Central Coast Cayucos: A California Beach Town at Its Best

Cradled between Morro Bay and Hearst Castle among the rolling California hillside ranchlands just off Highway One, Cayucos is the perfect destination for anyone who wants to experience the Californian Central Coast. Halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, this small-town Pacific community is famous for its long white beaches, beautiful pier, abundant wildlife and friendly, laid-back California lifestyle. It's also the ideal location for anyone wishing to escape such massive metropolitan areas, or the murderous heat of the Central San Joaquin Valley.

Cayucos sits upon Estero Bay and offers its visitors a climate that is mildly cool and friendly most of the year round. Some of its residents proudly refer to Cayucos as The Last of the California Beach Towns and a thriving tourist industry gladly provides those interested with loads of information about its local history, lodging and dining possibilities. The name Cayucos comes from the Spanish word cayuco which means a fishing canoe, a Spanish rendering of the Eskimo word kayak which in turn was in use by the Aleuts who were employed to hunt sea otter along the California coast in the mid-1800s. Founded in 1875, Cayucos also saw the construction of a 953-foot-long pier that same year. It was at this pier that ships of the famous Pacific Steamship Company made regular stops. The current pier is not the original, by the way, but one that was built on the original location.

And it is this very pier that has since become the town's defining landmark. It is located near the north end of Estero Bay, and the shoreline cuts due west to its right. Wildly popular with the local fishermen, they love to fish here near the surf were it's easy to catch large surfperch, halibut, the smaller boccacio and walleye. For those of you less interested in fishing though, have a look at the wildlife instead. With a little patience, you'll soon have what could be your fist bird's eye view of the famous California sea otter. This beautiful creature managed to struggle back from near-extinction in the last century and, though still in danger, it's relatively easy to find one swimming here in the kelp beds near the shore. Dolphins are sighted here regularly, as are the many seals and, gulp, sharks. Pelicans are also in great abundance and many of them are so used to contact with humans that you can actually pet them as you walk along the pier to enjoy the view.

And once you take a good look around you, you'll quickly realize that the Cayucos landscape is truly breathtaking. There is a small creek just to the north of the pier and the shoreline on both sides is fairly rocky, mixed with California palm trees and beautiful white sand. The majestic Morro Bay Rock is just to the south. Cayucos Beach itself is clean and breezy and ideal for sunbathers and surfers. There's a play area there for children that lends itself to family outings and picnics - the picnic tables and barbecues are easily accessible and there is always plenty of parking on nearby Ocean Boulevard, the town's main drag.

It is also here on Ocean Boulevard that you will find a wide variety of shops, restaurants and motels (there are well over 100 hotels and motels in the immediate vicinity). Cayucos' main street has a number of historic buildings to enjoy, most having that old-West flair one is otherwise familiar with from the Gold Country up north. And with interesting sights like Hearst Castle, Piedras Blancas and Morro Rock just up (or down) the road, there's much more to enjoy once you've had your first look here.

Cayucos is a beautiful and friendly place to stay, never overrun and the perfect destination for enjoying California's Central Coast.