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    Monterey State Beach

    4.1 (54 reviews)

    Monterey State Beach Photos

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    Angela G.

    This was a nice little beach for me and the kids to spend the morning at. There is a small parking lot with room for maybe 40 cars or so. There is also some street parking. But it's 2 hour parking. There are 2 port o potties in the parking lot. Ugh. Of course they're gross and there is no place to wash your hands. So have sanitizer or sanitizer wipes handy. Also there were a lot of dogs off leash there. Fortunately all of them were well behaved and they didn't bother me or the kids at all. But that's something to keep in mind. There is a hotel right by it. But if you want food or something like that you'll have to bring it or go out to get it. There is no lifeguard on duty anywhere near here. So be cautious. All in all we had a nice time there.

    Monterey Tides hotel in the background
    Annabelle R.

    This Seaside beach was a beautiful setting for enjoying a lovely evening with family this past weekend. Watching the sun set was amazing, perfect for photo ops with the kiddos. So much space to run around and feel the smooth sand beneath our toes, endless shoreline to cool off in the water, and plenty of scenery to appreciate, without difficult crowds even on a hot day. It's the first time in a long time that I've seen lifeguards on duty and a lifeguard tower in use, and they were all very friendly. With high tide at 9:20pm on Saturday, they warned us in advance so we could move our belongings and avoid getting all of our stuff wet. Beach campfires were allowed (even with the "no fires on beach" sign), and we had a blast taking advantage. I didn't see any public restrooms, but I had family members staying at the Monterey Tides (hotel literally on the beach), so it wasn't a problem. The tiny parking lot was not sufficient on a hot day, we had to wait a while to get a spot even in the late afternoon, and note that they ticket vehicles parked after hours (they don't have a curfew at the beach though).

    Beach Princess on 2/26/22
    Angie R.

    I came to Monterey State Beach on 02/26/22 for a day trip with my family. Since my family didn't want to stay at the beach I was only able to get less than 10 minutes of beach time. My nieces were bummed out as well as their parents didn't want to hang out on the beach at all. My dad who the driver for this trip was able to find parking easily and I paid for the parking as my parents do not know how to navigate that area and it was honestly cheap. The machines were a little difficult to operate but I was able to figure it out. What we didn't realize was that the parking for Fisherman's Wharf was different so I had to pay for parking again as peoples didn't want to make that walk. Anywho, the 10 minutes I was there was so lovely. I consider myself to be a beach Princess as I love the beach - being on the edge of the world observing God's creation! It couldn't get better than that. It was so magical just watching the waves roll in and out. I wanted to feel the water on my feet but knew the family wouldn't be about that especially in my dad's new car xD so it probably worked out for the best. I took a few pictures as pictured to capture the moment and hopefully come back one day and actually take it all in. It was a short and lovely experience . They have bathrooms. Family used them I didn't. Will need to come back for the full experiences . Ample parking. No complaints. The little of Monterey Beach that I saw is just beautiful.

    Misty F.

    This was our second time at this beach. First time I was very impressed (couple years back). This time there was not easy access to the beach, my elderly parents had to hike forever to get to the water. We finally set up and then noticed the foul smell was because a dead sea lion was right next to us on the beach shore. No bathroom access near the beach. Had to hike back up and no TP (I should've been prepared my fault too). I do love they have lifeguards on shore though. Because I was worried for my parents after the tough hike for them. We won't be returning unfortunately.

    Darlene M.

    We had a nice experience at this beach. It was a little cold the day we visited, but that's what is to be expected at a Northern California beach in the spring. The beach wasn't very crowded that day so parking along the street was easy.

    Amy C.

    I remember coming here after dinner at an Italian place called "Gusto...", I think. I was on a weekend getaway in Monterey/Carmel area with my (now former) boyfriend back in September. So when we were at the beach, it was already kinda of dark as the sun had already set during our dinner. We found parking immediately and easily as there was no one else on the beach at that time. The weather was chilly, but we wore jackets to keep us warm. It was pretty lovely to walk a little on the beach and just listen/watch the waves.

    Monterey Beach!
    Kyshia M.

    What's not to like about the beach? Other than having a horrible parking lot structure, Monterey beach has always been one of my favorites to visit. Unfortunately during time of year there tends to be a lot of sea lettuce, which is a bright green algae build up that floats on top of the water and washes to shore. Not to be confused with seaweed. However the scenery, the sounds of the ocean waves clashing, and feeling the sea breeze can still provide an amazing serene vibe on a chill tip. We sat and enjoyed the view for a few hours to enjoy the warm temps. We even spotted a sea lion swimming in the ocean. It was pretty cool.

    Kimberli R.

    Beautiful area. The beach was very pretty and the smells of salt and ocean were wonderful. The beach was not too crowded. It was difficult to find parking. The beach was clean. Monterey Beach is the perfect place for a day trip. The ocean was roaring on a windy day and this was a nice place to spend some time with Brian. I had been looking for pelicans on this trip and this is where a found them searching for their dinner around 5pm...

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    Nice beach to relax, or sunbath. Was not crowded the day we visited.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Monterey State Beach

    Review Highlights - Monterey State Beach

    We bring our dogs with us, always on the leash, and they like this beach too!

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    El Estero Boating

    El Estero Boating

    4.0
    (79 reviews)
    2.9 km

    We went pedal boating here and I really enjoyed it, it was something different for us. It was me,…read moremy husband, and my daughter and we got to pedal around the lake together, which was really nice. The staff was great, very informative and made sure we understood everything before we got on. They had different types of boats too, not just regular ones, but fun ones like ducks, swans, and even dragon boats, which made it feel more exciting, especially for kids. It's very family friendly and I felt like everything was safe. They provided life jackets and made sure everyone was good before heading out. We'll definitely come back, probably on a warmer day so we can enjoy it even more.

    4 Stars for El Estero Boating + 1 additional star specifically for the very chill, handsome dog &…read morethe young gentlemen handling this joint. First and foremost, thank you to my Little for planning a fun day out in Monterey for our monster!! We honestly couldn't have imagined a better FUNtie!! Located across the way from Dennis The Menace Park, El Estero Boating is a family owned business offering paddle boat rentals. They are open 7 days a week aside from rainy, heavily foggy, or extremely windy days. Rentals are available for half hour rentals or hour long rentals. The regular paddle boats will set you back $27 for 30 mins & $35 for an hour. The fancier boats [swan, duck, dragon] are rented by 30 min increments and cost $45 for each half hour timeframe. Life jackets are conveniently included within the listed pricing. Please be advised that a $2 card transaction fee will be applied if you pay via card. The lake is spacious and that leaves you with plenty of room to roam freely and not have issues running into other boats. BUT!! Don't get the bright idea of racing any other guests bc WHO REALLY DOES THAT?? LOL!! My legs absolutely felt the burn bc ya girl doesn't do any kind of running unless it has to do with my mouth. Lmao!!! The boats work well and they go in the appropriate direction you want them to- this is not always the case for paddle boats in general! Side note: I agree with some of the reviews regarding customer service being dry and unfriendly depending on the person you're dealing with but I'll chalk it up to it being really early. By the end of our visit, our entire party was really happy with the kindness & helpfulness of the staff we encountered. Overall, picking El Estero Boating was great. Coming here was lots of fun for both us adults and a 5yo toddler.

    Photos
    Additional charge for card payments.
    Additional charge for card payments.
    Belly rubs & scratches for this GOOD BOYYYY!
    Belly rubs & scratches for this GOOD BOYYYY!
    El Estero Boating

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    Monterey Bay Kayaks

    Monterey Bay Kayaks

    4.6
    (465 reviews)
    3.0 km
    $$

    My friend Hayes and I went on a tor with LB and had the best time. She was an expert guide and had…read morethe best jokes!

    We had a blast kayaking with the otters and seals!…read more Parking was easy as was check in at the store. They gave an informational overview of where to paddle to see wildlife as well as other recommendations and safety tips. They provide life jackets, waterproof jackets and pants which were great too keep water off your clothes. There are porto potties available if you need to use the facilities. The staff were well very nice and helpful. The main con of our trip was the two person top sitting kayak we were on seemed to have problems with steering. No matter how hard we tried to turn right, the kayak always tended to veer the other direction which was frustrating. We got another kayak to check if they saw anything wrong visually on the water, but they couldn't see anything so maybe there was something going on with the underside of the kayak. Besides that, we had a nice time on the water and were able to enjoy seeing all the birds and cute otters and seals out and about. Later in the morning and early afternoon we even got to see the otters get more active and go diving for mud worms that looked like bright orange cigars. It was super cute seeing the otters sleeping nested in the kelp too. Try not to disturb them though since they need to conserve energy to stay warm! We unfortunately saw one tour group led by a guide that went right next to a sleeping pod of otters and woke them all up. Overall, fun place to go kayaking with wildlife! Glad we went on this trip here!

    Photos
    Beach side
    Beach side
    Sea otter with pup on her belly
    Sea otter with pup on her belly
    Monterey Bay Kayaks

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    Monterey State Beach - beaches - Updated July 2026

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