California's Best 3 Luxury Camping Weekend Getaways

Leave the sleeping bags at home. Luxury camping is the hottest trend for those who want a weekend getaway out in nature, complete with fresh linens, a comfy bed, hot showers, and gourmet meals. In California, three of the best luxury camping weekend getaways will let you unwind, refresh your spirit, and get to know your loved ones again. Following is a description of each of the top three California luxury camping weekend getaways.

Weekend Getaway #1: El Capitan Canyon

Sip hot coffee on your creekside deck in the morning as you listen to birds singing in the rustling trees, while you absorb to-die-for views of waves crashing on the picturesque beach below. Set in a lush grove of oak and sycamore trees on the Southern California coast, El Capitan Canyon is an award-winning luxury camping resort and favorite retreat of couples, families, and groups. If you want to immerse yourself in nature in a minimalist way without sacrificing comforts like hot showers, this luxury camping resort is the perfect weekend getaway.

Accommodations: Choose from Hemingway-inspired canvas safari tents with willow beds and warm down comforters, cedar cabins, or a 2-bedroom cabin suite. Some cabins have soaking tubs. El Capitan Canyon offers 109 luxury camping cabins and 26 canvas safari tents at $155 and up.

Meals: At the Canyon Market & Deli you can choose from fresh local produce, a selection of fine wines, and assorted groceries for your meals. Canyon Market & Deli also serves meals. For breakfast, try a nutritious omelette, eggs Benedict, pancakes, or other gourmet fare. Lunch consists of hamburgers, pizza, El Capitan's famous gourmet sandwiches, or a pre-packed picnic lunch to take with you. For dinner, pick up one of the popular BBQ or S'Mores kits (order in advance) at the Market and prepare it yourself - or for the ultimate luxury camping gourmet experience, relax and have a "Camp Butler" grill and serve it to you.

Things to Do: Hike the 2500-acre backcountry, take a five-minute walk to the beach, swim in the heated pool, raise your confidence on the ropes course, or attend a Saturday night summer concert. Other options are available, including tours of the local wine country, ocean kayaking, horseback riding, whale watching, and many more, too many to list here. Or simply enjoy your luxury camping weekend getaway and read a novel, get a hot stone massage by the creek, or sit by the fire pit at night and gaze at millions of stars.

How to Get There: El Capitan Canyon luxury camping resort is just two hours by car from Los Angeles, northwest of Santa Barbara, California. For directions, click here. (866) 352-2729

Weekend Getaway #2: Costanoa Lodge & Camp

One of California's original luxury camping resorts, Costanoa offers weekend getaways for people who want to get away from civilization, commune with nature, and see wildlife. From the nearby beach, Costanoa's guests can observe at close range elephant seals, sea otters, and occasionally, whales on their migratory route.

Accommodations: From one of 76 tent bungalows, listen to waves crashing on the beach, coyotes yipping at night, or the quiet of nature's breezes rustling the grasses. Nestled in the pines, these luxury camping accommodations have bright interiors, comfy beds, night stands with electric lights, heated mattress pads, and Adirondack chairs to sit on outside. If you're really into roughing it on your weekend getaway, there are also tent sites on the 140-acre property.

Costanoa's guests may also choose to spend their weekend getaway in one of twelve Douglas fir cabins complete with fireplace, refrigerator, stereo, coffee maker, skylight, and bathrobes. Costanoa Lodge also has 40 luxury rooms and suites that come with everything you might find at a 4-star resort. Prices for accommodations range from $175 to $365.

Meals: Start off the morning with cage-free eggs, chicken apple sausage, fresh blueberry pancakes, and a Mimosa at the Cascade Bar & Grille. For lunch on weekends, enjoy outdoor-grilled hamburgers or veggie burgers at the Pine Tent BBQ. At night, the Bar & Grille transforms into a fine restaurant that offers gourmet steaks, ribs, chicken, seafood, and vegetarian entrées. As much as possible, Costanoa uses local family farms, organic growers, and their own farm to supply their kitchen.

Things to Do: Activities on your luxury camping weekend getaway at Costanoa include horseback riding, ocean kayaking, and biking around the many paths. For the less energetic, soak in a hot tub, choose a treatment from the spa menu, explore tide pools, or taste various local wines on Saturday. For a really special thing to do, have your wedding at Costanoa.

How to Get There: Half-way between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz on Hwy 1, Costanoa Lodge & Camp is located in Pescadero, California. For detailed directions, click here (877) 262-7848

Weekend Getaway #3: Sequoia High Sierra Camp

Wake to dramatic views of 10,000' mountain peaks, the sound of cascading creeks, and the serenade of birds perched high in lodgepole pines that surround this luxury camping weekend getaway. Secluded in California's Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia High Sierra Camp is adjacent to two million acres of pristine High Sierra wilderness. Whatever you do, don't forget your camera.

Accommodations: No need to lug in your tent or sleeping bag on this weekend getaway; just take your personal items and clothing in a daypack or backpack and hike to one of the 36 private tent cabins to settle in. Then after a hard day of reading a great book, photographing wildlife, and marveling at Mother Nature's sunset show, dreamily drift off to sleep on feather pillows and a plush-top mattress while snuggled under a warm comforter. Three hearty meals are included in the $250 a day per person charge. Children are $100 per day.

Meals: The air at nearly 8300' will guarantee you not only sleep well but have a healthy appetite as well. A full luxury camping breakfast buffet with hot tea or coffee starts off your day. For lunch, pack a picnic lunch and find a location beside a shaded creek or in a sunny meadow to eat at your leisure.

Dine alfresco at sunset in the pavilion, where an executive chef cooks up a five-course gourmet meal that offers your choice of an entrée of Alaskan halibut, local Sequoia river trout, Colorado rack of lamb, gorgonzola-stuffed filet mignon, or other tasty menu items. All three meals are included in the rates. First-class selections of imported wine and European beer are available at a nominal charge. The chef gladly accepts vegan and vegetarian requests.

Things to Do: On your luxury camping weekend getaway, take a leisurely walk to a peaceful wildflower-filled meadow, enjoy spectacular views of glacial canyons on a day hike, fly-fish for native trout, or swim in a refreshing mountain lake. Hike to one of 38 preserved Giant Sequoia groves or to a breath-taking waterfall. Do it all - or nothing at all - on your weekend getaway at this luxury camping destination.

How to Get There: So remote that it takes a hike to get there, this luxury camping getaway offers campers a choice between hiking a challenging 12-mile Sequoia National Park trail through the wilderness or taking the more-recommended one mile trek, suitable for novice to advanced hikers. Sequoia High Sierra Camp is located conveniently about half-way between San Francisco and Los Angeles in the Giant Sequoia National Monument. For detailed directions, click here. (866) 654-2877

If you have heard a silence so absolute that it makes your ears ring... if you crave the nurturing touch of Mother Earth away from modern distractions... if you lose yourself watching star-studded skies or a deer grazing in a meadow, yet you desire the creature comforts of home, consider a luxury camping destination for your next weekend getaway. Your memories will last a lifetime.