Set on a scenic hilltop above Los Alamos, Skyview is an iconic mid-century motel turned modern-day oasis by Nomada Hotel Group.

Settle into one of 33 stylish guest rooms, take a dip in the postcard-worthy pool (21+ only), dine at Norman restaurant & bar, or sip estate-grown wine overlooking the vineyard.

Around here, there are plenty of reasons to pull off Highway 101 and stay awhile.

Since 1959

Originally built in 1959, the Skyview Motel was a pit stop for roadtrippers traveling California’s bustling Highway 101. It was the perfect halfway-point between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and legend has it, The Mamas & the Papas may have even stopped by a time or two. In it’s heyday, Skyview was a sight straight out of California Dreamin’.
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Eventually, the once-vibrant mainstay was deserted and forgotten about. Until Nomada came into the picture.

word travels fast

  • TRAVEL & LEISURE

    I Drove California’s Central Coast —and These Stylish Motels Were the Highlight of the Road Trip | April 2026

    “With the saturated orange of the garden umbrellas, bubblegum-pink decorative cacti that fringe the pool, and bright-blue high chairs at the bar, Skyview now calls to mind high-color Americana. This vivid aesthetic is softened by the motel’s surrounding vineyards…”

  • THE ZOE REPORT

    Readers' Choice: Top 10 Hip Roadside Hotels | June 2026

    “These stays transform a simple road trip stop into a highlight of the journey itself.”

  • MICHELIN GUIDE

    2026 Hotel Selection

    “Skyview Los Alamos joins the ranks of formerly undistinguished American roadside motels that have been rehabilitated into attractive and quietly luxurious boutique hotels.”

  • SUNSET MAGAZINE

    Nostalgia Travel Is Trending: These Are the Best Destinations for 2026 | June 2026

    “When new owners bought this 1959 Highway 101 hilltop motel in 2016, locals had long nicknamed it the Bates Motel. Their first design decision: Keep the vintage yellow MOTEL sign. Two years of renovation later, Skyview reopened with 33 reimagined rooms, a working vineyard, hand-tiled fireplaces, and Norman restaurant, a wry nod to its former reputation. It sits above one of California’s best small wine towns, with a pool view to match.”

  • VOGUE

    It’s the 100th Anniversary of the Motel—Here Are the 11 Best in the U.S. to Visit Now | December 2025

    “Located right off the 101 freeway but perched on a hilltop overlooking Los Alamos, Skyview Los Alamos is the stuff of California dreamin’. Spread across five scenic acres, the highlight of this 1959 motel-turned-wine-country-retreat is no doubt its working vineyard, which produces the crisp house rosé.

  • THE NEW YORK TIMES

    100 Years of the Motel: Neon Signs, Swimming Pools and the American Dream | October 2025

  • AFAR

    14 Upscale Motels in California with 1950s-Style Pools, Retro Design, and Pacific Ocean Views | July 2025

    “After several years sitting vacant, this wine country motel underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation and got a second life in 2019. Set on a hillside overlooking the Santa Ynez valley, the motel overlooks the property’s original vineyard—still in operation today—and the surrounding countryside.”

  • LOS ANGELES TIMES

    I Went on a 2,500-mile Search for the Greatest Motels in California. Here’s What I Found | May 2025

    “Especially at Skyview, the combination of Modernist and farmhouse design elements yields entertaining results. Agrigoogie, anyone?”

Yellow motel sign with black letters spelling 'MOTEL' against a clear blue sky.
Text in orange that says "If you know, you know" on a black background.

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