Introduction

Winter’s rains officially arrived this week—a month early. But you can still recapture a taste of our lost Indian summer in one Northern California’s great autumn traditions: a pumpkin-shopping trip to Half Moon Bay. Farmers up and down the San Mateo Coast are competing for your attention, with elaborate corn mazes, towering scarecrows, and giant stacks of the biggest squashes you may ever see.

But there’s more here than pumpkins: the Bay Area’s agricultural capital is also flower central. Local florists come here to fill their trucks, and you should too. The garden stores are fabulous. You’ll be amazed at the array of plants you can pick up during an afternoon jaunt down the coast.

Downtown is good for a stroll, but the shopping is mediocre—unless you like to buy Christmas ornaments in the off-season. The real money shots lie along the coast. A series of state beaches surrounds the town, with high bluffs, rocky coves, and long sandy shores. Some of them are jaw-droppingly beautiful, the ideal backdrop for a horseback ride or game of golf. Too much work? Spend an afternoon building sandcastles, or oohing and ahhing over critter-packed tide pools.

Note: If you want to avoid traffic, don’t visit HMB during the Art & Pumpkin Festival, which takes place this weekend, Oct 13 & 14. But if you don’t mind crowds, it can be great fun.

For more details on the surrounding area, check out our San Mateo Coast guide.

See & Do

Pumpkin patches line the coast from just north of town all the way to Santa Cruz. I most like Farmer John’s, where you can haul the kids around in little red wagons, climb atop giant hay bales, and play hide and seek in the vast corn fields. And they have the best variety of pumpkins and gourds, including some unusual black ones. Very cool.

There’s more to the ag scene than squash. Greenhouses and garden shops line Hwy 92, just east of downtown, and they’re way better than any I’ve found in the city. My favorite is the Half Moon Bay Nursery, which has great variety and huge greenhouses to roam. But buy your pots down the street at Fabbri Statuary—the selection is fabulous. Fabbri also has some cool garden fountains and arbors.

HMB has the last working fishing harbor between San Francisco and Monterey, and every day boats haul in their catch. You can buy fish straight from the fishermen on the docks at Pillar Point Harbor. For the best selection, arrive before 10am. To learn the day’s catch, call 650-726-8724, press 3. (Bookmark this page: as far as I know, other travel guides do not provide this number…but I bet they will now.)

Beaches are the big draw in summer, but in winter the waves are way bigger—the perfect backdrop for a stroll along the sand with your sweetheart. Swaddle yourself in woolens and trip out on the pounding surf. If you luck out and get a warm, sunny day, head north to the locals’ fav, Montara State Beach (aka McNee Ranch), two coves south of Devil’s Slide, on Hwy 1. The water is clear, the sand pristine, and the drop-off so steep that whales swim right up to shore November to May. And you can bring your dog too (but only on a leash no longer than 6ft).

On of those rare days when it’s warm enough to take off your top, I prefer clothing-optional Grey Whale Cove, immediately to the north. Park on the inland side of Hwy 1; leave the kids in the car.

When you simply want a quick peek of the water at a drive-up beach, choose Francis State Beach, which locals simply call ‘State,’ as in, ‘I’ll meet you at State.’ It’s in the middle of the half-moon crescent of beaches at the edge of town and has easy access; take Kelly Ave. Unlike at other nearby beaches, there’s an on-site ranger station with bathrooms—a boon for families with little kids.

To spot the biggest waves this side of Hawaii, head to Mavericks, site of the famous surfing competition. But you’ll have to come when a winter storm is raging offshore; the waves are non-existent on a calm day. Check the marine forecast. To get there, head to Pillar Point and hike over the dunes.

You’ll feel like Gulliver in the land of Lilliput as you explore the fabulous tide pools at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, north of town in Moss Beach. I’ve never seen tide pools packed with so many teeny-tiny, colorful critters. Amazing. Wear a pair of non-slip shoes. Tell the kids: Avoid plucking animals from the rocks; it can kill some of them. Leave them where they lay.

Take your daily walk (or bike ride) along the paved Coastside Trail, which runs 5mi south from Pillar Point Harbor, about 3mi north of town, to Miramontes Point, just south of town, by the Ritz-Carlton. This is a great route for kids, and you can pick up the trail anywhere along the water. Rent a bike (kids’ models too), from Bike Rec, right on the beach, but call ahead for availability.

Or go horseback-riding along the beach on a guided ride at Sea Horse Ranch. Some of the horses look a little less than lively, but they’re generally in good shape. No reservations necessary.

I prefer kayaking. I’ve not yet toured with them, but have heard high praise from trusted sources for Half Moon Bay Kayak Co., which rents boats and guides tours, from sunset paddles to wildlife-viewing trips. Give ‘em a try. Reservations required.

The golfing is gorgeous at Half Moon Bay Golf Links. The greens are well tended, and best of all, those on the ocean course are on high bluffs above the churning surf. Though it surrounds the Ritz-Carlton, this is a public course. Hooray.

Downtown HMB is cute (follow signs to Main St), but with the exception of five independent booksellers, the shopping is kinda lame. One exception: Cunha’s Country Store, a hundred-year-old emporium where you can find everything from canned soup to cowboy boots. Look upstairs—you won’t believe the selection of stuff.

If you’re here on a Sunday and enjoy live jazz, plan to spend the late-afternoon with the locals, tapping your toe at the intimate indoor-outdoor concerts presented by Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society. Kids are always welcome, but if they’re fidgety, sit outside. There’s beer and wine, but you can also bring your own. Take a picnic with you too.

Nightlife is so-so, unless you’re idea of a good time is ponying up to the bar with a pint of Guinness. The most happening spots on a weekend night are the Half Moon Bay Brewing Co., which sometimes has live music (call ahead), or the super-fun Cameron’s English pub, where every inch of wall space is covered with bric-a-brac, including an eye-popping collection of beer cans. Kids are welcome at Cameron’s and can play video games inside a double-decker bus. If you’re three feet tall, it’s really cool.

Half Moon Bay Restaurants

Pick up sandwiches for the beach at the Garden Deli & Cafe at the San Benito House ($), which bakes its own bread. If you’re here on the weekend, drop by the fish-market counter at Sam’s ($–$$). The deli makes tasty fish salads and other to-go items perfect for a picnic. Details on the restaurant follow.

For fish, kick-back-casual Sam’s Chowder House ($$–$$$$) is where it’s at—and it’s the only place for outdoor ocean-view dining between SF and Santa Cruz. Sam’s makes both Manhattan and New England clam chowder, and each is nearly perfectly executed—redolent with spice, but not so much that you can’t taste the briny flavor of the clams. Other specialties include a spicy ahi-tuna poke, filler-free crab cakes, lobster rolls, ceviches, and freshly shucked oysters. If it’s crowded when you arrive, snag one of the Adirondack chairs beneath the outdoor heat lamps while you wait—it feels like you’re sitting on the deck of an ocean liner. Delicious. For the best chances of scoring one of the coveted window tables, make reservations or come mid-afternoon, between peak dining hours. But fear not: even from a non-window table, the views are terrific.

Pasta Moon ($$–$$$), the second-choice favorite in town, draws accolades for its trattoria-style Italian cooking, especially the housemade pastas (standouts: sausage lasagna, and butternut squash ravioli with sage butter) and wood-fired pizzas. Detractors point to inconsistency from the kitchen—a justifiable concern when you’re paying $20 for entrees. Blame it on a changing roster of chefs. Still, the dining room is fun, and it’s often packed with local bon vivants. For romance on a warm afternoon, choose one of the sidewalk tables for two, next to the flower-filled window boxes.

Old timers swear by Barbara’s Fish Trap ($$–$$$), on Pillar Point Harbor, in tiny Princeton-by-the-Sea. The place is fun—when you can get a table—but I always leave feeling full, mostly because I inevitably get suckered into ordering the fish and chips. (Barbara’s interpretation does nothing to elevate my appreciation for the genre, but the dish is tasty enough.) I like Barbara’s, and you probably will too—unless you’re a BoBo food snob, in which case stay far away.

Feed the kids at Cameron’s ($–$$), an old-time English pub with everything from bangers and mash to burgers. Dig the crazy beer-can collection. Little ones like the video-game room inside the double-decker bus parked outside. Or take them for fish tacos at Flying Fish Grill ($), where you can sit outside at plastic tables surrounded by flowering vines.

HMB has two good sushi restaurants. Lately locals have been choosing Shiki Japanese Restaurant ($–$$), which also has super-cheap weekday lunch specials. Alas, it’s in a strip mall. For more atmosphere, choose Sushi Main Street($$). The quality is comparable to Shiki’s, but the room is much prettier—all dark wood and low lighting—a better choice for a proper sit-down dinner.

When you feel like donning high heels and making dinner the main event, you have two choices. Cetrella ($$$–$$$$) is the handsomest room in town—it feels like a giant lodge, with cathedral ceilings and a roaring fireplace—and there’s occasionally live jazz in the bar. Up until recently, I’d have recommended Cetrella without hesitation, but a recent vitriolic change in ownership resulted in the ousting of the chef (he’s now at Sam’s; the former sous chef is running the show), and the dynamic, daily-changing menu is no more. The fritto misto remains (order it), but gone is the fabulous zarzuela (crab stew). The menu no longer changes, and the relationships with locals farmers are nothing like they used to be (they even threw out the local farmers market that used to assemble in the parking lot outside—tsk, tsk). I’m hesitant to go back myself—I know too much—but if you’re looking for a night on the town, you’ll probably do just fine.

If money is no object, book a table at Navio ($$$$+), at the Ritz-Carlton. I love the look of the cushy room—the arched wooden ceiling looks like an upside-down ship’s hull—and the views of the ocean are superb. In typical fancy-pants R-C style, all the dishes on the French-California menu are highly manipulated and beautifully presented, but they sometimes miss. I had a spot-on creamy asparagus soup, but on my entree salad, the confit of duck had been slightly burned, resulting in a bone-like consistency hard enough to remove a filling. But I’m sure this was a sloppy mistake by the lunch cook. Better to come at dinner, when the real chef is on duty. I’d happily eat here again, but only on an expense account.

One caveat: I detest Navio’s corporate hypocrisy. They brag about using local, sustainably grown ingredients, but they also sell caviar from Iran, which is endangered because of over-fishing and water pollution. I hope Navio’s chef will soon put his money where his mouth is, and start carrying the excellent, California-grown Tsar Nicoulai osetra instead. Go the Ferry Building and try it. I just had some last week. It was fabulous, with all the hallmarks of ultra-fresh roe—round, firm, and not at all fishy—and it was sustainably farmed. Now that’s luxury.

Half Moon Bay Hotels and Inns

I’ll start at the top and work down in price. I’ve not reviewed the generic motels because…well, they’re generic. You don’t need me to tell you about ‘em.

The hands-down top place to stay is the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay ($$$$+), a behemoth, vaguely New England-style resort built on bluffs above the ocean. Rooms have all the requisite amenities of a proper luxury hotel—goose-down pillows, thirsty towels, plush carpeting, thick robes, Bulgari bath amenities—but the decor takes zero risks. However I love the bathtubs: though only big enough for one person, they’re extra deep and have sexy chrome fixtures—there’s even a bath butler on call to draw it for you (but why would you want a valet in your room when you’re undressing?). As you’d expect, service is excellent (the R-C credo: ‘We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen’). The opulent spa is fabulous and has 16 treatment rooms with 40 menu options, including some with Vichy showers. A golf course surrounds the property, and of course there’s a pool. If you’re willing to spend the money to stay here, don’t book a courtyard-view room; they overlook an ugly, suburban-style gated community. Instead shell out for an ocean view room for maximum romance, but skip the much-touted, patio ocean-view rooms, unless you like living in a fish bowl. Oh, and if you don’t like being overly warm when you sleep, request that housekeeping strip the feather bed at turn down.

If you can’t quite swing the Ritz, book a room at the Beach House Inn ($$$–$$$$), the only other lodging in town with ocean-view rooms. The rooms themselves are long rectangles, with the bed at one end, the living room at the other. All have wood-burning fireplaces and kitchenettes. The pillows could be fluffier, but at least there’s a mix of foam and down. Bathrooms are sparkling clean. Best of all, you can throw open your French doors and gaze out to sea. Of HMB’s upper-midrange lodging, this is the best.

If you’re into B&Bs, Half Moon Bay has two good choices, both with very visible on-site owners. The Mill Rose Inn ($$$) has the most beautiful gardens in town—a veritable riot of color. The Empire-meets-Victorian decor is frilly and heavy handed, but the beds are ultra-comfy, with high-thread-count sheets and nice big pillows. There’s a hot tub too.

The Old Thyme Inn ($$$) occupies an 1898 house, and is simpler in its decor. Some rooms have fireplaces. My favorite is on the first floor, and has a giant Jacuzzi tub. Take breakfast in the charming garden, beside a gurgling fountain.

A high-end motel with extra amenities and lovely gardens, the Half Moon Bay Lodge ($$–$$$) is under the banner of Best Western, but it was taken over from another company known for its quality furnishings. You’ll find left-over details like Spanish tile in the baths and colorful fabrics in the bedroom. Alas, the paper-thin bed sheets suck, and the pillows may as well be stuffed with rags. Still, if you’re on a moderate budget, make this your top choice. But bring your own down bedding. Kids love the pool; parents like the hot tub.

Right in town on Main St, upstairs from a bar and restaurant, the Half Moon Bay Inn ($$–$$$) opened in 2006 and everything looks fresh and clean. The bathrooms are like closets and rooms are tight, but they’re exceptionally well furnished, with details like Italian linens and fancy European dressers.

Across the street, the San Benito House ($) has frilly Victorian-style rooms, but what a bargain! If you’re on a tight budget, you’ll do great here. Who cares if the bed’s mushy, when you’re paying under a hundred bucks? Breakfast included. NB: a few rooms share a bath; ask when you book.

Vacation Rentals

Whether you’re a budget traveler who can’t afford the double-whammy cost of hotels and restaurants, or a luxury traveler who wants seclusion and over-the-top grandeur, you’ll get more space and privacy for your money by booking a rental property. And you’ll have a kitchen too. Half Moon Bay vacation rentals.