Beaches
Gray Whale Cove (also known as Devil’s Slide) features a sheltered cove surrounded by cliffs that drop abruptly into the Pacific Ocean. A steep trail leads down to the beach. There is a small picnic area on the bluff above. Gray whales can often be seen close to the shore. It’s about an eight-minute drive from The Oceano.
Mavericks Beach at Pillar Point near Half Moon Bay, CA is the site of the annual big wave surfing competition called Maverick’s (see Surfing below). The big wave surf area is located a quarter-mile offshore from the bluff top viewing areas outside the Air Force military installation on Pillar Point. A huge white ball marks this spot on the bluff from miles away. The conditions under the water at Mavericks create a unique big break when large winter swells roll in. The competition is held when and if conditions occur between November and March—maybe it’ll be the weekend of our wedding (hopefully on Saturday)! It’s about five minutes from The Oceano by car.
The Half Moon Bay State Beach stretches for four miles along the coast just south of The Oceano (about a ten-minute drive). It’s a picturesque, quintessentially Californian beach perfect for fishing and picnicking, and you will definitely see horseback riders all along the way (see Horseback Riding below). The Half Moon Bay State Beach Visitor Center is open Saturdays and Sundays, and admission is free.
Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is a rocky marine reserve in California located just north of Pillar Point Harbor and Mavericks in Moss Beach, a seven-minute drive from The Oceano. It hosts a living community of marine life from seaweed, sponges, and seastars to crabs, mollusks, and fish. It’s a beautiful but fragile complex full of educational value.
Boat Tours
There are several charter and tour operators in the area, but the one we’ve heard the best things about is the Oceanic Society‘s Half Moon Bay gray whale watching tours. (Make sure to specify Half Moon Bay departure, not San Francisco.) Their pier is a three-minute walk from The Oceano. And the best part is, our wedding happens to fall right in the middle of peak whale-watching season, during the annual migration of thousands of gray whales from the Arctic down to Mexico. Trips run on Saturdays and Sundays, but Saturday is probably a better option—remember, the wedding starts at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, and trips can be three to four hours long!
Golfing
We know there are at least a few of you who may want to golf while you’re in town (lookin’ at you, Plum), so we put together a list of the best golf clubs (according to the Interweb) within reasonable driving distance of the wedding hotel:
Half Moon Bay Golf Links consists of two courses about 15 minutes from The Oceano. Situated on either side of the Ritz-Carleton Hotel, Half Moon Bay Golf Links radiates stately ambiance in a Georgian revival estate and 36 holes of oceanfront golf.
The Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links, opened in 1973, is an American classic designed by Arnold Palmer and Francis Duane. A lush parkland links design features distinguishing edges and corridor views of the Pacific. The Old Course finishes at one of the highest ranked holes in the world—the 405-yard par four 18th hole that culminates on a bluff with dazzling coastal vistas. At 7,001 yards, this parkland-style Bay Area golf course has hosted numerous U.S. Open Qualifiers.
The Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links boasts some of the best final four finishing holes in golf. Opened in 1997, it was designed in San Francisco’s traditional “links style” design to deliver firm and fast” fairways. The wispy native grasses accenting the tees and the plaintive wail of the bagpipers who play at weekend sundown at the Ritz-Carleton transport players and guests alike back to the game’s origins in Scotland. In 2008, the course was voted one of the best courses in California and hosted the LPGA Samsung Golf Championship.
Crystal Spring Golf Course is an 18-hole course in Burlingame featuring 6,515 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. The course opened in 1924. The course rating is 71.7 and it has a slope rating of 124 on Rye grass. It is about a half hour’s drive from The Oceano.
Stanford University Golf Course is an 18-hole course adjacent to the university campus featuring 6,778 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. The course opened in 1930. The course rating is 73.4 and it has a slope rating of 136 on Rye grass. It is about 40-45 minutes from The Oceano.
The Olympic Club is an 18-hole “Lake” course in Daly City featuring 6,842 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. The course opened in 1924. The course rating is 74.4 and it has a slope rating of 140 on Rye grass. It’s about 25 minutes from The Oceano.
Lake Merced Golf Club is an 18-hole course also in Daly City featuring 6,863 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. The course opened in 1922. The course rating is 74.4 and it has a slope rating of 138 on Bent grass. It’s also about 25 minutes from The Oceano.
San Francisco Golf Club is an 18-hole course in the city featuring 6,716 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. The course opened in 1915. The course rating is 73.0 and it has a slope rating of 134. It is about 30 minutes from The Oceano.
Hiking
There are so many places to hike in and around Half Moon Bay. People don’t always realize they don’t have to go to Muir Woods to experience the majestic beauty of the redwood forests. Below are just a few of the options close to The Oceano (between ten and thirty minutes):
Half Moon Bay Adventures offers guided hikes through the redwood forests of coastal Half Moon Bay that can be tailored to all fitness ability levels and all ages.
For those who want to hit the trails on their own, Coastside Trail is a great option—its paved 7.6-mile trail is easily walkable for those not inclined to, well, incline. The trail runs parallel to the Pacific coast, offering a stunning view of the ocean and easy access to the beach.
Mavericks Cliffs Trail and Pier is a 3.7-mile, moderately trafficked loop trail that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
Purisma Creek Redwoods Preserve offers a slightly more challenging hike, with its varying elevations (read: lots of uphill and downhill) and narrow and wide paths. Located on the western slopes of historic Kings Mountain in Woodside, overlooking Half Moon Bay, certain points on the trail offer stunning views of the Bay Area, and lots of redwoods provide hikers with shade. The trail is said to be well-marked with mile markers.
McNee Ranch Park also offers amazing Pacific views. It’s a three-hour hike that is more challenging, but the view at the top, especially when the weather is clear, is said to be worth every step.
Horseback Riding
Half Moon Bay and the surrounding areas have long been established as ranch country, and horseback riding is a favorite pastime of visitors and locals alike. Jeff and I went horseback riding on our first time here—ask him about a detour! Spend a few hours taking a scenic tour by horseback along the coast, or head out to the backcountry for a trail ride you won’t forget. We did ours through Sea Horse Ranch, which is about five minutes from The Oceano. It was a blast, but we’ve also heard good things about Moss Beach Ranch and Half Moon Bay Adventures.
Kayaking and Paddle-Boarding
Pillar Point Harbor, just a five-minute walk from The Oceano Hotel, is one of the country’s safest and most protected harbors. With an inner and outer breakwater to shield the harbor from wind and swell, the harbor is ideal for both sea kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding for people of all ability levels. Half Moon Bay Adventures and Half Moon Bay Kayak Company both offer classes, tours, and rentals.
Mountain Biking
Half Moon Bay Adventures and Half Moon Bay Kayak Company also both offer boke rentals and tours if seeing the area on two wheels is more your speed. McNee Ranch Park is supposed to be some of the best mountain biking around.
Museums & Shopping
“Downtown” Half Moon Bay is an adorable historic old town with quaint, unique shops, galleries, and museums. The main downtown stretch, aptly called Main Street, has only a few blocks of shops, but a whole lot of charm. It is definitely worth a trip into town, especially since it’s only about a twelve-minute drive from The Oceano. Many if not most of the buildings have a history. Shops like Oddyssea (the website doesn’t do it justice), Toque Blanche (a chef’s dream come true), and Half Moon Bay Feed & Fuel (used to be a blacksmith and harness shop!) are worth walking into for the kitsch factor alone, and LuzLuna Imports, Crow’s Nest, Suneenat Dressmaking, and Posh Moon are ripe for the find. Twice as Nice offers great discounted options and Maverick’s Surf Shop is on point for beach gear and style.
Surfing
Half Moon Bay—and specifically Mavericks, about two miles from shore off of Pillar Point Harbor, which is a five-minute walk from The Oceano—is known to be some of the best surfing in California, maybe even the world. Thousands of surfing aficionados and spectators gather in Half Moon Bay each year for the annual Mavericks Invitational Surf Contest to watch some top surfers brave the world’s biggest and most dangerous waves. Pro Surfer Jamie Sterling has this to say about Mavericks: “You can’t compare this to Hawaii. It’s got cold water, giant sharks, giant waves, and giant rocks. It’s like nothing else.”
If this is your jam, take the opportunity to take a surf lesson or two while you’re in town! Here is a list of the five-star rated places to do so on Yelp. (There are many more, but only the best for our guests!)
Wine and Beer Tasting
For those of our guests who are so inclined, there are several local wineries and a craft brewery that offer tastings close by:
Barterra Winery is a thirteen-minute drive into town. It calls itself the premiere Half Moon Bay winery, offering a range of fine wines from California’s top vineyards. According to their website, “Visiting Barterra is like taking a tour through California wine country. We offer premium wines from Napa Valley, Sonoma, Carneros, Amador, Alexander Valley, Santa Ynez Valley, Lodi and Madera.” They list multiple “past prestigious awards for a mostly sold-out inventory of limited-production wines,” including their Barterra 2014 Pinot Noir, which took the double gold at the 2014 San Francisco International Wine Competition (sold out); their Barterra 2012 Pinot Noir, which took the double gold at the 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (also sold out); and their Barterra 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, which won a gold medal at the 2014 San Francisco Chonicle Wine Competition (not listed as sold out).
La Nebbia Winery is a thirteen-minute drive from the Oceano into the hills. It bills itself as the oldest bonded winery in Half Moon Bay and a local landmark since 1979. La Nebbia’s grapes are sourced from vineyards and wineries across California. According to their website, their tasting adventure is a unique and robust expression of the California wine tradition and culture. “When you stop by, you might be sampling a Pinot from the Russian River, or picking up a Zinfandel from an up-and-coming Amador County region, or sipping some California bubbles, all in one place.”
Trojak~knier Winery is just a ten-minute walk from The Oceano. Started by two long-time friends in 1993 as a home wine-making project, they describe their wine-making philosophy as truly hand-crafted and non-interventionist. “We consider ourselves to be caretakers of the fruit,” their website says, “and we seek to let the flavors of the vineyard express themselves in the wine. In order to make great wines you must start with great grapes. We do all winery operations by hand from loading the crusher/stemmer to bottling, corking and labeling the wine. We do not filter or use any fining agents and all wines are transferred by gravity siphon, whether from barrel-to-barrel or in the bottling process. As a result, our wines may throw a little sediment after some time in the bottle but this is not a flaw – it is an indication of the truly handcrafted nature of our wines.” Their website did list an impressive number of awards, so maybe they’re on to something.
Half Moon Bay Distillery is a small craft distillery just three minutes by car (a ten-minute walk) from The Oceano that provides “locally produced, ultra-premium spirits to people who care about where their drinks come from and who made them.” According to their website, they are committed to producing the highest quality, hand-crafted distilled spirits in small batches, and they believe that the fully automated processes of large liquor conglomerates can never duplicate the heart and soul that goes into spirits which have been produced with the human touch of a master distiller who knows his or her craft. They offer distillery tours and tastings on Fridays, Saturday, and Sundays.
Peach and Paya's Wedding 