Discovering Cambria, California: A Mini Road Trip Itinerary

Cambria, a quaint town on California’s Central Coast, offers a laid-back break on this stunning coastline. This seaside village boasts stunning natural beauty, a beautiful town with unique shops and places to eat, and a relaxed atmosphere. 

Our Spring Break mini road trip took us to Cambria, I hope you enjoy our itinerary. Whilst the weather wasn’t on our side, we enjoyed our few days exploring a new area and making a list of more adventures to have close by.

Cambria Village – A Treasure Trove of Local Finds

We arrived late afternoon on a Tuesday and drove through Cambria Village. This small town has two main areas—East Village and West Village—and we stopped in the West Village to grab a coffee before heading to our hotel. 

The Cambria Roasting Company had a good selection of speciality coffees. Right next door is the tourist information centre (and the more you read this blog, the more you will know how I love a TIC), where we spent a good 15 minutes chatting to the lady and getting ideas on what to do for our few days. We could have filled a week with all of her ideas! 

Then we wandered along the street and soon discovered that many of the shops remain closed on Tuesdays! So we ducked in a few and decided to pop back another day. 

Oceanpoint Ranch on Moonstone Beach – Coastal Bliss

So we headed to Oceanpoint Ranch, a good choice on Moonstone Beach. This location is great, you can walk to a small beach along a pathway through the grounds and across the road are some trails and great viewpoints along the coast. Moonstone Beach has black sand and rocky outcrops and is known for its smooth, colourful moonstones that wash ashore. 

We spent some time getting acquainted with the hotel. There is a pool and games, including corn hole, lasso, and shuffleboard. Gas fire pits with Adrionak chairs add to the laid-back atmosphere.

We then took a stroll along the boardwalk, taking in the views and the sound of the crashing waves and ate at Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill. We were there on a fairly chilly April evening, arrived early and had to wait for a table. This place is popular, but they have a seamless system to manage the queue. And wow, its worth the wait! We sat with a view of the ocean and ate locally caught seafood, drank good wine and amazing desserts. We needed the walk back to the hotel! But alas, the Pacific weather was not going to give us a Pacific sunset. 

Hearst Castle – A Glimpse into Opulence

The following morning, we took a short drive and a trop back in time at Hearst Castle. We booked our tour in advance, then parked up and took the bus up the winding road. 

Once home to William Randolph Hearst, this place it extravagant. It resembles an Italian village and church and it full of European artworks, manicured gardens and opulently decorated rooms. And two of the most amazing pools I have even seen. Both the indoor and outdoor pools resemble Roman Baths, outdoors there are panoramic views of the surrounding landscape are simply magnificent. And the indoor pool is gold gilded and has incredible acoustics.

Elephant Seals at San Simeon – A Natural Spectacle

Next stop and a short drive along the Pacific Coast Highway took us to San Simeon, home to the incredible elephant seals. The beach is full of them. It is the younger ones at this time of year, so it is a noisy (and sometimes smelly) spectacle. We watch them bask in the sun, fight with each other and roll around in the waves. This coastline has such incredible marine life! 

Ragged Point – Breathtaking Coastal Views

The Pacific Coast Highway is currently closed not far from here, so we continued almost as far as we could: Ragged Point, home to the Big Sur Viewpoint and a lovely stop with a cafe, motel, and gas station. 

The road winds up high onto the cliffs to get here; it's a slow but scenic drive (more scenic for passengers, the driver's eyes should be glued to the road!). Stopping at Ragged Point allowed us to all enjoy the beauty and have a pit stop. It was windy on this day, so we took some photos and hopped back in the Jeep for the journey back to Oceanpoint Ranch.

Cambria village and dinner at Linn's

As we missed out on open shops just a few days before we headed back to Cambria to enjoy the art shops and local souvenirs. This quaint town has so much to offer and is full of beautiful artists. 

One of the more famous spots in Cambria is Linn’s Pie shop. A local institution, it is is known for its delicious food and olallieberry pie, (no I don’t know how to say it either). We had another great meal of local pie sitting under a range of old bicycles. This place had a great atmosphere, again get there early it filled up shortly after opening. 

We spent our final night at Oceanpoint Ranch around the campfire making s’mores! We’ve fully embraced the American culture. 

Morro Bay…again

On our final day, we headed home and as we had visitors from the UK we wanted to show them Morro Bay. We love this place and enjoy the laid back atmosphere, the almost guaranteed spot of otters and the Fish and Chips - us Brit’s can’t go without this on a seaside trip! 

Whether you're seeking relaxation, adventure, or a bit of both, Cambria is a great place to visit. There are lots of hotels and a few campsite so no matter how you like to travel there is something for everyone. I’d highly recommend adding Cambria and San Simeon to list of places to visit on the Central Coast, there was so much more to do, I know we will return.