A little over two weeks ago, I had checked into Seal Cove Inn for a few night's stay; a truly special place that hasn't left my thoughts since. I was apprehensive to leave a review here, knowing very well that I may leave quite an impact for prospective people looking for a place to lay their head for the night. I wanted to keep it a bit of a secret. But, I guess I'll share.
This is a very mature hotel. It's not the Ritz-Carlton by any means, but it can be seen as better in several ways.
Situated in a breathtaking cypress tree reserve, off the beaten-path of Highway 1; sits this modest and beautiful hotel. Oh, how wish there was a photo album I could've sat and read through the history of the place in the common room.
My wife and I were far younger than the staff, and the people staying there. So we tried our absolute best as we could to keep our noise levels to a bare minimum, as we are night owls. We even went to the extremely convenient 24-hour Safeway down the street at 2am to grab a quick bite to eat.
They have a nice sized continental breakfast, although I do wish it was just the classic American scrambled eggs and sausage. It was a croissant, muffin of the day, a bowl of fruits, and a egg souffle. There were other choices, you had 6 items to chose from, with a choice of 3 of the 6. Thinking back, I wonder if you could've doubled up on things, the eggs were good. They also have a very fancy coffee machine which introduced me to Ristretto (Espresso ain't got anything on that stuff, delicious!), hot cocoa (I am guilty of using 2 packs per cup), and a small refrigerator in the common area. That small refrigerator was always oddly restocked, quickly, magically. Like I said, we are night owls, and somehow the fridge was restocked with soda after grabbing one before heading to Safeway, noticing this after grabbing another once we got back. You'll understand if you stay here... They only kept 3 cans of each soda...
That reminds me of the room amenities. You're given a small refrigerator* and a Keurig with a few selections of coffee. The hand soap, body wash, shampoo and conditioner are all the same scent. Slightly overbearing on the Lavender & Eucalyptus. Ironically, my wife uses Lavender & Eucalyptus Bath & Body Works body wash; however their version was quite a bit more concentrated. Just a thought, to bring your own stuff if that scent is not to your liking. I've stayed in a lot of hotels, but I have never seen a hotel with towel warmers for the guest to use, make sure you turn it on 15-20 minutes in advance if you want it to work well.
The * on that refrigerator, is my only gripe with the room. It kicks on once an hour for a few seconds and is kind of loud, but maybe that was just our room in particular. It was a slight inconvenience, as it interrupted the serene sound of distant waves crashing and frogs going off in the nearby pond.
The room we stayed in had a romantic fireplace that warmed the area really nicely. Paring it with the atmosphere and the coastal sea breeze... It was divine.
This place had me feeling like I was visiting my grandparents for the weekend. It was less business like, and more... Home-felt? Is that even a good way to word it? It's a warm and cozy getaway that just feels like you're visiting a home away from home. You had this slight pressure to be as quiet as possible for the others. But that's not a bad thing, as I mentioned earlier; it's a very mature spot to stay. Respect it, please.
As for the scenery? I'll leave that to the photos to do the talking, but I shall not show more than 1 of the beautiful reserve. All I can say is that... I'll be making my way back to Half Moon Bay this following week, as I have decided to move to the area. It's just that beautiful. If the band Keane wanted to visit the South Bay, I couldn't recommend a better place, for them to stay; Somewhere Only We know. If you watch that music video, it was literally a tune I couldn't stop humming as I walked the reserve. It's literally just like that, and more.
Lastly, for those of you Tesla owners out there. This is one of the very few hotels in HMB with a charging port. However, there is only a single Wall Connector. You can easily make it to and from San Mateo, using about 7% of charge to get to the closest SC, and that's speeding like a madman if you have the chance to, on Highway 92. Inquire with the hotel if there's another Tesla owner currently staying. They have mentioned that they've had up to 3 staying simultaneously. However, if you're like me... I'm not used to playing musical cars, nor am I actively awake at normal hours, if it can be helped. I was lucky to be the only guest with a Tesla, and had it all to myself. It works like a charm, zero issues. Although, the bush could be trimmed just a smidge back. For those you who live in Southern California, I was able to leave Seal Cove Inn with 100% charge and get to the SC in Coalinga (Harris Ranch) going 85mph, arriving with 16%. read more