The Pacific Motel

There’s every chance you haven’t heard of Cayucos, California — and that’s half the appeal of the place. After all, it’s been decades since Malibu or the beach towns of Orange County felt like undiscovered territory. But here, a few minutes’ drive from San Luis Obispo, is exactly that: a California beach town that remains accessible, affordable, and blissfully underdeveloped. It’s here, a block and a half from the ocean, that you’ll find the Pacific Motel, where a local couple — a contractor and interior designer in their professional lives — have turned an unremarkable motel into an unforgettable seaside boutique hotel.

Its 20 units include a couple of standalone bungalows as well as superbly renovated king and queen rooms, and the style throughout is impeccable: whitewashed, minimal, but warm and inviting all the same. All feature Parachute linens and robes, Tivoli radios, and carefully stocked minibars; the bungalows add gas fireplaces, perfect for cool Central Coast nights. And while the on-site food and beverage service is limited to coffee and drinks, the compact downtown strip starts right at your door, and includes enough restaurants, bars, and shops to sustain you for the length of your stay.