Niagara Falls

To many Americans, this is the supreme travel experience. I have seen grown men and women cry as they caught their first glimpse of it. I have myself been misty-eyed on my tenth visit to it. A fantastical landscape, unique in the world, an immense chasm carved by the Colorado River, its soaring multicolored walls dazzle the eyes, its immense size brings awe and wonder to visitors from every state and around the world. Why be left out? You can join in the excitement right now, and I'll show you how to do it - and do it well - on a tight, tight budget. Rewards for an unpretentious approach The canyon - 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and a mile deep - lies almost entirely within Grand Canyon National Park, which itself covers more than a million mostly wilderness acres. These are the wide, wide-open spaces of the American West. Can you see it all? Not likely. But you and family or friends can have a lot of good, inexpensive fun trying. Few vacations anywhere are as rewarding, or affordable, as a national park trip, and Grand Canyon is no exception. You'll find lodging and dining bargains year-round - both inside the park and in nearby communities - and plenty of exciting, easy-on-the-wallet things to do. In summer, a room for two begins at about $60 a night inside the park and less than $50 outside. (Not bad at all for one of the country's most popular vacation destinations, and we'll be providing addresses and phone numbers below.) In winter, the canyon's sometimes snow-blanketed quiet time, the price drops to about $50 in and about $30 out. And these rates don't include a couple of clean and friendly bunk bed hostels, which are even cheaper. A full dinner at the park cafeteria can be enjoyed for under $10. Once you've taken care of lodging and meals, recreational costs can be minimal - although you might want to splurge on a couple of adventure trips. Hiking, my favorite way to explore the Grand Canyon, is free. Sometimes, though, I just like to sit at the canyon's edge and watch the passing clouds cast dancing shadows on the rocks. This doesn't cost me a penny either. Outside the park, you can stroll the streets of Williams, an Old West town where the local folks stage a free gunfighters' shoot-'em-up for tourists every summer evening at 7 p.m. En route from Phoenix, the gateway to Grand Canyon country, make sure to stop for a look at the ancient Pueblo cliff dwellings of Montezuma Castle National Monument. Entrance fee: $2 per person. Getting there The closest airports to south rim (favorite starting point for most people) with budget-priced flights are in Phoenix, about 220 miles away, and Las Vegas, about 165 miles. Both are served by most major airlines. While summer is the peak season for accommodations at the relatively cool south rim, car rental prices tend to drop in Phoenix, where heat and humidity make summer the off season. Rent-A-Wreck (800/828-5975) is quoting a weekly summer rate of $143.70 for a compact car with 150 free miles a day. The lot is about 20 minutes by shuttle from the airport. U-Save Auto Rental (602/267-9505) charges $139.95 for a week with unlimited mileage for travel in Arizona only and is a five-minute shuttle ride to the lot. At the airport, Budget (800/527-0700) offers a rate of $173.99 with unlimited mileage. But if money is tight - or you're traveling solo - consider taking the bus. You don't need a car at the Grand Canyon; in summer, it can be a nuisance because of the shortage of parking spaces. Greyhound (and Amtrak) serve Flagstaff, and during the summer Nava-Hopi Tours (800/892-8687) offers two departures daily from Flagstaff (one at other times) to the south rim. Until October 1, the bus leaves Flagstaff at 7:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. for the two-hour trip. The return from the south rim is at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The fare is $14 each way. The Nava-Hopi office is adjacent to the Amtrak Station; it's about a half-mile by foot or taxi from Greyhound. Greyhound's round-trip fare between Phoenix and Flagstaff is $38. How long should you stay? Many visitors see the Grand Canyon only on a quick day-trip to the south rim. But to really get to know the place, to experience it, stick around longer - two or three days at least, a week if possible. In practical terms, you'll be getting more for your money because the memories will be lasting ones. As an overnighter, you'll be better able to take advantage of the park's excellent ranger-led educational programs - all of them free. And you will have time to catch a sunrise or sunset, when the canyon's famed colors are most vivid. (At other times of day, the bright Arizona sun often bleaches away the hues.) The $20-per-car park entrance fee, a bargain in itself, is good for seven days. I first visited the Grand Canyon on a camping trip through the West just after I graduated from college, hiking deep into the inner gorge. I've since ridden a mule to the bottom and spent a week floating its length on a huge whitewater raft. You too should try to get deep inside the canyon, because the sensation there is so different. On the rim, you get vast and distant panoramas; from the bottom looking up, the views become more intimate. You really see the canyon up close. Unfortunately, mule rides to the bottom and raft trips on the Colorado River tend to be pricey. But a couple of less costly options I describe below can give you a satisfying taste of these adventures. My focus here is on travel to the south rim, the most heavily visited area of the park. Sure, you'll face summer crowds. But this is where the best budget lodgings are found and, as it happens, the views are most spectacular. At 7,000 feet, the south rim's summer temperatures are sunny, dry, and pleasant. The north rim is much quieter, but it is also harder to get to, accommodations are very limited, and winter snows close the entrance road from mid-October to mid-May. On a budget, you're better off staying at the south rim. Save the north rim for a return visit. And here's how to enjoy it best Ideally, you've accepted my advice and plan to spend a few days at or near the Grand Canyon. You want to see it and get to know it. Here are some of my favorite, least-expensive ways to do so: Go for a hike into the canyon. With strong legs and lungs, you can hike all the way to the bottom of the canyon in about half a day on the Bright Angel Trail (9.6 miles) or South Kaibab Trail (7.1 miles). Both end at Phantom Ranch (303/297-2757), a small park lodge on the Colorado River, where a bunk and bedding for overnight hikers go for just $21 a night. A dinner of stew is $16.25; breakfast is $11.50, or bring your own food. Too strenuous? Hike partway into the canyon-perhaps a mile or two. But count on taking twice as long to climb out as you did to descend. No charge for this. Stroll the rim. A fairly level trail (no hard climbing here) edges the south rim for eight miles from Bright Angel Lodge west to Hermit's Rest, offering new canyon vistas every step of the way. With binoculars you can spot rafters running the rapids far below. No need to go the entire distance. At a half-dozen points, a free bus shuttles back to the trailhead. Surprisingly little-used, the partially paved path makes an inviting escape route from summer crowds. Ride a mule. The legendary overnight trip by mule to Phantom Ranch (with cabin lodging and meals) costs about $280 per person. Ouch! But day-trips by mule (303/297-2757), descending about halfway into the canyon, cost only about $100 (with box lunch). Still a hefty price, but maybe worth the expense if it's the only way you're going to get into the canyon's depths. Even going just partway, the trip is still a real adventure. You'll be wowing friends with your stories for months. Count this as added value for your money. Raft the river. No, not on one of those eight-day, $1,700 whitewater trips through the Grand Canyon, though I know firsthand they are great fun. For similarly majestic scenery and plenty of thrills - but without the stiff price-sign on for a half-day or full-day float trip out of Page, Arizona, about 140 miles north of the south rim. These outings are organized by Aramark-Wilderness River Adventures (800/528-6154 or 520/645-3279). Half day, $55 for adults; full day (with picnic lunch), $77; under 12, about $10 less. From the base of Glen Canyon Dam, the Colorado River splashes across a series of modest rapids as it flows between soaring rock walls toward the Grand Canyon. The float trip, which recently delighted my wife and me, ends at Lees Ferry, the last take-out spot for the next 300 miles. Learn with the rangers. How did the canyon develop? Join a ranger for an afternoon's geology lesson. It's just one program in a full schedule of free walks, talks, and slide shows offered daily. On a March visit, I was amused by an evening lecture called "Gee, This Place Is Just Like Disneyland." The talk turned out to be a comparison of the two parks. One big difference: the price. Disney busts your budget for fake thrills; you can get the real thing free at the Grand Canyon. Go backpacking with the experts. For outdoor enthusiasts. The Grand Canyon Field Institute (520/638-2485, grandcanyon.org/fieldinstitute), an educational arm of the park, puts together a series of reasonably priced, multiday treks into the backcountry from March into November. Topics include geology, natural history, photography, and wilderness medicine. This is a great way to explore the canyon's little-visited corners. In September, a five-day hike into Havasu Canyon, a hidden retreat of waterfalls and blue-green pools, costs $350. You bring camping gear and food; the institute leads the way. An overnight class in orienteering-finding your way by map and compass-is $95. "Stop and let the world go by." This is the savvy advice of Richard Ullmann, a friendly, helpful ranger I met at the visitor center on my last visit. Find a quiet spot, he urged when I asked him about recreational activities, "and ponder life." The beauty and majesty of the canyon seem to nourish this kind of reflection. Lodging and dining Camping is always cheapest, but only if you own a tent and sleeping bag. Assuming you don't, I've tracked down decent, affordable lodgings and inexpensive places to eat nearby. Summer rates, which are quoted here, are highest; prices drop by as much as 50 percent from early November until about mid-March. Inside the park Given my druthers, I'd always opt to stay inside the park for convenience and the beauty of the surroundings. But from spring into fall, lodgings at the south rim tend to book up months in advance. Still, give it a try. To book park accommodations, AmFac Parks & Resorts, 303/297-2757, amfac.com. First choice should be historic 88-room Bright Angel Lodge, the appropriately rustic-looking hub of the south rim. Just a few steps from the canyon's edge, cozy rooms (some with shared bath) go for $44 to $60 a night for two people. A private cabin with bath begins at $70. About a quarter-mile away, 288-room Maswik Lodge is a fine alternative despite its modern motel-like design. Spread over several acres of ponderosa pine forest, Maswik's cabins with bath are $60; large rooms (many with balconies) range from $73 to $113. In winter, the rate for the best rooms at Maswik is just $99 for two (yes, two) nights. A big plus for Maswik is that the park's large and attractive cafeteria is located there. I dined quite well on a heaping plate of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and canned peas for $6.35. At breakfast, scrambled eggs, toast, and juice came to $3.20. Next to Bright Angel Lodge, the Arizona Steak House is a full-service restaurant. Following a strenuous six-mile hike into the canyon, I was hungry and opted for a hearty "hiker's cut" of prime rib, a huge 12-ounce hunk of juicy tender beef: just under $18, with salad, baked potato, and saut,ed squash. Outside the park Although staying beyond the park's borders is less convenient, rooms are much easier to find in the busy season and are often cheaper, as are meals. Tusayan: Closest to the park is Tusayan, a village-like cluster of eight relatively new motels, cafes, and other tourist facilities located just outside the park's entrance gate - and seven miles south of the south rim. The best buy in the bunch is Rodeway Inn's 231-room Red Feather Lodge (800/538-2345 or 520/638-2414), which boasts a heated outdoor swimming pool. Until October 31, the peak-season rate for a standard room with two queen beds is $82; children 17 and under stay free. In winter, $56. Next-door at the inviting Cafe Tusayan, a full pasta dinner with salad is $8.95. You can stay marginally cheaper in Tusayan ($75 a night in summer) at the 20-room Seven Mile Lodge (520/638-2291). But the modest little motel doesn't take reservations. Williams and Flagstaff: More distant are the mountain-ringed towns of Williams (60 miles south of the park) and Flagstaff (80 miles south). Even on a busy summer weekend, Flagstaff (information, 800/842-7293), a sprawling city with a couple of seemingly endless motel strips, should be able to come up with a well-priced room at the last minute. "I wouldn't worry too much about that," says Patrick McCabe, manager of a local Super 8 Motel (see below). Book in Flagstaff if you want to explore the gorgeous Red Rock Country of nearby Sedona, the curious Petrified Forest National Park 110 miles to the east, and other northern Arizona attractions. But I really prefer quiet little Williams (information, 520/635-4061), a turn-of-the-century railroad stop that was the last community on old U.S. Route 66 to be bypassed by the interstate system. Well away from highway hubbub, the town center retains its nineteenth-century Old West character, and the local folks display proverbial small-town friendliness. Williams is so compact, you can walk to almost everything. Plan ahead to catch one of the annual rodeos. A daily tourist train from Williams to the south rim - the Grand Canyon Railway (800/843-8724) - can fill the town's rooms, so reserve in advance. Fare for the train tour is $49.95; $24.95 for ages 16 and under. Surely every budget hotel (and fast-food) chain is represented in Flagstaff. I've stayed in the heart of town at the 135-room Fairfield Inn by Marriott (520/773-1300), a quality motel with a pool where the peak rate is $79 to $89 ($49.95 in winter) including a substantial continental breakfast. Just up the street, the locally owned Canyon Inn (888/822-6966) charges $59 to $69 ($32.95 in winter) with free coffee but no swimming. On the eastern edge of Flagstaff, a standard room at the Super 8 Motel (888/324-9131) goes for $59 ($39 in winter). Out on South Beulah Blvd. on the west side of town, I recently dined on veal parmigiana ($12) at the Olive Garden, a chain restaurant with a tasty Italian menu. Next to the Super 8, the Village Inn tempts with an old-fashioned meat loaf plate at $5.99. As in Flagstaff, motels are plentiful in Williams. The two listed here hand out coupons for ten percent discounts at nearby restaurants. I particularly like the attractive, well-kept, 34-room Norris Motel (800/341-8000), which is part of the Best Value association of independent inns. The peak rate is $55 a night for one bed; $59 for two beds, and $2 extra for each child. (In winter, $30 to $34.) Coffee, granola bars, and the heated pool and hot tub are complimentary. Up the street, the 20-room Route 66 Inn & Gift Shop (888/786-6956) will rent you a king-bedded room for $45 for one person, $50 for two from May through September ($35 for two in winter). A two-bedroom family unit sleeping four to six people starts at $90 ($60 in winter). Within walking distance of each are two Old West-flavored cafes. The Parker House Restaurant serves up a rainbow trout dinner with salad and potatoes for $8.75. At the Pine Country Restaurant, charmingly decorated with green-and-white-checkered tablecloths, the porkchop dinner is just $6.75. Two well-kept hostels provide what I've found to be the cheapest decent accommodations in the Grand Canyon area. In funky Old Town Flagstaff, the 52-bed Grand Canyon International Hostel (888/442-2696) charges $16 a night for a bunk bed with linens, a hearty breakfast, and pickup from the Greyhound bus station. Dine cheaply around the corner at the Black Bean Burrito Bar & Salsa - $2.95 for a burrito plate. About ten miles north of Williams, the 34-bed Grand Canyon Red Lake Hostel (800/581-4753) offers spartan bunk rooms at $15 per bed, but the place is surrounded by thousands of acres of gorgeous scenery. Picnic with a lofty mountain view on salads and sandwiches from the deli next door. If you plan to stay more than a night, check with hostel co-owner Joe Petrillo about a discount. "We're flexible," he says. "We cut deals." For more south rim information, contact Trip Planner, Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023, 520/638-7888. You also can find the Trip Planner on the Web at thecanyon.com/nps.

Oh to be in England now that April's there," wrote Robert Browning. Springtime is England at its best, when flowers bloom in every nook and cranny, tourists are scarce, and prices fall well below summer's levels. For less than $75 per person per day, two people can experience three weeks of the exquisite sweetness of the English springtime (or later fall). And that outlay brings them a charming self-catering (i.e., kitchen-equipped) cottage, a car with unlimited mileage, and all their food and meals. In March, April, and May, for $35 to $65 a day, you can call "home" an attractive stone cottage with a fireplace or woodstove (in addition to other heat), modern kitchen and bathroom, washing machine, and all the linen, supplies, and utensils you need (except maybe a washcloth!). Such places can be found in all the rural areas of England, from Cornwall to the Welsh Borders to the Yorkshire Dales. There are wonderful advantages to staying a week in one area: It is more relaxing to be able to unpack and settle in; you can be on your own schedule for rising, eating, etcetera; and you get to know an area better and feel the pulse of its life. Every part of Britain offers more than enough interesting sights and activities to keep one busy for at least a week. Everywhere are stately homes, historic sights, cathedrals and village churches, gardens, and the ubiquitous footpaths for walking through lovely countryside. Local pubs are a fun way to observe the Brits, and almost every town or village has its weekly market day, when the high street is bustling with locals perusing the stalls, which offer all kinds of bounty. How you find them The British Tourist Authority (800/462-2748, visitbritain.com) offers a small, free-of-charge "Guide to Self-Catering Holiday Homes," and the British Travel Book & Map Shop (866/338-6867, btb-books.com) sells various commercial guides to British rental cottages. Here is a partial listing of agencies offering rental properties: Welcome Cottage Holidays (011-44/1756-799-999, welcome.cottages.co.uk); Rural Retreats (011-44/1386-701-177, ruralretreats.co.uk); Helpful Holidays (for properties in southwest England; 011-44/1647-433-593, helpfulholidays.com); Holiday Cottages Yorkshire Limited (northern England; 011-44/1756-700-510, holidaycotts.co.uk); Classic Cottages (southwest England; 011-44/1326-555-555, classiccottages.co.uk); and The National Trust Holiday Cottages (011-44/1225-791-199, nationaltrust.org.uk/cottages). Another source requires a bit more work on your part but can save you dollars: the local Tourist Information Centres (TICs). You first select the area you wish to visit, and then, using addresses found on the British Tourist Authority Web site, you write to the appropriate local TIC in England, requesting a list of their self-catering properties. From the information they send, you select five or six properties to write directly for detailed information, asking all the questions you consider important. Most owners are happy to send information, enabling you to make a wise decision. Renting a cottage directly from an individual owner is always the cheapest way. For a deposit you usually use your credit card or arrange for a bank transfer, but with private rentals it is sometimes possible to send an international money order in pounds through the U.S. Postal Service, or send a U.S. check and ask them to hold it until your arrival, when you will pay in pounds. The next basic expense for this type of trip is a rental car, necessary in all rural areas. Rent the smallest car available, not only for its economy of cost (gas is expensive in England) but also for its practicality on the very narrow rural roads and parking in the towns. Food? You can save half of what you'd otherwise spend by purchasing groceries and cooking at home. If you'd rather not, you'll find that the pubs offer good food for reasonable prices ($4 to $8 for lunch, $10 to $15 for dinner), tearooms offer inexpensive lunches (and delicious soups), and the Indian/Pakistani restaurants serve up tasty food for about the same price as pubs or less. As for airfares to Britain, this coming spring they are at a historic low. By using any of the major airfare booking engines on the Internet, or the recommendations of airfare consolidators (discounters) found in Budget Travel, you'll come upon prices that make the entire vacation entirely reasonable. Two travelers can enjoy three weeks of the English spring for a total cost of less than $100 per person daily including airfare, or less than $75 per person daily not including airfare. (Perhaps you prefer traveling in autumn? Prices are also reduced then, and you can put together a similar trip-but remember that the days are shorter, the lambs now adults, and the flowers not in blossom.) April in England is one of the driest months, and though the weather in March and April can range from 75 degrees to the forties, just take clothes for both extremes. If it's chilly, enjoy the smell of coal smoke wafting out of the chimneys and the embracing warmth of a pub with a crackling fire. Sit by your own fire in the evening with a glass of wine and watch the BBC news, which offers a different and valuable perspective for Americans. Get to know a few of the locals and invite them in for a meal. Relax, snuggle into your cozy sitting room, and soak in the bells, birdsong, blossoms, and baaing of the lambs. "Oh to be in England...."

Is there a single American who isn't aware of Napa Valley? Or of Sonoma and Mendocino counties? Of the Brothers Gallo (Ernest and Julio) and Cabernet Sauvignon, the Marin peninsula and Robert Mondavi, of the short trip north from San Francisco to elegant restaurants and resorts serving sybarites in love with the grape? In this area whose liquid nectar is increasingly compared to the French, the amenities are mainly trendy and upscale but dotted as well with lower-priced oases of good taste and comfort. In this article, we'll be searching out those secret bargains of Sonoma, Napa, Marin, and Mendocino Counties; and in an accompanying article (see below) by our coauthor, Debra Klein, we'll be intensively reviewing a particular section of the wine country-Russian River Valley - where the wine-tasting and attractions are as good as any but in which budget-priced lodgings and restaurants are in especially large numbers and more easily found. The region's basic appeal Sunshine bathes the grapes and gilds the lifestyles of northern California's wine country. It's a sensory realm where vineyard rows pattern the valleys and hills in landscape art. Its pleasures are gleefully detailed in elitist magazines like Gourmet. Yet the area has a strong conservation ethic and a back-to-the-farm movement. Those qualities define a realm of the mind, of advocacy and passion, as well as the senses. The mix makes the wine country an exhilarating place to sample, but sampling the wines is only a part of it. What money can't buy Everything begins with the wonderful climate, notably along the coast, where summer air is crisp, bugs aren't pesty, and flower gardens seem to line every downtown street or country road. Markets supply fresh fruits and locally produced cheese and sausage. Bakeries draw people in by the nose with their ambrosial focaccia and sourdough loaves, together with the wines and microbrewed beers, launching picnics in parks and beside rivers. Privileged lifestyles notwithstanding, there is no privileged access to the region's natural wonders - to Point Reyes National Seashore or to drives in clouds along coastal Highway 1. Be assured that when you hike through Jack London State Historic Park or paddle the Russian River, no amount of money can improve the experience. The vineyards most worth visiting In widely distributed maps and free brochures, and on signs everywhere, are invitations to visit the famous wineries with their free tastings of California vintages. Although the big names (Gallo and Mondavi among them) operate big visitor facilities, I prefer four smaller wineries that nevertheless go all-out to educate and entertain the many hundreds of thousands of yearly visitors to the area: Sebastiani Winery 389 4th St. E., Sonoma 95476, 707/938-5532. From 11 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily, every 30 minutes between Memorial Day and Labor Day (every hour the rest of the year), a free round-trip tram leaves from behind the Sonoma Cheese Factory on Sonoma Plaza and drives visitors the four blocks to the tasting rooms. Apart from the tasting, you can tour the old winery that dates from 1904 when the Sebastiani family arrived from Tuscany. Walls are 17 inches thick, of locally quarried stone with stained-glass windows and terra-cotta tile floors surrounding the wooden tasting bar, and the entire room is full of family pictures and handsome bird and duck carvings. You can stay as long as you want. Benziger Family Winery 1883 London Ranch Rd., Glen Ellen 95442, 707/935-4046. Tours here carry you through the vineyard on a free tractor-pulled tram while a guide explains the history of viniculture. Including tasting in the room that doubles as an art museum, count on an hour. At busy times of year, pack a food basket, show up and sign up for the hour you want to tour, then picnic on the redwood-shaded lawn. Daily except Saturday, 11:30, 12:30, 2:00 and 3:30; Saturday additionally, 1:30 and 3:00. Kunde Estate Winery 10155 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood 95452, 707/833-5501. Enjoy a guide-led cave tour that can last from a quarter hour to twice that, depending on visitor interest. You'll descend several hundred feet underground, walking all the way to where the wines are stored in French oak barrels. Wine-tasting follows. Tours Friday through Sunday only, 10:30 to 4:30. Fetzer Tasting Room and Visitor Center 13601 East Side Rd., Hopland 95449, 800/846-8637; 707/744-1250, fetzer.com. The tastings are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round, but the free garden tours are available May through September only, seven days a week. This tour is through Fetzer's exquisite bio-intensive organic Bonterra garden, alive with bees and insects, scents of herbs, and the entire range of gaudy California flowers. You can stroll the garden for as long as you want, entering and, if you want, reentering the tasting room. You can also sign up in advance for cooking classes in a lakeside pavilion (though there is a fee for this). Count on about an hour to tour the garden and taste the wines. Dozens of others are available for your choice, and everyone has his or her favorite. The trip north from San Francisco (Marin county) Marin claims only a single vineyard and several microbreweries, but the stunning beauty of the county's western coast will turn you heady with delight. While Sausalito and Tiburon to the east with their yacht basins (and tasting rooms) epitomize San Francisco bedroom communities, roughly three-quarters of west Marin is publicly owned. Here is the stunning Point Reyes National Seashore with its legendary birdlife, its elk herds, its wilderness beaches. Here, too, is Tomales Bay, directly along the San Andreas Fault - that restless underside of the region's fabled beauty that ever threatens the ground under people's feet and the roofs over their heads. The best place to see migrating gray whales between January and April is from the Point Reyes Lighthouse. A nearby overlook provides views of harbor seals and sea lions. Spring strews fields of wildflowers across wilderness trails. Your lodgings (and meals) in Wine Country Ironically, the closer to the coast, the more varied and affordable vacations become. Nothing, of course, is cheap. The vineyards, with their promise of bonanza profits, have sent inland real estate values skyward. Napa, because of its high cost of lodging, is better visited from a base in neighboring Sonoma, though even inland Sonoma rates have risen ten percent in the past year. Throughout the region, the best overnight buys include not just motels but places of distinct character. But be forewarned: between April and October, even midweek reservations are a must. Marin hostels and hotels Your best budget lodgings are in Sonoma and Mendocino counties (avoid Napa for overnight stays), but some will prefer to make their base closer to San Francisco. For the die-hards, and directly within the Point Reyes National Seashore (described above), is the Point Reyes Hostel (Hostelling International-Point Reyes National Seashore, Box 247, Point Reyes Station 94956, 415/663-8811), a well-run lodging with 44 beds, shared baths, and shared kitchen. Typical of most hostels, access is limited from late-afternoon check-in until after breakfast. There are separate dormitories for men and women. A family room is available as well. The rate is $14 to $16 a night. Stinson Beach is also wildly popular year-round because it's only an hour drive from San Francisco. Affordable, and with great style, is Redwood Haus (1 Belvedere Ave. & Hwy. 1, Box 404, Stinson Beach 94970, 415/868-9828, stinson-beach.com), where rates are $100 a night midweek or weekend-but a two-night midweek stay can drop down to $75 nightly. Winter rates go as low as half-price. This includes full breakfast for two and the owners will also discount rooms for tradable stuff-artifacts with a Polynesian or ship theme, good shells, ivory, farming objects, anything of value that fits the eclectic style of this 1910 Norwegian ship captain's house. Once a casino, bordello, and smuggler's hangout, it's now a very hip four rooms and a cabin. And finally, nearing southern Marin but still blessedly removed from the hubbub, is its antithesis in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the 15-acre Green Gulch Farm. Serenity envelops this Buddhist retreat center where vistas drop with striking beauty across organic gardens and a farm to the foot of Muir Beach. You do not have to be a Zen practitioner to stay here, though your spiritual side will surely feel engaged by its quiet dignity. Guest quarters are in the Lindisfarne House (Green Gulch Farm, 1601 Shoreline Highway, Sausalito 94965, 415/383-3134, ggfzc@earthlink.net, sfzc.org), with 12 rooms octagonally surrounding a 30-foot-high atrium built with traditional Japanese joinery. Rooms of white walls and pale and earth tones are without embellishment. A common area contains a wood-burning fireplace, oriental-style rugs, and simple and comfortable chairs and tables. Guests have use of a small kitchen with a fridge, two-burner stovetop, sink, toaster, coffee maker, and recycling bin. Bathrooms are shared between bedrooms, but there is only one shower in the entire house. Meals in the high-ceilinged dining hall are vegetarian and served buffet style. A small room midweek will run you $110, a large room $125; add $15 for weekend nights. Rates include all three meals daily. Sonoma County and the wild Sonoma Coast Sonoma spreads its affordable lodgings throughout the county. From anywhere inland, the vineyards and tasting rooms are minutes away. The hub of best buys lies in the Russian River Valley. (See the discussion below by Debra Klein). Cloverdale to the north off Highway 101 offers the Abrams House Inn (314 N. Main St., Cloverdale 95425, 800/764-4466, 707/894-2412), a Queen Anne run by a friendly caterer who allows guests to bring food from outside to enjoy in her dining room. Rates for two with shared bath and full breakfast start at $60 midweek and $85 weekends. South in Healdsburg, rooms at the Fairview Motel (74 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg 95448, 707/433-5548), including in-room coffee and continental breakfast, go for $66 weekdays, $99 weekends, ten percent AAA discount. Directly in the town of Sonoma, the El Pueblo Inn (896 W. Napa, Sonoma 95476, 707/996-3651) provides in-room coffee, and charges $80 weekdays, $95 weekends. Both motels have swimming pools and offer ten percent AAA discounts on weekdays. Midweek, too, try for rooms at Westerbeke Ranch Conference Center (2300 Grove St., Sonoma 95476, 707/996-7546, ranch@wco.com; westranch.com). Westerbeke is a Mexican hacienda converted to an acclaimed meeting site with sublime gardens and vintage artifacts. Exquisitely hand-detailed redwood cottages are an outstanding buy for a single person, who pays only $50 per night; a splurge for a couple that pays $100. The pool is a crown jewel. A smaller splurge - but a big bargain - gets you a spectacular setting at Timber Cove Inn (21780 N. Hwy. 1, Jenner 95450, 800/987-8319, 707/847-3231) on the wild Sonoma coast near Fort Ross. The stunning redwood lodge with its soaring fireplace stands among 26 acres at the ocean edge. Midweek, two pond-view rooms are $78 double (they go up to $110 on weekends). Less than half an hour south are state beaches, and near to the east, the affordable outdoor restaurants of the Russian River Valley. Mendocino County Suppressing the urge to splurge, you can do just as well in budget lodgings as you head north toward Mendocino. Start with Salt Point Lodge, 17 miles north of Jenner (23255 N. Hwy. 1, Jenner 95450, 800/956-3437, 707/847-3234), which captures views of the sea from across the road. Of 16 modern rooms, all with baths, two small ones are $55 (no ocean view) and $60. Restaurant entrees start at $12.95, including salad or clam chowder and bread. Just as delightful and one of the best buys on the coast is the Gualala [hwa-LA-la] Hotel (N. Hwy. 1, P.O. Box 675, Gualala 95445, 707/884-3441) in its namesake town in far south Mendocino County. The two-story, galleried hotel dates from 1903 and was a favorite of Jack London during timbering days. Rooms evoke a century-old style, with oak or white iron beds. You'll pay only $44 a night with a shared bath, $55 for an oceanview room with its own bath. There's a rustic bar, and soup or salad plus entree in the dining room averages $14. Beaches and paddling on the Gualala River are popular. Otherwise, best buys along the coast are on either side of Mendocino rather than in that trendy town itself. Only minutes south in Little River is Fools Rush Inn (7533 N. Hwy. 1, P.O. Box 387, Little River 95456, 707/937-5339), a collection of cottages, all different, mostly new or recently rebuilt, comfortable and roomy. All have kitchens and dining areas. You're within walking distance of the beach. Rates are $69 to $89 weekends or midweek, except for the rustic and not yet remodeled Farallon Cottage, which is a wonderful bargain because this too has kitchen and dining area. It's only $49 to $59. Little River is only 20 miles from the tasting rooms of Anderson Valley vineyards and breweries in a bucolic district of sheep farms, apple orchards, and local crafts. Minutes north of Mendocino in Caspar is the recently redone working-class Caspar Inn (P.O. Box 3, Caspar 95420, 707/964-5565). It's the site of a famous blues bar, so you don't want to plan early weekend nights. Rooms are $50, all on the second floor, with two baths down the hall. Three-course meals in the dining room won't top $15. North a few minutes more is Fort Bragg, the bargain basement of the Mendocino coast. At first glance the town is gray, down on its luck. Yet it's an unpretentious art, performance, and shopping hub, a scene of redwood forest activism and terminal of the Skunk Train, which operates daylong tours on a historic 40-mile logging line through redwood forests (800/77-SKUNK; $27 adult, $14 children ages 3-17). Choice among otherwise ordinary budget places to stay is Shoreline Cottages (18725 N. Hwy. 1, Fort Bragg 95437, 707/964-2977), where the office is an immense library and units start at $51, topping out at $66 any time of week, all with private baths and in-room coffee. A cottage with kitchen is only $5 more. The units are comfortably furnished with colorful wallpapers, curtains, and easy chairs.