasadena.

I put it together from the Snapchat photos and videos we took along the way. I snapped most of them from the passenger seat. When I took over driving for awhile, Phillip learned how to use the app and took on the videographer role.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, I’m travelcraftjrnl on Snapchat. Also, I have a couple other new videos in the pipeline, so feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel to make sure you don’t miss those.

—