California Beach Hotels: Cruise the California Coast!

California beach hotels pepper the coastline of sunny (and sometimes foggy) California. While some are the crown jewels of the west coast, others remain as hidden gems.

If you have the good fortune to visit California beach hotels, you’re probably looking for some sun. The best places to visit for polishing that tan are in Southern California, where the weather is mild most of the time, and the water sparkles in the sun as if you are in the tropics, lounging under the swaying palm trees!

California beach hotels – Southern Coast

One of my favorite Southern California beach hotels is the Santa Barbara Biltmore (Four Seasons Resort Santa Barbara). This fabulous hotel was featured in the entertaining comedy LA Story, and has everything you could wish for in terms of amenities. And what a spectacular setting! You can enjoy privacy in a secluded bungalow in a well-manicured tropical garden, or stay in the c. 1927 Spanish Style grand villa. The food is fab, the ballroom is gorgeous––and room service puts mints under your pillow when they change the linens! The beach is a stones throw from the main building, where you can see the Channel Islands in the distance.

Another favorite Southern California beach hotel is the Malibu Beach Inn. If you go in the summer, its like being on an island paradise, overlooking the serene aqua blue ocean from your room. Each room has a remarkable view, and there is a continental breakfast served downstairs every morning. You can eat out on the patio, and it feels like you are hovering above the water! The dolphins swim by nearly every day. A stay in Malibu--somewhere--is the quintessential destination for primo California beach hotels!

The Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego is a must-see both for Victoriana buffs and serious sunbathers. It’s huge, it’s got history, and is the reigning sovereign among all the other California beach hotels, boasting the best weather, warmest water, and an incredible beach! It is like going back in time to the Victorian era, but with modern attractions and convenience.

California beach hotels – Central Coast

Northern California beach hotels are a little less glamorous, with subtler virtues. The hotels in Monterey are generally wonderful, with excellent seafood restaurants and interesting attractions within walking distance, such as the Monterey Bay aquarium and the wharf. Nearby is Carmel, a charming village by the sea, perfect for romantic getaways & retreats for golfers. It boasts one of the prettiest beaches in the state.

Santa Cruz also has some fine California beach hotels perched on the cliffs above the picturesque beach and historic amusement park. You’ll find a great shopping district with eclectic bohemian charm, world class surfing, and great weather. Just an hours drive north of Santa Cruz, is the scenic hamlet of Half Moon Bay, where you will find the brand new and very elegant Ritz Carlton Hotel right on the oceanfront.

California beach hotels – North Coast

The further north you go, the more “boutique-like” are the California beach hotels. In fact, north of San Francisco, and especially along the Mendocino coast, you will find mostly mom & pop type establishments. They are quaint and charming, typically run by folks who have a sense of welcoming hospitality and gourmet taste. Mendocino itself looks just like an East Coast fishing village - small, adorable, and teeming with outstanding restaurants, spas, great bed & breakfasts, and cozy inns. The weather is cooler (be prepared for fog), the air is crisp and fresh, the wildlife abundant, and the flavor is “artsy.”

The smaller California beach hotels continue all the way up to the Oregon border in Crescent City, where the food is less spectacular, but the scenery is captivating.

California Beach hotels are waiting for you…so what are you waiting for? Try out a few days in balmy Southern California splendor, or sample some of Northern California’s finest cuisine and secluded charm-by-the sea.

But whichever way you go, stay on the California coast in a California beach hotel––you can’t go wrong with weather and sunsets like this!

Kristin McDonald is a writer, graphic designer and eBay expert.