Author Archives: Nicole Clausing

42 Coastal Escapes to Book for Your Next Weekend Getaway

Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These 42 hotels are the 2026 winners of the Where to Stay:… Read More

Time-Travel to the Glory Days of the West at These Historic Hotels

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These 20 hotels are the 2026 winners of the Where to… Read More

Get Away from It All at These Hotels Nestled in Nature

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These 14 hotels are the 2026 winners of the Where to… Read More

Wild West Meets the Luxe Life at These Iconic Ranches

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These nine properties are the 2026 winners of the Where to… Read More

Everyone Needs a Wine Weekend—Here’s Where to Go

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These eight destinations are the 2026 winners of the Where to… Read More

Attention Skiers: These Are the Mountain Getaways You Need to Visit Now

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These four mountain towns are the 2026 winners of the Where… Read More

Here’s How to Have the Ultimate Foodie Vacation

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These 19 vineyards, tasting rooms, and eating places are the 2026 winners… Read More

These Iconic Cities Deliver a True Taste of the West

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These four destinations are the 2026 winners of the Where to… Read More

Indulge Your Adventurous Side with These Outdoor Excursions

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These six bookable adventure experiences are the 2026 winners of the… Read More

Offbeat Activities to Do on Your Next Vacation

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These three activities are the 2026 winners of the What to… Read More

The Coolest Ways to Travel Around the West

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These three modes of transportation are the 2026 winners of the… Read More

Add These OG Restaurants to Your Foodie Bucket List

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These 18 restaurants are the 2026 winners of the Where to… Read More

These Wines Will Transport You to the West’s Most Iconic Wine Country Regions

In my personal glossary of life’s great pleasures, travel sits smack dab on the same page as terroir. So whenever I’m on the road,… Read More

How to Turn Your Garden into a Pollinator Oasis

Want to turn your yard into an oasis where pollinators frolic and feed? Julia Michaels, Ph.D., Restoration Ecologist at Hedgerow Farms, has hints… Read More

The Colorado River Is Drying Up. Here’s How to Protect It.

When Pete McBride reached the end of the Colorado River, he expected it to spill into the sea. Instead, he… Read More

This Backyard Proves Concrete Can Actually Be Chic

Set just above the coast in Dana Point, this 1970s home unfolds as both a personal retreat and a living design manifesto. For Kate… Read More

66 Things to Do on Route 66

In 2026, Route 66 turns 100—a century since the “Main Street of America” first stitched together Chicago and Santa Monica, carrying Dust Bowl… Read More

A New Kind of DIY Is Taking Hold in the West

At Sunset, we spend a lot of time around people who build things. Sometimes that means a house, a garden, a restaurant, a winery,… Read More

This One-Pan Cod Is Our Ideal Late-Summer California Dinner

In the Sunset Idea Kitchen, some of our favorite recipes start with a simple question: What’s at its absolute best right now? In late… Read More

With Enough Seating for a Football Team, This Montecito Ranch House Was Designed for Entertaining

When Los Angeles-based designer Sarah Akbary Jam was hired by Cate and Matt Stoll, a Santa Barbara-area couple, to… Read More

Staying at This Luxury Wilderness Preserve Is Like Having Your Own Private National Park

The angler crouches low, quietly whipping his fly rod back and forth across the creek that reflects the vivid blue sky. Melting ice… Read More

You’ll Be Making This Strawberry Salsa All Summer Long

In her new book Rooted in Fire, private chef and winner of Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef Pyet DeSpain… Read More

A Vent Hood Might Be the Most Important Kitchen Appliance for Serious Cooks

One of the most important appliances in the kitchen can’t cook a darn thing. But if you have the right model, it can unlock… Read More

I’m Tired of Ordering the Same $40 Branzino. Let the Chef Drive.

Earlier this year, two restaurants from veteran fine-dining chefs arrived in Los Angeles with bold, exclusive commitments to tasting menus—a format that has fallen… Read More