Costanoa

Website for Costanoa: www.costanoa.com

March 2008

Re: Good local beach vacation
Check out Costanoa, halfway between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. It is close enough to go either place for the day, and there are bike trails, horseback riding, and beach. Very quiet during the week. http://www.costanoa.com/

Nov 2005

Re: A quiet couple days away with kids
You might try Costanoa, about 20 miles south of Half Moon Bay near Pescadero and Pigeon Point Lighthouse. It's a kind of camp and hotel facility with choices of lodging ranging from tent cabins to lodge rooms with fireplaces. The facilities are new and quite clean and beautiful with California landscaping and architecture at the main lodge, hiking/biking trails, wooded, with close access to the nearby marvelous coastline. I believe they do have a spa facility, and onsite food and gift store. I haven't had the good fortune to stay there yet, only visited, but hope you might get to try it. Deborah

Re: A quiet couple days away with kids (Nov 2005)
We are going to Costanoa this weekend with some friends. We enjoy camping immensely, but I am too pregnant to consider sleeping on the ground at this point. It is basically ''gourmet camping.'' They have four levels of accomodations, including a lodge. The website is www.costanoa.com. It is about a one hour drive south of San Francisco on highway 1. Enjoy your couple of days!

Re: A quiet couple days away with kids (Nov 2005)
I can't wait to see all the responses to your request. This will surely be a great list! My contribution is a place called ''Costanoa'' on the coast north of Santa Cruz, near Ano Nuevo state beach. They have beautiful tent cabins with amenities, as well as ''Motel style'' rooms -- or you can just camp there. There is communal barbeque and picnicing where you can meet folks. Can't remember if they have pool and/or hot tub, but you can check their website. Enjoy! Anon

October 2004

I'm considering Costanoa for a big family reunion next June that includes grandparents, parents & children (from age 2 to early teens). Is there enough to do here for a group of this size and age range? They seem to offer a range of different type of lodging. What has worked best (lodge, bungalow w/shared bath, tent)? Would you go back? Thanks for the advice! Amy

We had a family reunion at Costoanoa in May'01 for about 22 people. It worked well. Kids ranged in age from 2-14 and loved running around and exploring the area. We stayed in the lodge and asked for all of the ground floor rooms that opened onto the large grassy area. We came in on friday, ate a great dinner at the Davenport Cash store (about 10 miles south)where they gave us two large tables in the back of the restaurant that felt like a private room. Saturday night we had Costanoa cater the dinner in one of their conference rooms. Overall, it was a terrific place to get together. JV

Hi-- Although Costanoa is a spectacular getaway....well, let me just start by saying that we 'hosted' a post-wedding party and camp-out for quite a few friends with kids and some were teens.

There's no TV (except in the communal lounge - accesible only to lodge guests). They were pretty disppointed and so were some of the older generation guests who's idea of staying in a top rate 'hotel' includes kicking back with some HBO. I would say, unless everyone is cool with camping and hiking primarily then it's an awesome (very Californian) place with access to the beaches, all kinds of trails for hiking and well, lots and lots of nature!

It also seemed that a lot of folks who were there for quiet get-aways seemed disturbed by the presence of little children and weren't unobvious about how they felt.

Although, it says very clearly that kids are welcome.... it's just one of those things to consider. Oh, and my advice, if you're booking for a large party, don't book too many sites or cabins (more than you need) because we had to pay, per day, for what we didn't use (3 tents sites and a canvas cabin... that adds up!).

It also gets pretty cold in Pescadero this time of the year. Another thing to consider. I hope this info helps.

If I were you, i'd go there personally and stay a nite with your spouse/partner to feel it out. It's quintessentially Californian and that doesn't always appeal to everyone.

Maybe consider something in Santa Cruz? The Boardwalk, The Mystery Spot and The Winchester House are all nearby. Good Luck! tinygirl_oak

I don't mean to be negative on this place. It sounded great to me when planning a trip last year. We used it as a stop over, the first night of a trip down the coast. But I have to report that while it is a scenic and potentially beautiful place, it happens to be situated next to one of the largest mushroom farms in California, and well, when we arrived we could not believe the stench of the place. It was truly awful. If it hadn't been the end of the day that we got there and that I could'nt see putting the kids back in the car to go to an unknown destination, I would not have even spent the night. The rooms at the lodge were nice enough, the staff was pretty clueless about the local activities. Also if you are camping, you might get put right next to the horses, and well, that was it's own aromatic experience. All in all, if you haven't been there yet, I would definitely go and check it out in person before planning for the whole family if you have your heart set on this place. Again, I really don't want to sound too negative on the place, but it really was kind of disgusting. anon.

March 2004

Re: One-Night Get Away for Gals (March 2004)
Have you thought about going South instead of North? Costanoa, about an hour south of here on Hwy 1, is really beautiful, not cloyingly decorated (more of a woodsy, organic feel to it,) and it's right by the beach. You can stay in either the lodge or rent a private, canvas cabin (those share a bath area.) They also have a spa service, a good sized outside hot tub, saunas, etc... some of the rooms have hot tub-like tubs as well. I just love it there. http://www.costanoa.com jane

March 2003

Re: Romantic Getaway for Couples
An hour south of SF, we love Costanoa (http://www.costanoa.com) for ''luxury camping.'' You get an adorable ''canvas cabin'' complete with a bed, fluffy down comforter, and electricity. The communal bathrooms feature an outdoor fireplace surrounded by adirondack chairs, plus a sauna and showers. From the front door of your cabin you can hike to some of the most beautiful coastal trails I've seen. No terrific dining nearby, but there's a gourmet grocery store and plenty of grills. sonya

Re: Weekend of solitude for mom (March 2003)
Check out Costa Noa. It's about 1-1/2 hours away, and an easy drive, yoga classes, massage, in nature but close to civilization if you want a fab dinner out, and they have a range of accomodations available. My parents went there recently for their wedding anniversary and had a great, relaxing time. http://www.costanoa.com
Ilana