Incredible Stops on a Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip

Among the micro-breweries, art galleries and surfboard shapers (someone who designs and handcrafts surfboards) of Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone; the Wayfarer brings its own eclectic style to the table. Loungers and cartoonish lacquer-red sofas sit beside an outdoor heated swimming pool, while rainbow-colored books fill the shelves of a lounge decorated with a coy-looking giraffe sculpture and a floor-to-ceiling image of robots. Rooms include complimentary breakfast, retro phones and pigtailed-tiger cushions – choose between private or shared accommodation to suit your budget.

Monterey Tides sits on the sands of a private beachfront, providing a gateway into the vast ocean. The interior echoes its surroundings with coral and seashell decor, tree-stump tables and driftwood-style dividers, while floor-to-ceiling windows in the rooms ensure you can appreciate the killer sea views over a morning coffee. Feast on 12hr braised pork belly at the on-site restaurant Vizcaino Waterfront Food + Drink where studded leather chairs complement the sea-shack-reminiscent wood paneling. Alternatively, tuck into tapas and sangria in Bar Sebastían. There is also an outdoor pool, but you’ll likely spend most of your time on the beach, looking out for seals or toasting s’mores around a bonfire.