Our Cambria Mini Moon
Our Cambria Mini Moon
As you may already know, my partner and I got married on April 10th of this year! It felt incredible to finally be the one on the other side of the camera, getting to experience the thrill of your wedding day and all that comes with it! It was the most perfect day ever, one I’ll never forget. But today I’m here to talk about something different, and that is our Cambria Mini Moon that we took the following weekend to this darling little beach town a couple hours south of San Francisco.
We actually booked the trip super last minute! We knew we wanted to go on a Mini Moon but we were so overwhelmed with all the last minute wedding planning details that we didn’t find the time to research and book anything before the wedding! So we actually booked the trip about two days before we left. 😂 Classic Skyler and Rainbow doing everything at the last minute. Regardless of that fact, it was absolutely amazing.
Why We Chose a Cambria Mini Moon
Cambria was actually recommended to us by a couple of our friends! We decided on it because we wanted a coastal town we’d never visited before, preferable south (because we’ve been north so many times before). It was also just far enough away to really feel like somewhere totally different, making it ideal for a Mini Moon adventure.
The whole trip was Thursday – Sunday, the perfect length for a little getaway the weekend following our big day. (We actually have another, much bigger trip planned for September. Will share more on that at a later date.)
On Thursday we made the long drive south, having no specific plans set in stone, but knowing we wanted to do a little bit of wine tasting along the way. After doing some googling in the passenger seat of our car, we finally landed on The Lone Madrone Tasting Room.
We pulled into the winery on the most beautiful and sunny day we could have asked for. We ordered two tastings and sat on their patio, enjoying the sounds of the birds and bees humming nearby. The story really begins here because upon telling our server that we were headed west for a Cambria Mini Moon getaway, she immediately had recommendations. She told us about a “secret beach” that required a short hike to get there. Oh, and there was an incredible sandwich shop nearby so we could grab our lunch to go ahead of time! We took notes, said our thanks, and were on our way to Cambria!
We stayed at El Colibri Hotel and Spa. Sounds fancy, I know. 😂 (This is not a promotion for the hotel. It was neither terrible nor great. Would we stay there again? Maybe. We like to shop around when we’re looking for somewhere to stay.) Anyway, we chose that spot because it was in between Moonstone Beach and downtown Cambria, meaning we could walk to both relatively easily.
First Night, Moonstone Beach
That first night we walked the path to Moonstone Beach and watched the sunset. The beach was littered with velella velella, the little blue windsurfer jellies that sometimes wash onto the shore. I feel bad for the little guys, but they are really pretty when they’re scattered across the beach in wave-like designs. After sunset, we went to town for dinner. Our first night we ate at Linn’s Restaurant. It was absolutely delicious and they had vegan options for my boo! Would highly recommend!
Day One, Secret Beach Adventure
Our first full day was spent heading to the secret beach that our server told us about. (Sorry, but I’m not going to share the pin here.) First stop – sandwiches from Sebastian’s General Store. After perusing their cute general store while we waited for our sandwiches (I’m still shocked we didn’t walk out of that store with a bunch of cute merch), we packed our backpack and started our hike to the beach. It wasn’t very long at all, but you do have to do a bit of searching for where exactly you can get down to the water. While we were searching for the best spot, we came across the most epic coastline full of tide pools!!! I was absolutely STOKED to say the least.
First we made our way back to the beach where we enjoyed our (semi-warm now) sandwiches. Rainbow took a dip in the water and I searched for treasures along the shoreline. Two other locals made their way to the beach while we were there, but we otherwise had the place completely to ourselves! It was absolutely incredible.
After we soaked up our beach time, we of course went back to the tide pools. We must have spent well over two hours exploring the pools and catching critters! From hermit crabs to sea anemones and even a tiny starfish, there was life everywhere! We had so much fun, I could have spent all day there!
Before making our way back to the car, we made a quick trip down the pier. Lucky us, we actually spotted an otter in the water! It was so cute just chilling on its back. The pier is really neat and there’s also a visitor’s center nearby that we stopped into before leaving on our hike.
We enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the car before heading back to the hotel. After a hot shower, it was time to head into town and grab some dinner. This time we walked to Indigo Moon Restaurant. Another great option. Fantastic food and even better service! 10/10!
Day Two, Downtown Cambria
Our second full day of our Cambria Mini Moon was a downtown adventure. We walked from our hotel with no specific destination in mind. Downtown Cambria is just as charming as you’d expect a southern California coastal town to be. We checked out a myriad of shops, restaurants, trails, and even the old jail from 1888. We enjoyed an incredible late lunch at Robin’s Restaurant. I don’t know how we got so lucky with every place we ate at, but every single one of them was a banger.
After a long day exploring town, we walked back to the hotel, grabbed a bottle of champagne and walked back to Moonstone Beach to enjoy the water after dark. (No, we didn’t go swimming! We just sat on the beach and drank some champs.) It was perfect.
Also, I tried one of my first ever long exposures on film. It was hand held (so very blurry), but I kinda like the effect it made. It was of the night sky. Check it out below.
We wished so badly that we had another full day to chill out and explore other cool spots in and around Cambria. We weren’t able to make it to Hearst Castle, but that’s on our list for another visit.
All in all, I would highly recommend a Cambria Mini Moon or weekend getaway if you’re looking for a charming California coastal escape. It’s so cute and there’s plenty of things to explore and do! If you’ve ever been before and have additional recommendations, please drop them in the comments section below! If you’re considering Cambria for your next little getaway adventure, I hope you were able to get some useful information from this blog. 🙂
If you enjoyed this post, you may also love:
What I Learned From Planning My Own Wedding in San Francisco (As a Wedding Photographer)
June 3, 2026
Be the first to comment