Half Moon Bay, California is a Great Travel Destination for a Romantic Getaway

The next time you are considering a family getaway or just a romantic couples getaway, make it a coastal vacation to Half Moon Bay, CA. Where you can stay in luxurious ocean view rooms or camp right on the beach to wake to one of California's amazing sunrises. Here you can go wine tasting, horse back riding, visit the historical redwoods, surf, hang out at the tide pool, go antiquing, sport fishing or just take a stroll on the beach with your loved one through this historic coastal California town.

When you travel to Half Moon Bay you will be in the perfect location in just 30 minutes in any direction. You can experience the best that California has to offer such as, Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa and Monterey Bay. Also just 30 minutes from Half Moon Bay off of Hwy 1 you can visit the hip and flashy San Francisco. If you happen to be flying into SFO this is great, because you will only be a short ride to paradise and along that ride up Hwy 1, you will experience the most amazing ocean views ever.

Half Moon Bay rests on the Pacific coast in between the beautiful coastline and the rolling hills. It is located 30 minutes South of San Francisco on Hwy 1, or you can take the scenic mountain route on Hwy 9 through the Santa Cruz Mountains.

This historic town is home to several shops, restaurants, art galleries, hotels and some quaint bed & breakfasts. All of the local beaches and parks are open to the public and are accessible by pedestrians, bicyclists and equestrians. Absolutely NO dogs are allowed on the beaches. However, dogs are permitted in the campground area, which is located on Francis Beach, this is the only place you can bring a dog to. This campground has 52 sites for both RV and tent camping. Note, Half Moon Bay's campgrounds are now on a reservation system. You must reserve a campsite by calling Reserve America 1-800-444-PARK (7275) or at their website www.reserveamerica.com. Always remember when camping in California there are NO campfires of any kind allowed, due to extremely high fire conditions.

There is always a big luxurious hotel to stay at like the Hyatt, but I feel that 250.00 per night for a basic room are totally outrageous. Some of the suites at this hotel can run up to 5,000.00 per night. Along with the big hotels you can find a quaint Bed & Breakfast to accommodate you at a much better rate than some of the bigger hotels, but they still will coast you a pretty penny. I personally stayed at one of theses Bed & Breakfasts in Half Moon Bay called The Princes Port Bed & Breakfast located at 445 Mirada Rd. Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 (510) 220-0964 or (888) 775-7666. This particular Bed & breakfast is small but country quaint 4 bedroom Bed & Breakfasts that will cater to your every need at a reasonable 150.00 to 225.00 per night, with food included in that price.

The dinning here in Half Moon Bay is the most exquisitely mouth watering seafood you will ever have, I guarantee it! The seafood is always fresh daily and available year round. You can also find a farmers market at the Agriculture & Flori-culture Center where local growers sell their fresh fruits and vegetables.

The temperatures here are mostly mild to moderate with fog in the summer mornings and evenings leaving the summer days bright and full of sunshine and temperatures into the high 80's. Spring and fall are clear and crisp with the temperatures between 50 to 70 degrees and winter is full of cold, wet and windy weather with temperatures as low as 40 degrees, the high in the winter is about 50. Be sure if you are traveling to Half Moon Bay to bring a nice heavy sweeter no matter what season you come in because the nights here can get quite brisk, especially right on the beach.

Ocean Safety
Remember to always use caution when you are in or around the ocean here. The Pacific ocean is very, very cold water year round and even a short swim can cause cramps and hypothermia in just a couple of minutes. Beware of the extremely strong currents here; they are so strong that they can pull even the most experienced swimmers off shore and into the dangerous rip tides or even worse on the reefs. So be aware, be alert and never swim alone.

So pack your bags, purchase a plain ticket and come experience a little bit of what I call heaven at Half Moon Bay, California.

References for this article came from my own personal experience from living in California for 24 years and from www.tripadvisor.com and www.wunderground.com