Beachcomber Motel & Point Cabrillo

Again today I’m not posting about food, but still gushing about our fabulous mini-getaway to Fort Bragg, CA. Good thing because today wasn’t fabulous, it was actually a long and stressful day that started with a crazy morning at work. Then taking a long lunch to visit my grandma in the hospital which was a draining and emotional experience. I enjoyed every second with her and wish I could be there now making her stay easier. Then I stuffed a quick salad from Whole Foods for lunch before returning to work to tackle a mountain. By the end of the day, I just felt drained as I stumbled to my car. So reliving our fun trip and beautiful trip is much more appealing now.

The Beachcomber Motel is pretty famous in Fort Bragg for gorgeous beach views, in-room hot tubs, and being dog-friendly. So famous that if you want to stay there on a weekend or holiday, you’ll need to make reservations months in advance. The motel is pretty casual looking being an older building.

But it’s right on the beach and most rooms have ocean views with a nice patio or deck to sit on. Plus most of the rooms are different being either more family friendly with a large deck and grill or romantic getaway friendly with hot tub/jacuzzi tub options.

And the laid-back tropical look makes it feel more like a relaxing vacation spot.

The views from the rooms are just amazing, like most of the guests, I was parked on our upstairs deck mesmerized by them while leisurely enjoying morning coffee.

Amenities were a little week, the complementary breakfast didn’t have much for me but fresh fruit, good thing I packed Larabars, fruit juice and protein powder. And the fitness room was lacking with only two treadmills and a weight machine from the 80s. But does that really matter when you can run on an ocean-front trail every morning?

Not at all! And the local wildlife is always around to cheer you on … or poop on you.

Our room was a little dated looking, but did I mention it had a hot tub inside? And a fireplace? And a fridge which is a traveling vegan’s dream.

But the evening sunset show from our room was the best part.

The motel is also close to many wonderful attractions in the area that are gorgeous and free … or very cheap. One is the Point Cabrillo Light Station, a historical lighthouse that was built after the 1906 earthquake to assist ships bringing in lumber to rebuild San Francisco.

The coast around the lighthouse is lush and beautiful with the sounds of sea lions barking in the distance. And you can see whales frequently from the coast even though we weren’t lucky enough to snap one.

We parked about a 1/2 mile away from the lighthouse and walked to the site which was a workout down and up a steep hill, but worth it for the beauty.

It’s not huge and looks more like a school house.

But the lamp looks like a golden jewel just begging me to work on my photography skills.

Such a fun and fascinating visit and worth checking out if you’re ever in Fort Bragg.