Central Coast / Cambria experts, please help!
 

Dear fodorites, i hope you can help me yet again as you were all soo wonderful several months ago as i planned this leg of our itinerary. A little background - this is a 3.5 week road trip with 4 days on the central coast (after yosemite and before LA and Wallyworld). For the last night lodging i had ressies at Jagged Point. However, now i'm second guessing this (along with the rest of the trip) :-O

I'm (we're) now thinking cambria / moonstone beach is a better idea because while we love a great view, and the view was why i chose jagged point, we're more into exploring than just gazing, even tho we will have just spent the last three full days exploring big sur, pt. lobos etc. However, we would still have dinner or a late lunch as jagged point to see the view regardless. According to their website, while the view is second to none, its nearly impossible to get down the cliff to the beach. (Keep in mind DD's idea of a hike is crossing the parking lot to the visitor center and gift shop :-< )

So now i'm wondering which of the cambria properties is best. I know there are nicer places than i have listed but i;ve literally called each and every one and only list those that are available and / or within our budget.

- Little Sur Inn
- Mariners Court
- Castle Inn by the Sea

Ok, hope that makes sense and hope someone can help.... or someone will pleeeeeze TELL me what to do!!! :-O Maybe just flip a coin?

Thanks all, you're the best.

ooooh, i mean RAGGED Point Inn, not jagged point....ahhh, i need a vacation........

any thoughts, anyone?

HI ellen, we like Cambria very much and it is a great place to stay but I cannot help you w/picking a hotel as I do not know the ones you mention. (BTW, It is a very easy trip from there to the Hearst castle)....Was the Cambria Pines expensive? It was very cheap when we stayed there and was quite quaint and rustic. Of course, it is not on the beach, so if you want Moonstone Beach, then that is of no help....Just wanted you to know that someone was paying attention to your query....There have been other threads on Cambria if you want to do a search. Good luck!!

Hi Socialworker, thanks for the reply. Cambria Pines is a bit further from the beach than the others which are directly across from it.

Can anyone else give an opinion on the three properties?

Ellen - I have only been to Cambria once and it was during Christmas vacation last year when the rain in California just didn't stop. We did stay at Moonstone Beach one night on our way back to San Diego from SF. Even though it was stormy, we got a little break in the rain and could see that the area was very nice.

We stayed at Moonstone Landing which I believe is owned by the same people who own Little Sur Inn. Looking at their websites the rooms are the same and I remember talking to the owner about that. We loved our room at Moonstone Landing. Fireplace, big bathroom and we had an ocean view. Room were clean and new with a microwave and frig. They have continental breakfast in the morning and cheese/snacks in the afternoon. They also have some movies on VHS to borrow which we did since the weather was so bad. So I would definitely recommend Little Sur Inn or their sister hotel Moonstone Landing. I think you will like Cambria-I am planning to go back at the end of the summer so I can enjoy it during nice weather.

Paula, thank you SOO much! I had checked Moonstone Landing MONTHS ago when i first started my search, but somehow it was delated from my notes (pages of them!) We are staying THERE and i am PUMPED! It looks awesome! Thanks again!

i mean, it was "deleted" from my pages of notes. :-<

anyway, thanks again!

:D

I have a list of possible resataurants in Cambria from my previous (and continuing) search but recently heard of a new place (to me) called "The West End", right in the village of cambria. It's supposed to have the best fish and chips this side of London. ??? Have any of you heard of it? Good place for lunch?

Sorry to ask so many questions :-< but also, does anyone know a "back way" to get from Cambria to Anaheim? Mapquest and AAA take us on the 101 and i know what a madhouse that is during rush hour.

Any ideas GREATLY appreciated!

topping one more time in case anyone would like to comment!?

:)

101 would probably be your best way to get to Anaheim. Any way you choose will be a madhouse! That is just the way it is in So. CA. You won't be sorry if you choose any place on Moonstone beach it is lovely. Nice path to walk along the water. You mentioned jagged point - I think you mean Rocky Point just south of Carmel before Big Sur, the view is beautiful but they have only food/drinks.

Hi Nancy, Actually i did mean Ragged Point Inn -

raggedpointinn.com

But i agree with you, and we're going with moonstone beach for both the view and option to explore. While the view at ragged point is apparently amazing, i think we'll enjoy being on the beach vs. just gazing at it.

Thanks for the reply!

We stayed at Moonstone Landing in March and loved it. I would definitely stay there again. We ate at the restaurant right next door called the Seachest and it was very good. The next night we ate at The Sow's Ear in Cambria and that was wonderful too.
Have fun! You will only have to crack your sliding glass door at night to hear the ocean. We bought a bottle of wine at one of the local wineries and got back to the room in time to get a plate of appetizers that they have each evening at Moonstone Landing and go sit on our patio off of the room to watch the sunset. I highly recommend that!

Thanks, jet! We're really looking forward to that leg of our trip!

Also, any other hints or tips for the next days drive to anaheim?

Ellen - We enjoyed our dinner at Robin's. They also have lunch if your dinner plans are set for other restaurants. Every cute restaurant and good food for a moderate price.

As far as tips driving to Anaheim, the only tip I can give is leave early so you can get into LA at a decent time and avoid the traffic through LA to Anaheim. Are you planning on driving straight through? If you leave Cambria no later than 8am, it's about 3 hours to Thousand Oaks which is west of LA on the 101 and where traffic gets thicker. If you hit Thousand Oaks around 11, you should be able to get through LA and into Orange County and miss the worst traffic. When I say rush hour traffic starts early, I mean it. I used to say 3 pm was the time rush hour traffic started but now it is bad even around 2:30. Don't know if you had planned to stop for lunch along the way but I would make it a quick lunch and get back on the road.

Thanks Paula, i appreciate your reply. We had planned a later start from cambria.... if we leave after lunch in cambria, will we regret it? I was hoping there would be another route, that while not as direct, wouldn't be as bottlenecked and frustrating? Am i dreaming?

Ellen - I think you are dreaming LOL. If you wait until after lunch, you will hit the LA area right at the height of rush hour. Depending on the day and traffic, it could easily take you 3 hours to get through LA and into Anaheim. I was just in LA today (I live in San Diego county but go to LA quite often for work) and the traffic was bad in spots even around lunch time. Maybe you will get advice from someone who lives in LA but I personally would want to get through LA as early as possible.