Cambria; Idyllic Getaway

Looking for a perfect place to get away for a few days without having to endure exorbitant airfares and long security lines?

Larry Stewart

My wife Norma and I found such a spot about 12 years ago. It is the quaint town of Cambria, located along California’s Central Coast on Highway 1 just south of San Simeon and Hearst Castle and just north of Morro Bay and Cayucos. It’s about a 4 1/2-hour drive from Arcadia.

We first started making that drive because our friends Michael and Jill Young, along with their daughters, moved there not long after Michael retired as an NFL player. A wide receiver at UCLA when he went by Mike (he was one of quarterback Rick Neuheisel’s favorite targets), Michael Young played for the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and (briefly) Kansas City Chiefs over a 10-year span.

During one of our first visits to Cambria, we discovered what is now known as the Pelican Cove Inn. It used to be known as the Pelican Suites because all the rooms were suites. But a couple of years ago it expanded and the rooms in the new wing are not suites.

The view from our balcony at the Pelican Cove Inn.

I’d guess we’ve stayed there about a dozen times, and our favorite room is a corner suite on the second floor overlooking the Pacific Ocean as you see in this photo at right.

Besides a beautiful room with a fireplace, added pluses are the free full buffet breakfast served each morning in the lobby area and the free wine and cheese from 3 to 5 p.m. After dining out at one the many great restaurants in Cambria, one can return to the Pelican Cove Inn for free dessert anytime between 7:30 and 9 p.m.

Picture caption (temporarily missing): The Pelican Cove and many other motels are located along Moonstone Avenue. At right is the boardwalk on the other side of Moonstone Avenue, which is great for long walks along the beach. And, as you can see, sometimes there is no one else around except for seagulls and sea lions.

That's Norma on the boardwalk.

Norma and I; photo taken by a kind passerby.

That’s Norma on the boardwalk in the photo at right and the two of us together at left in a photo taken by a kind passerby.

The Youngs have since moved back to Denver, where they lived previously, but we still go to Cambria and always look forward to the trip.

On our most recent trip during Veteran’s Day weekend, I also took some pictures to share with ArcadiasBest.com readers.

Elephant seals gather in a special place a few miles up Highway 1 on way to Ragged Point north of Cambria.

At left are elephant seals that gather in a special place a few miles up Highway 1. We always stop to see them on the way to Ragged Point, which is about a half-hour north of Cambria. We almost always make that drive when in Cambria because of all the magnificent views, seen both along the way and after you arrive.

Ocean view halfway between Cambria and Ragged Point.

The ocean-view photo at right was taken about halfway between Cambria and Ragged Point.

And just think, you can enjoy all this without the hassle and expense of air travel. How do you beat that?