Costanoa

The Peninsula


Even though this coastal resort, about 10 miles south of Pescadero, includes a campground, no one can pull a straight face and declare they’re actually roughing it here. Down bedding swaddles guests in canvas-sided tent bungalows and hard-sided Douglas-fir cabins. Chill-averse folks can use communal ‘comfort stations’ with 24-hour dry saunas, fireside patio seating, heated floors and hot showers.

Bland lodge rooms with private fireplaces and hot-tub access cater to those without Spartan delusions. There’s an expensive restaurant, bar and spa on-site. Bicycle rentals, yoga classes, horseback rides and guided bird-watching are available to guests only.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Peninsula attractions

1. Pie Ranch

2.46 MILES

Hit the brakes for this roadside farm stand in a wooden barn to pick up fresh produce, eggs and coffee, plus amazing fruit pies (which sell out fast). The…

3. Año Nuevo State Park

3.33 MILES

Just over a dozen miles southeast of Pescadero State Beach, Año Nuevo State Natural Reserve is home base for one of the world's largest mainland breeding…

4. Butano State Park

3.81 MILES

Five miles south of Pescadero, bobcats and coyotes reside discreetly in this pretty park's 4600 acres of dense redwood canyon and uplands laced with…

6. Big Basin Redwoods State Park

5.85 MILES

A 45-minute drive north of Santa Cruz into the mountains via Hwys 9 and 236, this state park protects over 18,000 acres of redwood forest and 80 miles of…

7. Bean Hollow State Beach

6.9 MILES

Pretty sand beaches speckle the coast, though one of the most interesting places to stop is Pebble Beach, a jewel less than 2 miles south of Pescadero…

8. Harley Farms Goat Dairy

7.1 MILES

At this local-food treasure, the split-level farm shop sells creamy artisanal goat's cheeses festooned with fruit, nuts and a rainbow of edible flowers,…