Beach House at Half Moon Bay
Cape Cod-style oceanfront — 54 suites with fireplaces, family-owned.
The Beach House at Half Moon Bay is a 54-suite Cape-Cod-style oceanfront in Princeton-by-the-Sea, the small fishing-port community at the north end of Half Moon Bay. It's a family-owned property — clapboard exteriors, white-trimmed windows, restrained-coastal interiors, every room a one-bedroom suite with a fireplace and ocean view. The format is unusual for the California coast: every unit is a suite, and the property's small enough that the operation runs personal.
The Half Moon Bay area sits forty-five minutes south of San Francisco, on a stretch of cliffside coast where the Pacific cools the air year-round. Princeton-by-the-Sea is the north end — Pillar Point Harbor, Mavericks Beach, the working pier — and quieter than the Half Moon Bay village proper.
The setting
On Pillar Point at the north end of Half Moon Bay, with the harbor immediately north and Mavericks (the legendary big-wave surf break) accessible from the bluffs. The walk along the bluff path runs both directions — south toward Half Moon Bay's village (about two miles), north past the harbor and the breakwater. Drive forty-five minutes north for San Francisco; thirty minutes south for the redwoods at Big Basin and Pescadero.
The drive in from SFO is forty minutes south on Highway 1.
The building
A two-story clapboard structure designed in Cape Cod-revival vocabulary — gabled roofs, clapboard siding, white-trimmed windows, a low-slung profile that defers to the bluff. The interior is refined-Americana coastal: light interiors, blue-and-white palette, oversize windows toward the Pacific. Public spaces include a small lobby, a sitting room, and the bluff-top pool deck.
The architecture is restrained and ages well.
The rooms
Fifty-four one-bedroom suites — every room has a separate sitting area, a gas fireplace, an ocean-view balcony or patio, and a king bed. Categories climb from Standard (around $425) up through Premier suites with the better light and slightly larger floor plans. Beds are kings, linens are heavy, bathrooms are full. The fireplace and the ocean view come standard, which is unusual at this price point.
Food & drink
There's no on-site restaurant. A continental breakfast is delivered to each suite in the morning. For dinner, Princeton-by-the-Sea's seafood spots are a few minutes' walk — Sam's Chowder House (regional favorite), Barbara's Fishtrap on the harbor, Mezza Luna for Italian. Drive into Half Moon Bay's village for restaurants like Pasta Moon and Sushi Main Street.
On the property
A small oceanfront family-owned operation.
- Heated outdoor pool with ocean view
- Hot tub
- Continental breakfast delivered to each suite
- Bluff-top walking access
- Bicycles for guest use
- Open year-round
Who it's for
- Couples on a Half Moon Bay weekend — the suite-with-fireplace-and-ocean-view format is tuned for it
- Travelers who'd rather have a small oceanfront property than a downtown hotel
- Repeat Bay Area visitors who've cycled through the Ritz-Carlton and the smaller Half Moon Bay inns
- Long-weekend travelers from San Francisco
Who it's not for
- Travelers who want a full hotel restaurant and bar
- Anyone seeking a contemporary boutique aesthetic
- Light packers — the trade-off for the in-suite continental is fewer hotel-restaurant options
Nearby
Walk to Pillar Point Harbor for boats, restaurants, and the Saturday farmers market in season. Mavericks (the big-wave surf break) is a fifteen-minute walk along the bluff. Drive ten minutes south to Half Moon Bay's village for the State Beach (Francis, Venice, Dunes) and the historic Main Street. Drive thirty minutes south for Pescadero — the artichoke fields, Duarte's Tavern (the Pescadero institution), and the long sand beach at Pescadero State Beach. Drive longer for Año Nuevo State Park (elephant seal rookery) and Big Basin Redwoods.
