Between Santa Barbara in the south and Santa Cruz in the north, some of the world’s most desirable coastline, and some of its most distinctly designed hotels, motels, and inns.
We’ve dedicated some time this spring to epic coastlines. The Amalfi in Italy. The Southern Atlantic in France. The Channel in England. Next up, the Central in California.
California’s Central Coast starts north heading out of Santa Barbara, through the wine regions of Santa Ynez and Paso Robles, into San Luis Obispo county and past a gang of great surf towns like Cambria, Cayucos, and Morro Bay, over grass-covered hills that are home to the Hearst Castle, up through the wilds of Big Sur, emerging to wrap around Monterey Bay and terminate in Santa Cruz. Along the way, you get a taste of California’s particular combination of extreme property values and laid-back charm — sometimes separately, sometimes mixed together.
You see it, as well, in the hotels. There are luxury resorts aimed at the freest spenders among us, and, on the other end of the spectrum, rehabilitated motels aimed at eliminating pretension at all costs. It’s been delightful witnessing the evolution of restored motor inns in the United States — many of which live in this region — not just because so many of them have excellent design and amenities, but because they rescued a uniquely American structure that would’ve likely gone to waste.
Here now, the perfect sunset drive: sixteen hotels with serious character along California’s Central Coast.
Hotel Ynez
Solvang, CA, USA
The Santa Barbara wine country may not be as well-established as its northern counterparts, but that just means the possibilities are greater. Here, in between the twin towns of Santa Ynez and Solvang, hotelier Kimberly Walker has transformed a disused 22-room motor lodge into the Hotel Ynez, returning a mid-century gem to something that matches — or even surpasses — its former sheen.
Farmhouse Paso Robles
Paso Robles, CA, USA
The 1950s motel that’s now Farmhouse Paso Robles was designed in a country-cottage style, which is an excellent match for the region’s booming trade in wine production. The renovation accentuated the rustic-chic style of the original Farmhouse, and the resulting hotel feels more like an agricultural village than a roadside motel, its cottages connected by paths that wind across sculpted gardens.
The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern
Los Olivos, CA, USA
The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern has been a fixture in the Santa Ynez Valley wine-country town of Los Olivos since as far back as the 1880s. Safe to say, though, that in its original form it was a shade or two less luxurious than it is now, under the direction of Auberge Collection. Accommodations range from beautifully restored 19th-century cottages to rooms and suites in a handful of new buildings, designed to complement the original style.
San Ysidro Ranch
Santa Barbara, CA, USA
This spot on the outskirts of Santa Barbara hasn’t been a ranch, strictly speaking, for quite some time, unless one considers rustling up the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Winston Churchill and John and Jackie Kennedy to be a traditional ranching activity. San Ysidro Ranch, these days, is more like what might have once been called a health farm, albeit an exceedingly luxurious one.
The Pacific Motel
Cayucos, CA, USA
There’s every chance you haven’t heard of Cayucos, California — and that’s half the appeal of the place: a California beach town that remains accessible, affordable, and blissfully underdeveloped. It’s here, a block and a half from the ocean, that you’ll find the Pacific Motel, where a local couple have turned an unremarkable motel into an unforgettable seaside boutique hotel.
Skyview Los Alamos
Los Alamos, CA, USA
The original Skyview, a 1950s roadside motel, is the perfect skeleton for the attractive new Skyview. Rooms feel warm and organic, with hardwood floors, tiled baths, and whitewashed walls and ceilings. The original Fifties-era pool and a stylish mid-century modern lobby now serve as informal gathering places. There’s also Norman, the restaurant and bar, serving modern Californian fare with a Central Coast bent.
Granada Hotel & Bistro
San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
This nearly century-old brick structure is an authentic part of San Luis Obispo history, dating back to the vaudeville era, a time when this town was considerably seedier than it is today. Nowadays, of course, it’s Granada Hotel & Bistro, a classic luxury boutique. A renovation has it looking closer than ever to its Twenties roots, and closer than ever to the well-aged industrial-chic style that goes down so well with a contemporary audience.
Green Gables Inn, A Four Sisters Inn
Pacific Grove, CA, USA
Green Gables Inn is the flagship location of Four Sisters Inns, a collection of sophisticated boutique hotels. It’s long been an incredibly quaint place to stay, a Queen Anne-style residence looking out over Monterey Bay, but recent renovations have made it more inviting than ever. Many rooms have original fireplaces, soaking tubs, and built-in window seating.
River Lodge Paso
Paso Robles, CA, USA
River Lodge is equally well suited for a leisurely wine region stay as it is a short stopover. The 1940s-era motor lodge design has been smartly preserved, from the retro façade to the postcard-like pool surrounded by potted greenery and sunbeds. But guest rooms were thoroughly upgraded with bespoke furnishings, stylish work spaces, and private porches or yards, some with Bolivian hammocks or firepits.
San Luis Creek Lodge
San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
San Luis Creek Lodge combines an intimate, residential-style concept with the kind of design you typically only find in a proper luxury boutique hotel. The lodge’s disparate spaces can thank designer Nina Freudenberger of Haus Interior for their cohesive aesthetic, which is part whitewashed farmhouse, part ultra-casual surf shack, and full of effortless bohemian-rustic detailing and classic Californian design history.
Cambria Beach Lodge
Cambria, CA, USA
The proprietors here argue that Cambria Beach Lodge occupies a part of the last piece of unspoiled, undiscovered beach town along the central California coast — and they’re trying to keep it that way. This is a part of the country that deserves to be explored, enjoyed, and protected. And this Highway 1 roadside hotel allows a traveler to do just that. (See also in Cambria: White Water)
Post Ranch Inn
Big Sur, CA, USA
Modernist architect Mickey Muennig settled in Big Sur in 1971, and has been responsible for most of its notable buildings ever since. Post Ranch Inn is his only hotel design, and indeed it’s hard to imagine it translating into some kind of movable hotel template, comprising as it does a number of discreet house designs, each uniquely suited to its location, whether camouflaged amongst the redwoods or blended into the seaside hills.
Sanctuary Beach Resort
Marina, CA, USA
Its address in Marina, California might not immediately ring a bell, but the Sanctuary Beach Resort stands on the shores of Monterey Bay, just a few minutes’ drive up the coast from Carmel and Monterey proper. Still, it feels secluded, even remote, its low-slung buildings surrounded by dunes and scrubland. The rooms, suites, and villas are luxurious and handsome; gas fireplaces keep things cozy on those misty coastal nights.
Villa Mara Carmel
Carmel, CA, USA
Lucky for visitors, Carmel-By-The-Sea hasn’t lost its boho-beachy beating heart, thanks in large part to eclectic boutiques the likes of Villa Mara Carmel. It’s an easy shout from both the beach and downtown, but sequestered enough to guarantee true peace for its 16 adults-only guestrooms. The decor skews upscale residential with plenty of handsome wooden furnishings and polished stone to go around.
Le Petit Pali at Ocean Ave
Carmel, CA, USA
One of two Le Petit Pali hotels in Carmel-by-the-Sea (the other is Le Petit Pali at 8th Ave), Le Petit Pali at Ocean Avenue takes the trademark nostalgia-tinged Palihotels style to another level. Even the bigger Pali properties feel charmingly home-like, but these B&B–inspired inns are even more so; this one, at 34 rooms, is pleasantly intimate, and a fine match for the relatively tranquil atmosphere of this classic California coastal town.
La Bahia Hotel & Spa
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
This substantial Spanish Mediterranean structure is set right on the self-explanatory Beach Street, and occupies a sprawling 1926 apartment complex complete with a landmark bell tower. Today, a century later, La Bahia Hotel & Spa is by a considerable distance the most luxurious hotel in town, and a popular gathering place, as these things ought to be, for Santa Cruz locals as well.
Mark Fedeli is the hotel marketing and editorial director for Tablet and Michelin Guide. He’s been with Tablet since 2006, and he thinks you should subscribe to our newsletter.