Cambria Beach Lodge

Style

Surf-side motel

Setting

Over the Moonstone

Cambria Beach Lodge is a road trip-ready hangout with glimpses of the Pacific and chilled-out Californian spirit. A former motel with a U-shaped layout, it's been given a little west-coast cool with a beachy makeover. Sun-bleached timber and splashes of turquoise give the interiors a laid-back seaside feel, while outdoors, thrillseekers surf and chillseekers stroll on the rugged Moonstone Beach boardwalk. It’s just off the classic, cliff-hugging Route 1, so you can park up midway between LA and SF, then head off to explore the coast by bike or hike, and sample the bounty of Paso Robles wine country. Sunset is a stunner, best observed from the panoramic sky-deck, with a cool glass of rosé in hand, of course.

Facilities

Rooms

Twenty-seven, including one suite.

Checkout

11am; check-in: 3pm, but both are flexible, subject to availability.

Also

One room is designed for wheelchair users; please check availability when you book.

Free Internet Access

Pet Friendly

At the Hotel

WiFi and parking. In rooms: TV, iPod dock, minibar stocked with Californian wines and snacks, Apolis market bag, Faribault wool blanket, Bushnell binoculars.

Our Favourite Rooms

The Beach House has two private terraces providing views out to the ocean, and on cool evenings you can snuggle up around the living room fireplace.

Packing Tips

No American road trip would be complete without a copy of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road in the glovebox. Leave the binoculars at home – you’re given a set for the duration of your stay, as part of an adventure kit handed over at check-in.

Also

On chilly days, every guest is given a warming cup of hot chocolate at check-in.

Children

All ages are welcome. There's a travel cot for babies available to borrow, subject to availability.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Californian wines from Halter Ranch and Field Recordings pair especially well with sunset on the sky-deck.

Dress Code

Anything goes, dude.

Hotel Restaurant

There’s no restaurant, but breakfast is served in the light-flooded reception area, where woven-reed lamps hang above funky turquoise banquettes. The minibar is stocked with enough nosh to see off any bout of the munchies, including snacks from Epic Provisions and Big Sur Bar.

Last Orders

Help yourself to continental breakfast all morning, in the reception room.

Planes

San Luis Obispo County Airport is the closest entry point, around 45 minutes by car from the hotel; there are regular shuttle-flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as Denver, Phoenix and Seattle. If you’re arriving from abroad, fly into Los Angeles or San Francisco, which are both around four hours away from Cambria by car.

Automobiles

Cambria is crying out for a road trip. Pick up a hire-car in LA or SF, then hit Route 1 all the way up (or down) the west coast, stopping in cult destinations including Monterey and Santa Barbara on the way. Cambria Beach Lodge is set up like a motel, so you get to park right outside your room.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

The surf’s (almost) always up, so bring a board and hit the long-breaking waves at Moonstone Beach or elsewhere along the Pacific Coast (if you need to hire the kit, head to Good Clean Fun surf shop in Cayucos). Alternatively, grab one of the hotel’s Linus bikes to explore; the bike path from the hotel runs along the beach and up into town. If a languid stroll is more your pace, walk the two-mile Bluff Trail into the wildflower meadows and pine forests of Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. Up and down the coast, you’ll find the decadent, Gatsby-esque Hearst Castle, the eerie town of Harmony (population: 18) and the beachtown of San Simeon, where you can see hundreds of elephant seals basking in the sun.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .