( Sunset.com ) -- Listen to the ocean from your room in one of these lesser-known inns along California 's jaw-dropping Pacific coastline . Coast Guard House Historic Inn in Point Arena , California . Atop a bluff and offering nose-bleed views of the major highway for gray whales -- - aka the Pacific Ocean -- is this Cape Cod-style seaside estate from 1901 , with slatted ceilings , vintage photographs , and piles of firewood near the basement . Check in : It 's hard to shake the Agatha Christie vibe at the windswept inn , what with the grandfather clock ominously stopped at 4:20 , a house dog named Winston , and a Friday-night wine and cheese party where you meet the other suspects , ahem , guests . Two cottages and four rooms are shipshape cozy . From $ 165 , breakfast included ; two-night weekend minimum ; coastguardhouse.com . Explore : Tiny Point Arena is n't exactly booming , but nearby are sand dunes , pocket beaches , the Point Arena Light Station and the great Pinots of Anderson Valley . -- Christine Richard . Sunset.com : 33 perfect summer trips . Two Harbors on Catalina Island , California . On the far side of Catalina , away from the main town of Avalon , is Two Harbors , a tiny boaters ' haven that feels like an island on the island . Check in : For all the isolation , you do n't have to rough it here . In addition to boat-in and walk-in campgrounds , Two Harbors has the Banning House Lodge in the vacation home of Catalina 's onetime owners . All 12 rooms have views of the harbor . From $ 128 . Explore : At Two Harbors , you can snorkel through swaying kelp beds and kayak to hidden coves . Steep trails lead into the Catalina backcountry . Or just stroll across the isthmus and look out over the Pacific : next stop , Hawaii , 2,500 miles away . -- Matthew Jaffe . Sunset.com : 10 places for your life list . Timber Cove Inn on Sonoma Coast , California . A narrow ribbon of road clings , against all odds , to a grassy slope that plummets into the Pacific along this overlooked coastline with views to infinity . Check in : It always had the million-dollar spot on a solitary rocky point above the waves , and its rugged lodge look and soaring lounge have n't changed . But with new ownership and a cash infusion , Timber Cove has shed its swinging '70s decor and gone for a more streamlined , romantic look . Private decks are perfect for whale-watching and sharing a Sonoma Coast Pinot . From $ 169 . Explore : Pull off at Salt Point State Park to ramble by wild-colored succulents and alien rock formations carved by the sea . $ 7 per vehicle . -- Lisa Trottier . Sunset.com : Top 10 national park beaches . Cass House Inn & Restaurant in Cayucos , California . The small surf town of Cayucos has remained miraculously immune to over-development for decades , despite its great wines to the east and white sandy beaches to the west . Check in : The elaborate breakfast ( included ! ) is nearly as good as chef Jensen Lorenzen 's seasonally inspired dinner ( if it 's on the evening menu , the oxtail soup is a must ) . But the best part about the 1800s Cass House ? That would be twin sisters Grace Lorenzen ( the innkeeper ) and Carla Wingett ( groundskeeper ) , who manage the organic garden and the five impeccably turned-out guestrooms . From $ 165 . Explore : With sand dunes climbing hundreds of feet above miles-long beaches and eucalyptus-lined hiking trails , the Montaña de Oro park ( a 25-minute drive away ) is a must . -- Jaimal Yogis . Sunset.com : 10 great one-night escapes . Avila Lighthouse Suites on Avila Beach , California . Remember those beach vacations you took with your parents back in the day ? Sandy motel floors , over-chlorinated pools and too much junk food ? Tiny Avila Beach , smack at the midway point of California 's Central Coast , is that throwback beach town , upgraded for your new , adult standards . Check in : Yes , kids love the pool , the giant chess game , even the putt-putt golf green at Avila Lighthouse Suites , but lush landscaping , a location to die for ( the motel is maybe 10 steps from the beach ) , and 54 large guest suites with low-key nautical decor and mini kitchens make the grown-ups giddy too . From $ 229 . Explore : Avila Beach is tailor-made for strolling around in your flip-flops eating ice cream . But if you tire of that , take a docent-led 3.5-mile hike on Pecho Coast Trail ( 9 a.m . Sat ; free , reservations required ) to Point San Luis Lighthouse ( $ 5 ) . -- Samantha Schoech . Sunset - Get Your Weekly Guide to Sunset - food , homes and travel . Sign up for our e-mail newsletter . Copyright 2004-2011 Sunset magazine . All rights reserved .
Timber Cove Inn sits on a solitary rocky point above the Sonoma Coast . Like to snorkel or kayak ? Check out five Harbors on Hawaii . Sunset has an organic garden and Two guestrooms .