We are going to be spending one night in Cambria in July (going to Hearst Castle the next day). I have looked into several places to stay & wanted to get some more opinions to help me make my decision. It will be my husband and me - looking for a nice, romantic, relaxing place. We don't usually like big hotel or motel-type places. We prefer b&b, inns, cozy atmosphere...

These are the places that I am considering:
- J. Patrick House
- Olallieberry Inn
- Blue Whale Inn
- Sea Otter Inn
- Pelican Suites
- Cypress Cove Inn
- Little Sur Inn
- Burton Inn

It is best to stay on Moonstone Beach Drive? Or would town be OK? Burton Inn looks great, but it is not near the beach (which makes it a bit cheaper too, I think).

We don't want to spend more than $300...and it would be great if it was around $200 or less. We will be there on a week night.

Thanks in advance for any advice

We stayed at St.Simeon Pines Inn
(www.sspinesinn.com) when we went to Hearst over a yr. ago. Our room was nice and large with a real wood burning fireplace. Not plush,
and it IS a bit motelish, but certainly comfy for the money. it is across the street from the beach
public park with nice quiet areas to walk. I enjoyed the little shops in Cambria also.

KEC, when we stayed there in Dec we got an internet deal. We paid less than $90 at the Sea Otter, which is not as expensive as a few others. We had a king bed, fireplace, and a small private patio. (No water view from window or patio). The decor is sort of French country - light pine furniture, duvet, lace curtain. Had a small fridge and microwave also. I think for a water view you'll pay a bit more, but it's still off season. Hopefully you can get a deal. Our criteria was proximity to water, which is why we stayed on Moonstone.

We have stayed at the Sea Otter, too, though it must be 5 years or more ago. It is a pleasant, clean place, a bit motelish, but fine for the $. Location is great. I loved being right on Moonstone.

It is best to stay right on Moonstone Beach. The Blue Whale is the most upscale and luxurious - including fire places and spa tubs. It only has 6 rooms and can be hard to get into. Pelican Suites is fine, especially if you get a room at the front facing the ocean. It is a great place to walk along the boardwalk and watch the surfers. It is not a swimming beach. Make sure you get advance reservations for Hearst Castle.

The Blue Whale Inn is very nice, but you won't have views of the ocean from your room there.

I loved the Cypress Cove Inn, we had a fireplace/oceanview/king room, very nice property and our room was spacious and very nicely decorated. ***kim***