So David and I love nature, but we also love to pamper ourselves. When we planned a California adventure, of course the first place we went to, after landing in San Francisco, was a stay in Pigeon Point Lighthouse.
While you cannot actually stay inside the light house, you can stay in one of the 5 adjacent houses. And what made it so pampering? Right on the cliffside, with panoramic views of the Pacific, is a neat lil hot tub. No it’s not fancy in any way. But when you’re 50 miles south of San Fran, and headed into the beautifully desolate Big Sur, a small ocean side hot tub can be quite the luxury, and since this is a green hostel, at a very affordable price.
The drive down to this beautiful lighthouse, is actually quite a scenic one, since you can follow iconic route 1 down. This highway hugs the beautifully sculpted coast; we actually took a break right before we got down there to admire the views. The hostel does have parking, but you need to check in first. Also if you just want to check the hot tub out and then split, I’m afraid you cannot do that. While the proprietors of Pigeon Point, seem to be the very quintessential free loving Californian you imagine, they still require you stay at their place first; hot tub privileges are for overnight guests only. And yes there is a small ($8) fee to access paid when you sign up, but when you consider that this is a small business who also aides in taking care of a historic light house, it really seems like no fee.
This place is great for the lonely backpacker, however because the hot tub is pretty secluded the Hostel requires you have a partner to keep you safe! But this is a hostel so it’s the perfect opportunity to make new friends. Lucky for us that night we were the only visitors in that time slot so it was like having a private hot tub, for a brief period of time. The slots are only for afternoon to early night, so we brought out our binoculars, relaxed our travel weary bones and did some star-gazing. It truly was an idyllic night, silently relaxing in the cool Californian night, embraced by the warm water, watching the stars and listening to waves crash on the shore just below.
And in case you were wondering, while again entry inside is closed, the lighthouse still functions. It was a beautiful sight-seeing the ray of light hit the ocean, and it’s one of the many times I regret not having a fancy camera and couldn’t capture it, but instead the memory of the beauty of the beams of light piercing the bejeweled night sky, will forever live on in my mind. And I guess that’s how the best experiences are remembered, through memory and emotion.
If you ever find yourself in the bay area and want to make a short pampering getaway, this is the place to go. Especially if you’re an animal lover: The next morning as we explored the grounds, we had breakfast near some amazing looking birds, and right near some California sea lions, which are quite literally everywhere up and down this coast!
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