Quiet Luxury in California: The Best Coastal Towns to Escape the Crowds

Quiet luxury in California isn’t defined by extravagance. It’s the chance to immerse yourself in a tranquil setting, enjoying leisurely mornings that might include waking up to the sounds of the waves, and sipping locally roasted coffee on a terrace with a panoramic ocean view. Spend the afternoon strolling the sands or exploring redwood groves with few others around, concluding with a colorful sunset and an evening savoring seasonal sea- and farm-to-table cuisine paired with regional wines.

Born and raised in California, I’ve spent lots of time exploring the entire coastline, discovering coastal towns that offer space to breathe and reflect while enjoying some of the country’s most beautiful shores. These destinations offer all that and more, including opportunities for some memorable indulgences on the side. 

Often compared to Ireland’s west coast, the Mendocino coast is a ruggedly beautiful stretch where wildflower-covered bluffs and hidden coves with pale golden sands meet the crashing waves of the Pacific. Just offshore, dramatic rock formations are revealed behind the mist. This is where you’ll find the charming village of the same name, with its saltbox cottages and Victorian homes set atop a bluff overlooking the ocean. It’s the perfect place for quiet luxury, with many of its historic buildings now housing vintage and antique stores, unique boutiques, art galleries, bookshops, and restaurants. 

The village is surrounded by picturesque trails that wind along the coast, providing the opportunity for scenic strolls, for views of arches, blowholes, sea caves, and the Pacific. Head in the opposite direction, and you’ll discover magnificent redwood forests. Wine enthusiasts will find plenty of places to sample the region’s wines, with Mendocino Wine Country producing a diverse range, taking advantage of the wide range of microclimates, although Pinot Noir is the most dominant. 

Located at the southern end of the Mendocino Coast just north of Sonoma County, Gualala is a laid-back, artsy community surrounded by towering cliffs overlooking the Gualala River. It’s an ideal blend of tranquility and unspoiled natural beauty with plenty of opportunities to get active while enjoying breathtaking views. Head to Salt Pointe State Park to hike the 20 miles of trails along the coast and through the forest, peer into tidepools teeming with marine life, or even dive in the underwater park. Gualala Point Regional Park is home to a large beach where crowds are virtually unheard of and offers access to the three-mile-long Bluff Top Trail, featuring cypress groves, panoramic ocean views, and the perfect vantage point for watching whales from November through March.

In town, there are art galleries, independent shops selling unique handmade artisan items, and a variety of dining options from casual seafood eateries to upscale ocean-view restaurants. Just over a mile south is the renowned Sea Ranch Golf Links, a bucket-list destination for golfers across the globe. 

In the tiny, quiet village of Bodega Bay, the only noise you’ll usually hear is that of the waves and the birds. That said, while this was the setting for Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” there are no worries about being attacked by gulls. You will find the perfect place to relax and explore, including a two-mile-long sandy beach in Doran Regional Park, popular for beachcombing, kite flying, sandcastle building, picnicking, or just unwinding with a view. The Bodega Head Trail at the top of Bodega Head bluffs provides an easy one-mile trek, looping around the peninsula’s southern end, with breathtaking views of the ocean and the bay. Depending on the time of year, you can enjoy colorful wildflowers or watch for whales. 

After a day enjoying nature, you might indulge in a spa treatment at The Lodge at Bodega Bay before dining on fresh-caught seafood while enjoying a stunning coastal view at Rocker Oysterfeller’s at the Wharf, located right on the water. 

The little hamlet of Jenner is a postcard-perfect community at the north end of the 17-mile-long Sonoma Coast State Park, overlooking the Russian River where it meets the ocean. While there isn’t much in the way of amenities, you’ll find enough to get by. There’s a cafe for enjoying your morning latte, sandwiches for lunch, and Dungeness crab for dinner, along with fine dining at River’s End Restaurant & Inn. 

There are secluded beaches separated by grassy headlands, perfect for relaxing while watching for wildlife. From March through July, the area serves as a breeding ground for hundreds of Pacific harbor seals. During seal pupping season between March and May, scopes and binoculars are set up for viewing. 

While it may be just an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, the Point Reyes National Seashore includes an 80-mile stretch of wild, rugged coastline with often empty sandy beaches. Visitors can stay in the quiet unincorporated community of Inverness, home to the Saltwater Oyster Depot, or the main gateway of Point Reyes Station. It has a bakery and multiple restaurants, like the famous Station House Cafe for farm- and sea-to-table dining. 

No matter where you stay, you can look to hiking scenic trails along the coast, through rolling foothills and forests, visit the Point Reyes Lighthouse, and watch for wildlife. Harbor seals are often spotted on rocks along the shoreline, while whales can be seen almost year-round, including humpbacks, gray whales, fin whales, and blue whales. Tamales Bay, the eastern boundary of Point Reyes National Seashore, is where you’ll often see a herd of tule elk. 

Muir Beach is a tiny unincorporated community that shares its zipcode with Sausalito, just nine miles west. While it can draw the crowds with its San Francisco skyline views, here you’ll enjoy a fabulous sense of seclusion. Accommodation is limited to the historic Pelican Inn with its British-style pub, and vacation rental properties that are perfect for soaking up quiet luxury. While there are quite a few spectacular homes here in the hills that surround the sands of Muir Beach, some were originally built as summer cabins in the early 20th century, when the area was known as Bello Beach. 

A stay here will provide access to the beauty of the coast and the majestic redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument nearby. Trails meander among the towering trees to Bohemian Grove and Cathedral Grove, and along Redwood Creek. 

For a quiet, sophisticated escape with lots of high-end luxury, head to Carmel-by-the-Sea, tucked between Monterey and Big Sur. It has a charming, walkable village with art galleries displaying works from local and internationally renowned artists, chic boutiques, wine-tasting rooms, upscale dining (including Michelin-starred restaurants), and whimsical storybook cottages inspired by illustrations in Grimms’ Fairy Tales. History enthusiasts can visit the Carmel Mission Basilica. Originally built in 1797, it’s a National Historic Landmark and one of the most authentically restored of its kind in the state. 

The natural beauty is nearly endless, from Carmel Beach at the foot of Ocean Avenue, one of the most iconic on the Central Coast, to destinations nearby like Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. It offers hiking trails, hidden coves with idyllic beaches, opportunities for swimming, and watching wildlife like sea lions, harbor seals, and whales. 

If you want to enjoy the many amenities in Carmel-by-the-Sea and nearby Monterey while staying in a lesser-known destination, consider Pacific Grove at the tip of the Monterey Peninsula. It’s home to Lovers Point Park and Beach, aptly named as one of the most romantic settings in the region, popular for outdoor weddings with an ocean backdrop. If you’re up for an early wake-up call, it’s also one of the few places on the entire West Coast where you can watch the sun rise over the Pacific. Closeby, you can walk the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreational Trail that stretches for 18 miles along the shoreline. Visiting in October? Don’t miss the thousands of monarch butterflies in the Monarch sanctuary.

You don’t have to leave Pacific Grove to enjoy shopping and dining unless you really want to, with a walkable downtown area lined with Victorian buildings home to art galleries, boutiques, cafes, and restaurants. 

Cambria is a seaside gem in San Luis Obispo County, located about midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, less than 10 miles south of Hearst Castle (a must-visit attraction). Enjoy the small-town charms and artsy, bohemian vibe while exploring Cambria’s main street, stopping in to browse antique shops and boutiques before sampling the gastronomic scene, with everything from wine-tasting rooms to cozy bistros and more upscale eateries. 

When it comes to nature, Moonstone Beach is one of the crown jewels of Cambria, with driftwood-strewn sands and a boardwalk running alongside it. From here, you can watch the massive elephant seals that lounge on the rocks below. While on the beach itself, look for the “moonstones” it was named for, which are actually pebbles polished over time by the waves, made up of polished, ocean-tumbled pebbles of jasper and chalcedony quartz.

Morro Bay offers a quieter, slow-paced village atmosphere, although it attracts tourists for its picturesque waterfront, marine life, and iconic rock. You won’t find any intense crowds or hopping nightlife, but there are enticing locally owned shops, including venues selling antiques and vintage items, and ocean-view restaurants serving sea-to-table fare, including the daily local catch. 

Morro Rock, a towering volcanic plug that’s been the symbol of the town since its founding in 1870, has been designated as a bird sanctuary for peregrine falcons and other birds. But what makes it so popular is the sea otters that can be seen floating nearby. Take a stroll on the Morro Bay Harborwalk or paddle through the calm waters for a close-up look. Whale watching tours depart nearby, while Morro Strand State Beach offers a 6-mile stretch of sand. 

About a two-hour drive south of Morro Bay in the Santa Barbara area, affluent Montecito provides an incredibly tranquil, sophisticated vibe with high-end boutiques and restaurants where you might spot a celebrity or two. In fact, this is the home of Prince Harry and Meghan Market’s nearly $15 million estate. 

There’s plenty of nature to enjoy too, including one of the most magnificent stretches of coastline, from Fernald’s Point to Butterfly Beach, an ideal vantage point for watching glorious sunsets. If you like to hike, head to the hills with a wide range of trails from easy treks to more challenging climbs. On a clear day, you can see all the way from Santa Barbara to the Channel Islands. 

Less than 10 miles from Montecito, Carpinteria is a peaceful, unpretentious town with a pedestrian-friendly main street lined with mom-and-pop-style shops, antique stores, and intimate cafes serving gourmet cuisine. The eight-block commercial core stretches from Carpinteria to Carpinteria City Beach, which gave the town its slogan: “world’s safest beach.”

The beach offers a mile of sand for strolling, tidepools to search, and calm water for swimming. Just north, you can hike the trails in Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park for outstanding birdwatching. Or, head to the Coastal Vista Trail in the Caprinteria Bluffs Nature Reserve near the Harbor Seal Rookery. Between December and May, you can watch seals with their pups from the bluffs.