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    Pelican Inn & Suites

    3.4 (354 reviews)
    ModerateHotels
    Open Open 24 hours

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    Beautiful view from the boardwalk right across the street at Sunset
    Michael T.

    We stayed here on our most recent trip to Cambria as it is only a few minutes away from Hearst Castle. The two rooms we had were decently clean and comfortable, but extremely basic and all around average. There were fireplaces in the rooms, though one of them didn't work correctly. The location is great, with a neat little boardwalk that runs along the beach that is just across the street. It can be a fabulous place to watch the sunset. The rooms themselves don't have much in the way of views, though there are a couple with small patios and balconies. Not too many that offer an unrestricted view however. You need to walk across the street for that. As most people have noted, the hotel no longer has breakfast included, which is kind of a bummer and would go far to improving the experience here. They do have free coffee and tea in the morning which was nice. The power went out during our stay and staff was very accommodating. Overall 3.6 stars, rounded up to 4 as decent enough but not great.

    Kitchen
    CHRIS V.

    Love this place, We got the family suite and got the best price in December on cyber Monday 50% off for 3 nights that came to $ 200.00 a night!! two bedrooms with King beds and the main bed with a fireplace on top of the living room has a fireplace too and a kitchen with a microwave stove, and a full size refrigerator . And two bathrooms one with the shower the other one will pay bathtub and a shower not sure about the one with bathtub because it has a showerhead and jacuzzi tub only downsize was the jets had black mold on all them , So didn't go in there , They need house keeping to do a better job on that like bleaching them !

    Rust and mold
    Ashleigh C.

    Do not stay in room 109!! I do not know how anyone gave this hotel anything but 1 star. Mold in the bath...... dirty pool. I do not recommend this hotel!!

    Stains on walls. Looks like blood.
    Julie M.

    Very dirty and unprofessional. Stains allll over the room, the walls. You can tell that no one has cleaned the bathroom. I found pee and hair on the seat. I had to clean the bathroom . I will NOT stay here again. Makes you not want to touch anything, let alone sleep and shower here.

    Kim B.

    Pelican Inn & Suites is such a gem! My stay here was truly relaxing and memorable. The location is perfect right across from Moonstone Beach so you can wake up and literally walk out to the ocean. The views are absolutely beautiful and so peaceful, especially during sunrise and sunset. The room was cozy and super comfortable. We had a fireplace and a little patio where we could sit and enjoy the ocean breeze. Everything was clean and well-kept, and the bed felt like sleeping on a cloud. It had that perfect mix of beachy charm and comfort.

    Cracked sink like you'd find in a cheap motel.

    My wife and I were traveling through Cambria CA on our way to Half Moon Bay. We stopped for one night going and one night coming home. We stayed at the Pelican Inn and Suites, just across Moonstone Beach Drive from the coast. We had two distinct experiences on these two stays. First night (going): We reserved directly with Pelican Inn for both nights. When we checked in, the woman was friendly and showed us where to park near to our room in Building 3, room #313. The room was nice, clean, with a comfortable bed, decent view for a ground floor room with the ocean just across the street. My only disappointment was with the toilet which was very low, as you might encounter at a grade school. Well, and the $5 bottles of water annoyed me, too. What do they think they are, an airport? But in all, it was a decent stay. Second night (coming home): We checked in with a young woman who seemed to not want to be there. We were assigned to room #314. She informed us with no regret that the parking lot for Building 3 was being paved with asphalt and wasn't available. We could park in the lots for either Building 1 or 2 or use public parking across the street. We got the last spot in Building 2 and decided to skip going out to dinner so we wouldn't lose it. We were still close to our room, which was next door to our previous room. The rooms were identical but in vastly different conditions. My guess is that the Pelican Inn was undergoing renovation and that #313 had been renovated and #314 had not. It featured the same low toilet, but the sink was cracked, baseboards were grubby, outlets needed attention, and the bathroom door didn't fully close. The asphalting crew was out early the next morning spreading the slurry coat on the parking lot. We went to breakfast and came back to check out and to use the bathroom. As one of us was doing the latter, a staff member came to the door--which was next to the bathroom door that didn't close completely. Kind of uncomfortable. What annoys me is that they had to know, in advance, that the parking lot would be undergoing paving when we reserved the room, directly through Pelican Inn, not some third party. They also had to know that room #314 was substandard. But they booked the rental anyway and charged the full rate. The second room wasn't at all what you'd expect given the price. With so many places to lodge in Cambria, I don't see Pelican Inn making the cut unless you're happy to roll the dice.

    Jennifer S.

    First time staying here. We had a king bed room, but suite. Check in was pretty quick and friendly in the late afternoon. Upon entering, we could tell the room had been remodeled but I dare not guess what it looked like before. Floors are some sort of vinyl plank and I've actually gotten used to hotel carpet and and so I missed it. The bathroom is basic far; shower-tub, toilet, sink with ZERO counter space. And ZERO hooks to hang towels/toiletry bag. The mini fridge, which truly is convenient to have, unfortunately hummed VERY loudly through the night. The bathroom pipes are noisy and I had to get up at night to shut the bathroom door all the way. We heard footsteps upstairs as well as noises outside. We got a 300 number room right next to the "employees only" door, which in the early morning, seemed to be opened and closed a dozen times. Pros: Mini fridge, microwave, coffee maker, fireplace (main source of heat), full size shampoo, conditioner and body wash in the shower, nice lavender body lotion, decent water pressure, heater in bathroom. Room has ceiling fan (main source of cooling aside from opening the window), closet with a few hangers, luggage racks, cable tv, WiFi, outlet in the beside lamp to charge device. Cons: No counter space in bathroom, no hooks to hang towels, noisy pipes, low grade toilet paper. No complimentary breakfast (the inn a couple doors up has a complimentary egg breakfast if you want), no room service (they come on the 3rd day of your stay), one day worth of coffee/cups for coffee maker. If you need more coffee or towels, you have to go to the lobby and ask. Water is not provided for coffee. They leave 2 bottles of Fiji in the room but they're each 5 bucks if you use them. There is a pool and hot tub. The hot tub is located in the back corner of the parking lot, a rather odd location in my opinion but saw people using it. If you're looking for no frills, this will work. If you want something a little nicer, keeping looking.

    Moonstone Beach
    Marfel L.

    If you're looking for the perfect beachside getaway, Pelican Inn & Suites has you covered. Located right across the street from Moonstone Beach, the views alone are worth the trip. We booked a room with a patio facing the beach, and let me tell you, waking up to the sound of the waves is an experience I could get used to. The rooms are clean and well-equipped, with a decent-sized refrigerator and microwave--great for leftovers from the nearby restaurants within walking distance. Bonus points for being pet-friendly, so the whole family (furry friends included) can enjoy the stay! Having a coffee shop next door is another win. Nothing beats grabbing a fresh brew and heading out for a peaceful beach walk. The location truly makes it easy to relax and soak in Cambria's charm. We'll definitely be back--this might just become our go-to spot for a coastal escape!

    Nice spacious room
    Ali O.

    Pros & cons: Pros: We loved our mini suite we got for the holidays. Nice fireplace and nice furnishings. Dog friendly! Right across the street from beach. comfy pillows Accommodating housekeeping Cons: no cell service. Could not make 1 phone call with their Wi-Fi. Too much $ a night. Old shower/bath Sink had draining issues and toilet would run Sticky bathroom door. We would come back but Wi-Fi would need to be replaced. Four days we had no service & it wasn't great in town either.

    Kristan D.

    We just checked it.... They let us check in early, no extra cost! The view is amazing, the bed and bathroom are awesome, the patio and view are fantastic! Once you look around a little.... The walls are kinda dirty and it looks like this area is missing a pillow. The fireplace is amazing and the view is sick!! Seating area is so nice! But everything is a little dirty.... It's hard being so close to the beach and being dog friendly! We will still come back!

    Very small bathtubs and toilet.
    Greg B.

    The room was filthy. There was dust on the cabinets, stains on the mattress cover and on the chairs. The dust can easily be wiped off which is extremely concerning because that means they aren't wiped after each guest leaves. The shower head was caked in hard water calcification. The shower curtain smelled like mildew. It was honestly the dirtiest hotel room I have ever stayed in. I read through the yelp reviews after I booked unfortunately. They talk a lot about the cleanliness of the hotel and I was hoping it was an exaggeration but the room really was dirty. A hotel can be both outdated and clean. It has potential but needs quite a bit of work. The pipes are extremely loud in this establishment as well. Bring your own bedsheets because I'm pretty sure they don't change them. Go elsewhere please! You won't feel comfortable here trust me. Only thing going for this place is the epic location.

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    Pelican Inn & Suites Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Pelican Inn & Suites

    Is the pool open?

    Yes, we were there the week of 2/17/22 and the pool was open.

    Do the sofas in suites have pullout beds?

    Yes they do

    Does the Pellican Inn have air conditioning?

    The answer is yes. We had a well appointed room including fireplace which due to warm weather we did not use. We did use the air.

    View All 4 Questions

    Review Highlights - Pelican Inn & Suites

    But really, the atmosphere of the beach and the room, together with the small town, and Hearst Castle...

    Mentioned in 23 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Moonstone Landing - Nice clean comfortable room

    Moonstone Landing

    (240 reviews)

    $$

    It's been quite awhile since I've stayed at Moonstone Landing. I was excited to come back and see…read moreif anything has changed. The staff were super friendly and accommodating, just as I remembered. The rooms themselves looked like they had been renovated. The bed was comfy. There was a huge wall in shower and jacuzzi tub. The old school fridge was super cute! Of course, you can't beat the views from the oceanfront balcony room!

    I've been vacationing here for years. This year we splurged and paid a premium price for an ocean…read morefront view. We enjoyed our stay and all the front desk employees were extremely polite, helpful and accommodating. The room was very clean. The fireplace is easy to use and extremely effective. However, I would like to make a few suggestions on how to improve the experience of staying at Moonstone Landing for all your guests: First, please provide your guests with 3-ply, SOFT toilet paper. The cheap, one-ply toilet paper this hotel uses was horrible to use. If you're asking guests to pay premium prices for these rooms then at least provide them with decent toilet paper. Second, please consider investing in NEW, comfortable outdoor patio chairs with accompanying foot rests. The chairs you have now feel cheap and uncomfortable. Third, I would jazz up the "average" continental breakfast. It's the one thing hungry guests look forward to every morning and the pastries provided leave one underwhelmed and still hungry. Linn's cheese danish pastries are delicious but the other two muffins were "meh". The boiled eggs are fine. I think adding a variety of cereals would be appreciated. Maybe provide granola bars? Fourth, I know renovations are costly. But at some point you'll have to redo the stone flooring in all the bathrooms as the long cracks in the stone initially make a bad impression. Again, we enjoyed our stay and I would recommend this hotel. As a long-time patron, I'm offering my insights in the hopes you'll make the necessary changes to stay competitive and continue to draw in new guests.

    White Water - King Bed + Hospitality Basket

    White Water

    (290 reviews)

    $$

    We arrive at 6 pm it was a little later than plan. The staff at desk was so welcoming and gave us…read morehints where to eat and places to visit. Are room was perfect two large queen beds that were so comfortable and linens that completed the whole scenario . They have a picnic basket with beach towels and blanket. And at 8:00 in morning they delivered fresh pastries , coffee and orange juice. Very nice touch. Perfect room for the amount of time we were in it. I probably would have got a suite and room to have some more space. But other wise everything was perfect. Also we had waited till last minute to book room and had four of us and dog. Felt very lucky to get such a nice place.

    booked a fri + wknd getaway to cambria to honor my furbaby's first heavenly anniversary. i just…read moreneeded to unplug and wanted to reminisce all the memories we shared in a peaceful place. cambria was perfect. it was overwhelming picking an inn to stay at, but white water just kept calling my name. booked a deluxe king room online with the inn directly vs third party site. love that they are pet friendly ($100/stay) . white water is gorgeous. the lobby is so chic. love the greenery. check in was smooth. i was assigned to room 21. i believe in signs and this, all this was meant to be. the room was clean and had everything in it, minus food, def stayed in majority of the time. the boardwalk was directly across the way, just had to cross the street and you're there. the ocean views were perfect. loved the breakfast picnic baskets each morning. made our breakfast and we got to enjoy it on our bench outside our room. parking is not a covered lot, it's open spaces and kinda smaller spots, so if you have a truck or larger suv, def will be going over the line. a few ev charging spots. there are plenty of spots to park along moonstone drive. they also do have mini fridges in the room and no microwave. LOVE the Aesop products in the room!!! a few downside during my stay were: the few times i went to the front desk, the "out of office" sign was up each time. i wanted to rent a bike to bike around the town, no one was around to assist. i waited about 10-15m each time. they have a fire pit that was on the entire time. i heard they provide s'more kits, but we were not provided with any. there isnt really any pet relief area on site. also, all units do not have AC, only fans. i had no service while i was there. i literally was on SOS. i actually loved it. don't worry, there is wifi avail! i would def book white water again!

    Fogcatcher Inn

    Fogcatcher Inn

    (455 reviews)

    $$$

    Nice ocean-front hotel in Cambria. We stayed in a king suite with partial ocean view. My husband…read moreand I took the bedroom and our daughter slept on a comfortable pullout bed in the living room. Decor was tasteful, ocean themed and relaxing. Bathroom had a huge mirror with fantastic lighting around the rim. Husband enjoyed the free fresh brewed coffee from the lobby on one of the outdoor benches. Just cross the street to an amazing walkway along the ocean cliff, with steps down to the beach. That evening we walked to a nice restaurant about 2 minutes down the road. Views there were equally beautiful. Would definitely stay there again!

    2/5 STARS ~ upon entry to the front office, I was greeted with a person speaking abruptly and…read moreunkind voice. I told the person that I was here to check in to our room. He told me I cannot check in until 3 pm, and it was 2:45 pm. We left and came back. The next person at 4 pm on Saturday, July 4th, told us we could have our room cleaned and when we would like to schedule the room cleaning for Sunday. I told the person at 1 pm. When we came back after being away for the day, our place was not cleaned! I went to the front office and asked to have our place cleaned. The person at the desk, at the time 2:30 pm, told me we did not request the room cleaned because we were not on the hand written lined paper list. I told him that was not true as the person grabbed the paper when we checked in and wrote our room and time to be cleaned. The pool, not working and empty. The hot tub had too much chemicals and my skin itched like crazy. I stayed here many years ago and was always greeted with a friendly voice and granted early and late access even when I would pay. I will never stay here again. Maybe the people are not gay friendly... not sure. Bye, bye! Next....

    El Colibri Hotel & Spa - First floor accessible room - Two queen beds

    El Colibri Hotel & Spa

    (341 reviews)

    $$$

    I stayed here for two nights with two rooms; one room with a king bed and a room with two queen…read morebeds. The photos attached are for the room with the king bed. I selected this hotel due to its close proximity to Moonstone Beach and the fact it is one of the few hotels in Cambria with air conditioning. We arrived to the hotel with a parking lot on the side of the hotel and a parking garage underneath. We arrived to a smallish lobby area and we checked in easily. I was happy with the appearance of the room as the decor was nice. It had a ceiling fan and a fireplace and I really liked the orange travertine tile in the bathroom. I was happy this place had A/C but I have to mention that this was the most lame installation I have even seen. The thermostat was directly across from the A/C vents in just a matter of feet so it gave the wrong impression regarding the room temperature. This was not an issue in the room with the double queen. The hotel is not staffed 24/7 so be aware for early or late check in and check out. Housekeeping does not clean the rooms during your stay so you will need to request extra towels or coffee pods as needed. They do serve a free continental breakfast but the offerings are slim. We went for a walk as the Moonstone Beach boardwalk entrance is right next to the hotel. The boardwalk was cool as it was surrounded by plants and trees on both sides on the way to the beach. I really loved the appearance of the shower here; however, the water pressure was so low that I thought it would run out of water with soap still on my body. It also took an absurd amount of time for the water temperature to change after adjusting the knob. I will say that the towels here were memorable as the fabric was very nice. Overall 3.5 stars but if the water pressure was improved it would be higher.

    We had a good experience here for our getaway in Cambria with our husky. The location was ideal for…read morewalking on the dog-friendly Moonstone Beach boardwalk, the rooms were nice, and parking was free. The deep tub was also perfect for a long soak and overall the property and the area were quiet. I was glad that we had a fireplace and air conditioning because we needed both during our April stay. We didn't have breakfast other than coffee, so I can't comment on that. I agree with other reviewers that the hotel doesn't quite fit the upscale image on the website and social media. Customer service was similar to what we encountered from Morro Bay up to Ragged Point: more standoffish than expected, but ultimately helpful. All in all, we would stay here again if we wanted another retreat on the Central Coast.

    Pelican Inn & Suites - hotels - Updated July 2026

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