Hostel takeover

 

Mexico City has been on my mind, thanks to friends’ glowing reviews and the most recent 36 Hours In. And now I can picture the (bunk) bed where I’ll lay my head. Hotel firm Grupo Habita applied its high-design aesthetic to its first hostel, Downtown Beds, near the central Plaza de la Constitucion. Downtown Beds fills the servants’ quarters of a colonial palace (the palace itself is now Grupo Habita’s upscale Downtown Mexico). With innovative material use and a fresh aesthetic throughout, the group was able to create a design-driven experience for a fraction of the price of its other properties. Key details makes Downtown Beds sparkle, like the acid-green lattice brick used on bunk beds, the restored barrel vault ceilings in some rooms, and the interior courtyard with its crimson bar and café seating. With the hostel's beds costing as little as $15 per night, I can splurge on these similarly spunky Loeffler Randall sandals.

Weekend wilderness

In plotting my return to urban life, I’m scouting escape routes: accessible adventures doable over weekends. Steep Revine Cabins belie their proximity to the Bay Area – only an hour’s drive north – by offering seaside seclusion in Mount Tamalpais State Park (only reserved guests know the gate code). I love camping sans tents; each of the 10 cabins offer a table, benches, sleeping platforms (akin to two doubles), a countertop, closet and – best of all – wood-burning stove (all for $100 a night). Crashing surf, crackling fire, bundling up in big sweaters as the sun falls away: perfect weekend wilderness.