Stinson Beach
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Stinson Beach
Re: Reasonable Family Summer Vacation 2-3 weeks (March 2006)
Last summer I went to Stinson Beach for a week with my 14 year old daughter. We live in
Berkeley and wanted a different kind of vacation. Not expensive and easy to get to. We
were there at the begining of August and the weather was fantastic! We stayed at a place
right in town called Ocean Court Motel. It had two Queen beds in a large room but they
were in nooks and felt very seperate, a living and dining area and a KITCHEN with a full
sized refrigerator. It was about $650 for the week (more if you stay over the weekend).
The website is http://www.oceancourt.ws. It's a small place. The people who run it are
very nice. It's very kid-friendly. They have videos and games that you can borrow (a good
selection too!), a cat, the daily newspaper, and good art on the walls! We brought all of
our food which worked out really well. We ended up eating out once or twice. It's about
two blocks from the main beach. You can rent boogie boards and wet suits (the water is
cold-to adults-all year round) in town as well as get ice cream and oysters. There are
short driving trips you can take from Stinson, but we never got back into the car until
we had to leave! We had such a relaxing time, walks on the beach everyday, I gave my
daughter art classes, watch the sun set in the evening, walks on the beach at night, and
we even had a relative visit us there! There are a few shops in town, including a small
food store for things you forgot or ran out of. There is also a Shakespeare theater
company that puts on productions in the summer that you could check out. I would
definetly go back, though my daughter now would probably like to bring a friend. If you
like the beach, Stinson is the real thing. wishing I was there now!
Re: A quiet couple days away with kids (Nov 2005)
Try Stinson Beach in Marin. Small town, and quiet especially this
time of year. Rent a house (we like Highway One Properties -
http://www.hwyoneprop.com/) or there's a few motels (which I
can't vouch for, we always rent.) There's great hiking, a cute
*little* playground in town, and of course, the beach, the
biggest playground of all. A great place to go to unwind. Only an
hour away.
http://www.stinsonbeachonline.com/
-Loves the beach
Re: Beach on Peninsula for families (June 2005)
We love Stinson Beach in Marin! The drive is curvy up Highway
One, but once your at the National Park (free parking), the
parking is easy but go early on weekends, the walk is short, the
waves are gentle and my kids 5, 7 can walk out a pretty long way
without getting higher than their hips so we feel it's
comfortable. The fog often goes north and south of Stinson so
it will often be sunny when other beaches aren't. If it gets
foggy, they have a cute kids park in town (just through the
pathway at the National Park) that the kids love with a snack
bar. About an hour to and hour and 15 minutes. We often rent
out there through Highway One Properties 415-868-0288 or
www.hwyoneprop.com. Ask for a kid friendly house. Good Luck!
bmaurer
Re: Family Getaway within 2hr of SF (Feb 2005)
Have you looked at Stinson Beach? It's in West Marin, I would say
about an hour total drive time from SF, and a great small beach
town. There's several rental agencies that work in town,
including Highway One Properties (http://www.hwyoneprop.com/) who
we've had luck with in the past. It's a small town (1,000
residents) with a beautiful beach, some good restaurants, close
to Muir Woods, Point Reyes, etc. Good Luck
anon
Re: Family Getaway within 2hr of SF (Feb 2005)
Hi,
Try Stinson Beach-only about an hour from the East Bay. We went
twice last summer with family, had a blast (perfect weather both
times, which I think may be unusual). I would particularly
recommend any time after Labor Day, although we went Labor Day
weekend, and also mid-June last year. There is a rental agency
right in town, next to the surf shop, that has virtually any
size or shape house you need.
Amazingly, once you get over that hill to the Beach it feels
like you are hours from any major happenings. Very relaxing!
Janice
April 2005
It's my 40th birthday and I'd love to have a houseful of friends at a beach
(river, ocean, lake) setting within an hour of Berkeley. Am I asking too
much? Ideally this house (or cabins?) would have space for a dozen
out of town adults w/their kids as our guests for the weekend, and space
that would allow for a group of locals to come for the big bash, too. If this
doesn't sound like a great way to go do you have any other
suggestions? Before kids we would have camped, but with one child
still napping sometimes twice a day we can't risk his sleep mix-ups and
the ripple effect on us adults. Unless of course you know of a group
campsite that is removed enough from the sounds of other
campers...Any and all suggestions welcome! Oh, and of course cost is a
factor, too. Thanks!
Stinson Beach has rentals. Also along the beach is a
development called ''Seadrift'' with larger, fancier (and more
expensive) places to rent.
Pajaro Dunes halfway between Santa Cruz and Monterey is worth a
look, although it's closer to 2 hours from the East Bay.
Stinson Beach in west Marin is great, look at
http://www.stinsonbeachonline.com/
to get an idea, there are also links to rental agencies/rental
houses in town. With that many people you're probably looking at
renting two houses. There's a community center in Stinson that
you could rent for a big party (also on the website.)
Re: Weekend getaways near water (March 2003)
Our family rents houses at Stinson Beach at Sea Drift. You can
log onto their website www.seadriftrealty.com. You can rent a
more affordable house on the lagoon side. Some have 2-3 day
rentals and weekly.
Ali
Jan 2003
For a weekend getaway with my gal pals, I'd like to rent a large
house in Pt. Reyes, Stinson Beach, Muir Beach or another
similarly picturesque (and relatively nearby) spot. I'm seeking
recommendions for rental agencies dealing with that area.
Margaret
To rent a house at Stinson in last June I used Highway One
Properties. I found them on the web. The website is very
informative w/ photos of the offered properties. They are
courteous and helpful. The A frame cottage I rented had 2
bedrooms and a full pull out couch plus a guest cottage out
back. That might work for you. It was close to the beach but no
view. I think it was One Alameda. There was fresh fruit and
baked goods waiting when we arrived.
Jessica
We have used Seadrift Realty in Stinson the past two years and
have been very happy with their Stinson Beach home rentals.
They are pricey, but the locations can't be beat. Here is the
link: http://www.seadriftrealty.com.
Beach Lovers
From: Sarah (2/99)
Rental properties at Stinson Beach are handled by Oceanic Realty in
Stinson. They can be reached at (415) 868-0717. Good luck!
April 2003
Re: Intimate Wedding Home Rental
I highly recommend looking at Stinson Beach for homes there for
your situation. Stinson is a beautiful one-hour drive north of
SF, just close enough for local folks to go home but affordable
enough to stay over at a local hotel if desired. We rented 3
houses for family & guests, of a variety of sizes and locations
(but had the wedding itself on the beach and the party at the
community center.) One house we got was right off the beach and
definitely big enough that you could fit 25 indoors: it had a
deck, large living room/dining area where we had the rehearsal
dinner with 40 people sitting on various sofas, small and large
tables. Another was on the lagoon side of things and also
beautiful. If you can go a bit farther afield, there are also a
great variety of vacation rentals at Bodega Bay, Sea Ranch or
Mt. Helena, Calistoga/Napa, 2+ hours north. You can usually get
referrals to appropriate vacation rentals through the local
Chamber of Commerce (Marin county, Sonoma County, Napa County,
etc.)
Have fun and good luck!
Margi
Daytrip to Stinson Beach with Teens
From: Ginger
Date: August 14, 1997
Here is a fun day trip to do with older kids. One day last week I
played hooky from work and took my two sons, 12 and 14, to Stinson
Beach for the day. We all had a great time. I highly recommend doing
this on a summer weekday: being at the beach instead of at work just
adds to the pleasure!
Stinson is about 1.5 hours from Berkeley, via 80, 101, and 1. If
you haven't visited, it is one of the most popular beaches around.
It's a long, broad sandy beach with plenty of restrooms, changing
rooms, and a snack bar. We avoided it when the kids were younger
because it gets so crowded, and it is not as picturesque as some
of the other beaches like Muir, Limentour and Pt. Reyes. However,
to a kid, the fun ratio just goes up as the number of people
increases on the beach. So my kids like Stinson best now.
We set out at 9:30am - we wanted to get an an early start but
also avoid the morning rush hour. (We caught the deadly afternoon
traffic on the way home though, between 101 and the Richmond bridge).
We brought a cooler with drinks and a bag of cookies but
did not go to the trouble of packing a lunch - you can buy a
hamburger or hotdog at the snack bar for under $4.
What to bring for the kids: dry clothes, a boogie board & a wetsuit.
We have our own but you can rent them at Marin Surf Shop right on
the way, as we did for a friend. The boogie board is $8 and wetsuit
$10 for the day. That's all you really need for the kids. You can
bring them a towel and a chair and books & toys and so on but they
will be in the water all day except when they are woofing down
hamburgers from the snack bar, and they can sit directly on the sand
for that!
What to bring for yourself: a chair, an umbrella, a good book, and
some snacks. Just sit back and enjoy yourself - hours of
uninterrupted reading in a lovely setting is yours except for the
occasional "MOM!!! DID YOU SEE THAT WAVE I JUST CAUGHT??!!!" but the
waves crashing on the shore are loud so you can pretend you didn't
hear them. Every once in a while, just look up from your book and
smile and give them the thumbs up. Another feature: the ongoing
sibling feud disappears at the beach - as soon as their feet hit
the sand they love each other and have a great time together. Hmm...
Don't forget to bring sunscreen - even on a foggy day (which we had)
they can get burned. The wetsuit will keep them warm though and
they will have a great time no matter what the weather is like.
Also, as usual around here, come prepared for any kind of weather -
a hooded sweatshirt over a T-shirt and shorts over a swimsuit is
about right for this time of year.
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