Cambria Shores Inn
6276 Moonstone Beach Dr
Cambria, CA
A Moonstone Beach motor court where the fireplace, the wine bar, and the boardwalk are all within 200 feet of your door.
About Cambria Shores Inn
Cambria Shores Inn has held its corner of Moonstone Beach Drive since the motor court era, perched on a grassy knoll above the Pacific and sheltered by cypress trees and native succulents. The inn faces directly across from the Moonstone Beach boardwalk, a 1.4-mile coastal path along the Central Coast bluffs. Most rooms include in-room fireplaces and kitchenettes, upgraded bedding, and a quiet that makes afternoon naps involuntary. Guests receive a morning breakfast basket at the door and a glass of wine at check-in. Madeline's on Moonstone, the wine bar attached to the property, offers the ideal vantage point for Central Coast sunset viewing. Dogs receive their own welcome kit on arrival.
What Cambria Shores Inn Is Known For
Cambria Shores is among the last motor courts in California to maintain direct visual access to the Pacific while offering in-room fireplaces, morning breakfast delivery, and a wine bar on the property grounds. The combination is genuinely hard to find and consistently hard to leave.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- Breakfast Included
- In-room fireplaces
- Kitchenettes
- Morning breakfast basket delivery
- Wine at check-in
- Madeline's wine bar on property
- Dog welcome kit
What Guests Love
- Most rooms include fireplaces and kitchenettes, making multi-night stays practical in a town with limited mid-range dining options.
- Morning breakfast delivery to the door is a thoughtful alternative to a communal breakfast room.
- Madeline's on Moonstone, the attached wine bar, offers the best sunset view on Moonstone Beach Drive without leaving the property.
- Dogs receive their own welcome kit: food and water bowls, beach towel, treats, and a dog sheet for the beds.
Worth Knowing
- Ocean-view rooms fill first and are worth requesting when booking.
- Cambria's restaurants are small and popular; dinner reservations in peak season should be made before arrival.
- The Moonstone Beach boardwalk starts directly across the street and requires no driving.
- A pet fee applies per dog per night. Contact the property to confirm current amounts and any restrictions.
The Room
Rooms at Cambria Shores face either the ocean or the garden, and most include wood-burning or gas fireplaces, kitchenettes with microwave and refrigerator, upgraded bedding, and updated bathrooms. The layout is classic motor court: exterior doors opening to the property grounds, parking directly in front of most units. Ocean-view rooms command the better light and are worth requesting at the time of booking.
The Grounds
The inn sits on a grassy knoll above Moonstone Beach Drive, surrounded by cypress trees and low coastal succulents. Adirondack chairs face the ocean view from the front lawn, and Madeline's on Moonstone, the attached wine bar, extends the property's sense of place into the evening. The Moonstone Beach boardwalk starts directly across the street, making it possible to walk to the tidepools and back without starting the car.
The Experience
A stay at Cambria Shores tends to organize itself around the fireplace and the boardwalk. Morning begins with a breakfast basket delivered to the door: local sweet bread, fruit, string cheese, and fresh juice. Afternoons on the boardwalk mean sea otters, migrating gray whales in season, and coastal air that makes the town feel genuinely removed. Evenings migrate to Madeline's for a Central Coast wine pour with a Pacific horizon view. Guests regularly extend stays by a night after realizing how little else needs doing.
Details
Cambria, CA 93428
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cambria Shores Inn pet friendly?
Yes. Cambria Shores Inn welcomes pets. Contact the property to confirm current pet fees and any restrictions before you book.
Does Cambria Shores Inn have EV charging?
No, Cambria Shores Inn does not have on-site EV charging. The Road Trip Planner map shows public chargers near the property.
What is there to do near Cambria Shores Inn?
Moonstone Beach Boardwalk: 0.1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Fiscalini Ranch Preserve: 0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Hearst Castle: 9 miles, about a 20 minute drive.
How far is Cambria Shores Inn from Moonstone Beach Boardwalk?
Moonstone Beach Boardwalk is about 0.1 miles from Cambria Shores Inn, close enough to walk (roughly a 5 minute drive).
How far is Cambria Shores Inn from Fiscalini Ranch Preserve?
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve is about 0.5 miles from Cambria Shores Inn, close enough to walk (roughly a 5 minute drive).
How far is Cambria Shores Inn from Hearst Castle?
Hearst Castle is about 9 miles from Cambria Shores Inn, roughly a 20 minute drive.
Does Cambria Shores Inn allow dogs?
Yes. Cambria Shores Inn is dog-friendly. Dogs are welcome, and each dog receives a welcome kit including food and water bowls, treats, a beach towel, and a dog sheet for the beds. A fee applies per dog per night. Contact the property to confirm current amounts and restrictions.
Does Cambria Shores Inn have ocean views?
Many rooms at Cambria Shores Inn have ocean or partial ocean views. The inn sits directly across from Moonstone Beach boardwalk on an elevated grassy knoll. Contact the property when booking to request an ocean-view room.
Is breakfast included at Cambria Shores Inn?
Yes. Cambria Shores Inn delivers a morning breakfast basket to the room door each day, including local sweet bread, fruit, string cheese, and juice.
Does Cambria Shores Inn have a wine bar?
Madeline's on Moonstone, an attached wine bar, is on the property grounds and offers Central Coast wines and sunset views over the Pacific.
How far is Cambria Shores Inn from Hearst Castle?
Hearst Castle is approximately 9 miles north of Cambria Shores Inn. Tours run daily and can be booked in advance through the California State Parks website.
Is free parking available at Cambria Shores Inn?
Yes. Complimentary parking is available on the property.
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Things to Do Near Central Coast
Moonstone Beach Boardwalk
0.1 miles away
A mostly level, mile-long clifftop boardwalk along Cambria's shore, over marine-sanctuary tide pools and driftwood coves, with beachcombing for the smooth moonstones that name the beach.
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve
1.4 miles away
A 430-acre coastal preserve at Cambria that the town saved from development in 2000, with a mile of ocean bluff trail and one of the last native Monterey pine forests on earth.
Hearst Castle
8.3 miles away
Hearst Castle is one of the most unusual buildings in the United States - a 165-room hilltop estate built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and architect Julia Morgan beginning in 1919, never completed, and no...
Elephant Seal Vista Point
10 miles away
The Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery on Highway 1 north of San Simeon is one of the largest accessible elephant seal haul-out sites in the world.
Cayucos Pier
15 miles away
The Cayucos Pier was built in 1872 by Captain James Cass, who founded the town as a shipping and cattle-loading port for the surrounding ranch country.
Estero Bluffs State Park
15 miles away
Estero Bluffs State Park covers the coastal terrace between Cayucos and Morro Bay along a stretch of Highway 1 that has remained largely undeveloped.
Salmon Creek Falls
16 miles away
Salmon Creek Falls is a double waterfall reaching about 120 feet, located just north of the main Big Sur visitor concentration near Ragged Point, about 60 miles south of Carmel.
Ragged Point
18 miles away
Ragged Point marks the spot where the gentle coast around San Simeon gives way to the steep, dramatic Big Sur shoreline heading north.
Morro Rock
20 miles away
Morro Rock is a 576-foot volcanic plug rising straight out of the Pacific at the mouth of Morro Bay, about 40 minutes west of Paso Robles by way of Highway 46 and Highway 1.
Pinnacles National Park
64 miles away
Volcanic spires and talus caves, one of the best places to watch California condors soar.