Lodging north of SF - Point Reyes / Bodega Bay

[PlutoPony]

Anyone have lodging recommendations for this area? Preference would be ocean view with TV and a pool (have a teenager with us) which eliminates a majority of the places I've found. Right now Bodega Bay Lodge looks good but is more than I was hoping to spend.....

TIA!

 

[HeatherRaye]

If you want to stay on the coast it is going to be pretty pricey. If you go in a little, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Occidental etc then it will be cheaper. You also might not find a pool at too many places on the coast since the Northern CA coast tends to be cold, windy and foggy, swimming pools aren't too popular!

I don't really have much of a suggestion since I live here I don't stay in hotels!

 

[LavenderPeach]

DH and I have stayed at the Fort Ross lodge before but that was 13 years ago so I don't know what it's like now but we liked it. We had a view of the ocean, through some trees. I don't think there was a pool. Like PP said, it tends to be cool and foggy up there on the coast. I'm oringinally from Santa Rosa so I might be partial but it is a great city and there are several really nice state and county parks that are fun to explore with lots of hiking. But since I lived there I don't really know much about the hotels either. Have a great trip!

 

[PlutoPony]

Thank you both for the info.

With the fog, would you say afternoon then is the best time to plan things like kayaking, Pt. Reyes lighthouse, etc? Are morning and evening the worst time for visibility, or does it pretty limited all day by the end of July?

We're finding that a vast majority of the small inns/B & B's are geared towards couples, so getting a room with 2 beds is really limiting our options. Right now I think we're going to be forced into splurging on a nicer place in Bodega Bay.

Looks like the Sonoma County Fair is one while we're there - think it's worth checking out some evening?

 

[LavenderPeach]

Thank you both for the info.

With the fog, would you say afternoon then is the best time to plan things like kayaking, Pt. Reyes lighthouse, etc? Are morning and evening the worst time for visibility, or does it pretty limited all day by the end of July?

We're finding that a vast majority of the small inns/B & B's are geared towards couples, so getting a room with 2 beds is really limiting our options. Right now I think we're going to be forced into splurging on a nicer place in Bodega Bay.

Looks like the Sonoma County Fair is one while we're there - think it's worth checking out some evening?

I'm not sure about the fog visibility. I've been to Pt Reyes, years ago when I was in elementary school. It wasn't foggy. I think it must have been in the afternoon but I have no idea what time of year it was. I'm thinking fog would be less in July than at other times of the year but I've been down here in SoCal for 13 years and when we've gone to visit we usually stay in Santa Rosa and don't make it to the coast. I would think afternoon would be good for visibility but it depends on the day.

Bodega Bay should be a nice place to stay. If you're a Hitchcock fan be sure to drive by the school house they used in the movie The Birds.

I really liked the fair when we went but I also used to enter things every year so that made it exciting to see if I won anything. They always have a really nice flower display. It's a whole building filled with landscaping. Different gardeners and nurseries do displays for whatever the theme is and there's usually an eleborate waterfall on one side of the building. It's pretty nice.