Kris is very familiar with the California central coast region and knows me personally, so after mentioning that we were looking to stop somewhere relaxing halfway up to Carmel, she immediately suggested that we spend our first night of our vacation at the Cliffs Resort in Pismo Beach.
This quintessential California beach town is located halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, next to the Pacific Coast Highway and the 101.
The drive up to Pismo Beach is very scenic and relaxing once you leave Los Angeles. But on a Friday it can take an hour or two longer than usual. Because we left later than planned, we arrived a bit later than expected, tired and hungry with just had enough time to grab dinner at The Cliffs Resort.
The Cliffs Resort is a dog-friendly full-service property that's located on the Pismo Beach Bluffs.
The boutique-style hotel prides itself with treating all guests like locals, as witnessed by the many travelers my hubby and I spoke to in the short time we were there.
Our room was large, airy and bright; decorated with modern furnishings, including an in-suite wall fireplace, large flat-screen TV, and accented with large plantation doors that opened to a view of the pool area and a short walk to the on-site restaurant.
But besides the location of the room that made it a perfect first night away, it was the sumptuous accommodations and superior attention to our needs as a traveling dog family that took our breath away and made our Pismo Beach stay much more enjoyable.
The first morning in Pismo Beach we woke-up to the sounds of the seagulls singing outside our patio and Maya trying to jump on our bed excited to walk on the beach. Truth be told, we couldn't wait to walk the hotel property either!
The bluffs in Pismo Beach are absolutely beautiful, although mostly covered by the dense fog in the morning until the sun burns it off.
While we did walk around the property in the morning before we headed north, the scenery was more breathtaking once we walked down to the beach and strolled on the soft rocky beach.
By mid-day, hubby was hungry and so was I. So we decided to head to Carmel and have lunch in Morro Bay, which was only a few minutes north of Pismo Beach.
Morro Bay happens to be one of my favorite towns in the Central Coast because it's unspoiled from the downfalls of tourism. But for a budding photographer, like myself, traveling to Morro Bay goes beyond the small town charm.
It's the sunsets, velvet-like blue water, and the seals and sea lions that seem to live among the humans quite nicely, that make Morro Bay a picture-perfect stop for any travels through the Central Coast.
During our open-air lunch on the Morro Bay pier, we had a lunch buddy that showered underneath the pier with the water being used to clean the fish and other seafood being sold to loca restaurants.
The sea lion had a name...I can't recall. But the fishermen told me that she came by daily to play in their water.
Whether true or not, the story reminded us that we were traveling simply to play.
And play we did...
Ana Lydia
