During our first visit to San Francisco with our daughter, we took a break from the busy city and headed south to Half Moon Bay – a laid back and quaint town in between San Fran and Santa Cruz.
Known for it’s boutique hotels, independently owned shops and restaurants and kid friendly activities, we spent an entire day exploring and eating.
We left San Francisco around 8 AM in the morning and headed to Half Moon Bay’s most famous brunch at Navio – inside the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay – where we feasted on caviar, duck prosciutto, crab filled soup dumplings, sushi, prime rib, ceviche and of course a ton of dessert.
We walked down the path from the Ritz Carlton to towards the beach while our daughter napped in her stroller.
In the afternoon we spent some time at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve searching for water critters in the tide pools.
We ended our day near the harbor just outside Oceano Hotel and feasted on what else – seafood!
We found an empty picnic table and ate fish and chips from Barbara’s Fish Trap (hands down, it is the BEST fish and chips we’ve had so far) and a lobster roll with chowder from Sam’s Chowder House.
More meat than bread — my kind of lobster roll!
If you’re looking for a day or two away from the hustle and bustle of San Fran, I’d highly recommend visiting Half Moon Bay.
Tips for Visiting Half Moon Bay
If you’re planning on having brunch at Navio inside Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay – arrive with an empty stomach. This is a pricey brunch ringing in at over $100 per person and you want to make sure you have room to try at least one of everything!
Be prepared to order takeout at Sam’s Chowder House. We were told the wait for a table was close to 2 hours.
Depending on when you’re visiting, be prepared to be stuck in traffic on your way to Half Moon Bay. We visited on a Saturday and had to make several pit stops for bathroom breaks. An extra large iced coffee before leaving the city was a very bad idea!
Beautiful place…
The feast plate looked beautiful. Love the boat photo too. And I would love to eat the Lobster.
Wow..Half Moon Bay. Never been. I love that lobster roll photo; it’s making me drool.
I’m liking all your tips. Navio sounds/looks delicious, but that’s what I would expect from Ritz-Carlton. I love lobster rolls but rarely have a chance to enjoy one. The little shellfish in the tidepool look exactly like somthing my children would enjoy.
That’s true – the pricing is pretty much on par for what you’d expect from an RC hotel. We just don’t do these types of meals very often which was why there was a bit of sticker shock LOL!
Looks like a beautiful place to visit! I have never been to California. I guess I have another place to add to my travel bucket list!
That part of California is nice, easy with kids. i need to get back there soon! I love a good lobster roll, too!
I love all the tide pools that you find on the Pacific Coast. I’ve never seen one on any of the beaches I’ve visited on the East Coast. I visited San Diego years ago with friends and we were in awe of the anemones and sea urchins we found nestled between the cracks in the rock where the water pooled. I wish we’d taken the time to visit more beaches on our road trip last fall so my kids could have seen some. Maybe next time around.
I wonder if tide pools are a West Coast thing — this was our first time seeing one actually in North America.
Looks like a beautiful place to visit!
What a lovely beach and omg the food looks amazing!!
What a beautiful place! We are moving to the United States this summer. .. hoping to get to California and spend some time with my brother in law and his wife and our niece.
the desserts look amazing