Join us as we explore the first leg of this coastal escapade, starting from the vibrant Venice Beach, gliding through the charming parks of Santa Barbara, and venturing into the scenic beauty of Cambria. Let the journey begin!
Venice Beach
While we’ve explored Venice Beach before, I couldn’t resist stopping by Eggslut for their amazing breakfast sandwich. For more details about spending a day in Venice Beach with your pup, check out this blog post!
Santa Barbara
After a couple of hours on the road from Venice Beach, we decided to take a break to stretch our legs and enjoy the coastal beauty at Shoreline Park. You can read about our previous trip to Santa Barbara for more dog-friendly spots in this blog post.
Cambria
From Santa Barbara, we continued our journey to Cambria, a charming town that provided a perfect break during our Pacific Coast Highway road trip. Cambria welcomes four-legged travelers with open arms, offering dog-friendly motels and a variety of restaurants with pet-friendly outdoor patio seating. Just a quick 5-minute drive from the town center, we found a spacious dog park where Toby made furry friends while I enjoyed the friendly atmosphere.
For our overnight stay, we chose the Cambria Palms Motel, a cozy 2-star accommodation that allowed pets for a nominal one-time fee of $20 during check-in. The friendly staff made us feel right at home, and the clean, comfortable room provided us with a good night’s rest. Being within walking distance from the heart of town made our dining experience delightful, with dog-friendly patios at places like Las Cambritas for mouthwatering Mexican cuisine and Lily’s Coffee House, where we savored a generously portioned breakfast bowl and a steaming cup of black coffee.
Giving Toby some nap time at the motel, I set off alone on a short 15-minute drive to San Simeon, where the beautiful Hearst Castle awaited (Note: Hearst Castle does not allow dogs). To explore this architectural gem, I had buy a tour ticket in advance. The Grand Rooms tour proved to be an excellent choice for first-time visitors, guiding me through stunning gardens and opulent rooms that evoked the splendor of the roaring 20s, reminiscent of scenes from “The Great Gatsby.” I’d definitely add this to your list if you’d like some alone human time!
