- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Half Moon Bay Inn
Rating Details »
401 Main St
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 726-1177
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 726-1177
Fall on the coast
Enjoy all the coast side has to offer then come to The…
More »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$$
24 reviews for Half Moon Bay Inn
HMB inn was like a gentle breeze on a sunny day: warm and inviting, yet refreshing, laid back, and comfortable. The pics on the website are pretty accurate, but it's only upon arrival that you'll feel superglad you picked this place instead of a chain hotel. It fits right into the intimate feel of the town.
Jaime, the friendly innkeeper, accommodates guests well with clean, kept, sun-drenched rooms and little touches such as pillow chocolates and complimentary Harney & Sons teas (check cabinet down the hall). I also experienced my 1st toilet paper rose -- so chic, ha! ;-) We fell in love w/ room #8 immediately -- so quaint, albeit a bit small. I also liked the terracotta terrace adjoining room #7, where our friends were -- like a private patio!
As much as I loved HMB Inn during the day, it was really noisy at night and you could hear every little step in the hallway. I also kept wishing it was a bed-and-breakfast instead of just bed, period. The perfect location smack in the center of Main Street makes up for a lot though. A solid 4 stars.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
I am happy to report that the owner of the Half Moon Bay Inn contacted me immediately to provide service recovery from my experience at this hotel. I am in the business of serving customers and at times you just don't hit the mark. The owner went out of her way to turn things around and given how important it was for her to do this, has motivated me to return to the hotel. I give her four stars for making this right! THANKS
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
10/18/2009
NEVER AGAIN!!!! Here's the story....To celebrate the 2009 Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival, my husband… Read more »
Grab your partner, bring your dog, this was an excellent choice.
HMB Inn was friendly, easy going with a nice personal touch, even while they are renovating their restaurant. We stayed in the Familia Suite which was great with its private entrance right into downtown. While during the day, you have a bustle of noise coming in, at night it was completely peaceful enough to hear the ocean on a full moon.
Beds and sheets where comfortable and the price was great when compared to other places and especially when you consider we brought our mutt and saved on 2-3 days of boarding. Because of the day bed, this room would be perfect for a set of kids or two (just not octuplets).
The decor is kitchy. Think Pancho Villa meets Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns. Bathrobes soft. Stand up twin shower was roomy.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
I stay in the "Romantic Suite" and yes it was very romantic and cozy. The bed was super comfy and the robes were super luxed out, I felt kind of like a diva (the female version of a hustla). The entire ambiance of the room was very sensual and peaceful and the complementary bottle of red wine made even more so. The room was a reasonable price considering my stay was on Valentine's weekend. They are animal friendly which is a real surprise considering that it didn't smell that way. The staff was super friendly and helpful and nice. Perfect for a little weekend getaway to the coast.
I'd really rather give it 3.5 stars, but I'll settle on the 3.
Unfortunately, the restaurant has been closed for officially unknown reasons, so we didn't get to sample the food which had a stellar reputation from what the locals told us. The locals also fed us a couple rumors that the closing happened due to an internal political struggle among the partners, but no one knew for sure. Regardless, I do hope it manages to re-open - really would have liked trying it.
Loved the linens and comfort of our corner-room bed. Everything was well appointed without feeling stuffy - I didn't feel a sucking sound from my wallet every time I used an amenity, in other words, and the shower rocked.
Good things about it: Very friendly staff, very easy to find, good parking, convenient to everything in HMB. Good value for the room, outstanding linens, nice in-room coffee.
Just a couple minor gripes....
I come from the land of air conditioning, so on our first night, I set the thermostat to about 65 degrees because we liked a cooler room. And around 2 in the morning we woke dripping with sweat in a stifling oven. Realized right then that the thermostat controlled the heater - I'm guessing that "65" on it meant "Add 65 degrees to room temp." Shutting that off and opening the windows helped tremendously....
...but that's your downside. With the windows open, you hear every diesel truck in HMB (and there are lots, apparently) going past your window at 7 am. HMB's a town full of morning people, and while I'm a morning person, too, there's early and then there's EARLY. Managed to tune it out some, but light sleepers will have a hard time with that some mornings.
Only other gripe was that I had to engineer an impromptu corkscrew one night by actually corking the bottle. Found a drawer full of them the next day by asking about them (7-11 didn't have them, either. Seriously? In NorCal? No corkscrews?) but it would be nice if they had stuck one in the room or made a note of it, because I'm not in the habit of digging through drawers in common areas of hotels.
It was a pleasant place to stay, and I enjoyed it. Would have liked it better if the restaurant and bar had been open, but I guess that was just the timing of the thing.
A weekend rate ran $400 for two nights, taxes included, which is about average for the area, and considerably lower than if we'd stayed on the water. Beach was only an 8 minute drive away.
Good place. Just a minus on the climate control. :)
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (3)
This was my second stay here, which should say something.
Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed and under renovation when I stayed this time. Oh, well.
The room I stayed in (#8, I think) was cozy, would be small for two, but fine for me. There was a small wine bar (glasses, corkscrew, ice bucket) in the corner, so I was able to uncork a bottle of wine I brought along.
The flat screen TV is nice, but I didn't really make much use of it. WIFI was free and reliable.
The bed... oh, the bed! Lovely sheets, fluffy pillows, down duvet, and toss. Very cushy, very comfy, and is the thing I remember most. Very cuddly on a chilly weekend. But, that's the thing - it was early december, and cold, and the place was nearly empty (good = quiet, not-so-good = paying $175 for an off-season room with no restaurant or visible signs of support (desk closed right after I checked in). But, it was a quiet stay, and I was warm and comfortable - I can't complain.
Walking distance to everything in Half Moon Bay, including two independent bookstores - a vanishing breed. (support your bookstores!)
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
Context: my wedding weekend in Half Moon Bay. Reserved the entire hotel for my guests.
HMB Inn was awesome. They gave us the weekday rates for an August weekend. The entire hotel was booked by my guests. Service was awesome, and there were no mixups. No BS extra charges for putting a guest giftbag into each room. No strict deadlines on getting rooms booked 4 months earlier. They honored the rate until two weeks before the wedding.
In fact the hotel owners went out of their way to ask me what my wedding colors were. They bought matching yellow roses for every room, just for the event. My guests loved the facility. It was dog friendly, cute and centrally located.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (2)
We were so lucky that our wedding was on a Sunday, because we could take advantage of great mid-week prices on our wedding night. We had the most amazing time in our plush, king-sized bed in a beautifully appointed room -- very Tuscan!
We felt really cared for by the innkeeper, Jamie, and her husband. They were doing even more upgrades while we were there, and every detail was great. I noticed in the guestbook that previous guests had requested robes, and sure enough, for our stay, there were plush robes.
Bring shampoo and conditioner if you're fussy about such things.
The other great thing is that this place is centrally located, so you can have a little stroll (about 3/4 mile) to the beach or just walk 1/2 a block to an awesome diner or a schmantzy restaurant.
If I had to pick just one best thing, I'd pick: the mattress. It was firm, but had a pillow-top, so you sink into it without disappearing. Covered in what have to be 1000-count sheets -- i'm so spoiled now.
Definitely recommend this romantic little spot. No breakfast served, but those b&b breakfasts can be so sub-par anyway -- head down the street to the main street cafe for chicken-apple sausage and honey-wheat pancakes.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (2)
LOVE this place. We didn't eat at the restaurant, but stayed at the inn itself.
We stayed for one night in the Lodge room, which has a comfy queen bed you can sink into with down comforter, unique decor, and luxury touches. It doesn't feel like a dumpy mom and pop B&B, but it doesn't feel ritzy either. It's just in between, which was perfect. Let's say, comfortable, low-key luxe.
The downers- the noise. If you are on the first floor like we were, you can hear the conversations of the people above you, and hence also the sounds of shoes, people shlepping their bags around, and toilet flushes. Must be the wooden floors and thin walls/ceilings. Also, they allow dogs (which could or could not be a downer for you) so the idea that a pet pooch could have been in that room the night before might creep out those not fans of pets at their accomodations.
The bathroom is handicap accessible, which means an open shower with no walls. If you are looking for privacy between the toilet and shower placement, there is none. Some people probably wouldn't like it, but it was fine with us.
The soaps and shampoo/conditioner are locally made- loved all of them! I wanted to buy some and take them home with me. All the towels are thick and fluffy, and they provide black robes that feel luxurious. These were the little touches that made us feel like we were staying in a boutique hotel.
Overall, a great stay that we would do again. Only next time, we'll be requesting a room on the second floor.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
We stayed at the HMB Inn over Memorial Day. The Inn itself was great. Warm environment, great location, friendly staff. The one down fall was the noise, you can hear EVERYTHING from the neighboring rooms and hallway. The second night I downloaded a white noise application to my phone that made all the difference.
The restaurant downstairs was a disappointment, the staff was cold and not accommodating, we ended up leaving and not even eating there. It was suggested we head over to Spanish Town by a local and the food could not have been better, just a short walk from the Inn and well worth it.
I am almost afraid to tell everyone how great this place is, afraid I'll have a hard time getting in next tme I get a chance to get away to HMB. Stayed in Hacienda Familia room with my husband and our two golden retrievers and we just had a really wonderful stay. Really great decor, superb bedding. The pet friendly patio of It's Italia is absolutely gorgeous and peaceful... and the food was wonderful. Do not pass up the martini glass salads.... scrumptous! I was anticipating a nice place but was even more impressed once I arrived and saw the gem we'd found... and the caretakers are truly wonderful, as well as the waite staff at the restaurant. Kudos... 4 paws way up!
Went to Half Moon Bay for an afternoon get away and lunch. Found this place and I have to say, I wasn't dissapointed.
We had the calamari and the clams and mussels, both were very good, the clams/mussels with that killer sauce was stellar! Had to get more bread to soak up all that goodness!
One of us had the low carb plate (with french fries?), the other the pastrami (good but really greasy) and I had the salmon sandwich. Mine was so-so. I should know better than order salmon right now, but what can I say?
The server was great, the busser was not on it at all. Couldn't fulfill simple requests, I guess he forgot?!
I'd go back, but would probably only order the clams/mussels dish, and maybe even two of them...it was that good.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Who does not love an upscale restaurant & bar that has rooms you can crawl up to when you are done? I have crawled that many a times now.
The food is pretty good, but I would like a little more variety. The cocktail & wine list is awesomely perfect (as well as the bartenders). It is pretty busy almost every day in there, understandably as the food is good. The back patio is awesome for parties and get togethers. The bar is the new night spot for the younger locals. Try the blondie brownie for dessert. it will put you right over the top!
The rooms are both wonderul and a little neglected. I have stayed in the two bedroom suites a few times. For the price, it is a spacious little apartment that you can run around and get lost from your annoying friends in. It has a complete kitchen, laundry room, living room, and bedroom. The second bedroom is actually the living room with a pull out sofa. I take it that the owner has never had to sleep on it. All of them that I have slept on are broken. Your head ends up on the floor. The main bedroom looks perfectly cozy though. Guess I better fight harder for it next time....
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Husband planned an overnight stay at the Inn for our 9th Wedding Anniversary.
Neither of us had stayed for any length of time in Half Moon Bay, and he thought this Inn looked the best via their website.
Did HE make the right choice. Only a 2 hour drive from Sacto, but it felt like a world away.
+ He got the 'romantic suite'. romantic. indeed. i'm such a hotel/motel/b&b junkie. this by far is THE BEST b&b room we've ever stayed in. bright. comfy. shabby chic. it felt like a paris apartment.
+ Included in the suite is a breakfast/kitchen/lounge room that is separate from the bedroom. Large sink, wicker chair and couch, mini fridge, plates and silverware, AND glasses WITH corkscrew ( just in case you forgot to bring yours) lovely and very thoughtful touches.
+ Flat Screen TV and large feather bed. a HUGE plus for us. the TV that is =).
+ Bathroom has shower stall, pedestal sink, and EXTRA added touch, they made the extra roll of toilet paper into a rose ( not the whole roll, but that's what i mean by touches).
+ Reasonably priced, pet friendly, and you can 'rent' by the week. if you're looking for a get away, near the beach, situated on a quaint main street ( WITHIN walking distance of two bars), and needing a quiet place to create/chill. this is it.
MAIN MINUS: we ate lunch downstairs in the restaurant ( no reflection on the hotel) and we had the crab cakes and fish tacos. i had mostly the crab cakes ( which were coconut-y and moist). scott had mostly the fish taco = mild case of food poisoning. it didn't ruin the rest of the day/eve, BUT it echoes what the owner ( VERY sweet lady) told scott, "make reservations at Pasta Moon".
Hint: check in @ b&b is in apartment/suite #11 which is down the street from the restaurant. kinda confusing but ask at the restaurant how to get there.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
In words of that evil empire, "I'm Lovin' it".
I was already in great spirits since my friend was getting married. The website gives a clear and accurate description of what each room includes too.
I was able to check out the top-shelf Honeymoon Suite/#12 and the sad double-spinster room (with 2 twin beds) #1. I mentioned it was my friend getting hitched, so guess which room was mine :(
ANYHOW- each room has a rennovated marble bathroom stocked with those organic Kisss-my-face-soaps. Everything is spic and span clean. Soft, soft white towels. These are the things that make this girl happy.
The beds are super-high and comfy. Great pillows and incredibly soft bedding. I like that they splurge because the rooms aren't really inexpensive but you definitely get what you pay for.
There are wall heaters along the floor for those chilly nights. However, there was no sign of any A/C. Granted, Half-Moon-Bay rarely heats up, it's just that it would be great to filter out the noise.
5am trash pick-up on Saturdays.
Sucky-moto!!!
The romantic suites are top notch. #12 had a living room, a bedroom and a kitchen and dining room including a deck. The kitchen had a coffeemaker and a regular sized fridge. OHHHH...ILLY COFFEE.
YUM!!!
I would come back.
This place was beautiful.
However, next time..it's for a king size room w/the apple of my eye. The twin bed thing sucked.
People thought this was:
- Useful (8)
- Funny (5)
- Cool (6)
2nd Visit: Memorial Day 2008.
It's becoming a tradition that my husband and I make our way to to HMB every Memorial Day weekend. This time around, we stayed at the Romantic Suite. It was beautifully decorated - very shabby chic. Though we stayed at a different room, it still had the small touches we fell in love with the first time around: private entrance, organic bath products and a great flat screen tv.
Also during this visit, we were able to eat desserts at the restaurant. I had a latte which had the tastiest foam I've ever tasted and the ice cream sandwich with vanilla bean ice cream. Vince had the Root beer float.
This visit was nothing short of perfect thus the 5 stars still remains!
1st visit: Memorial Day 2007
This is one of the coolest local hotels I've ever been to. We stayed in the "Lodge" Room which included our very own private entrance, flat screen tv, an "open shower", beautiful furnishing and organic beauty products.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (3)
I made a reservation here for a last minute weekend getaway. I hadn't read any reviews or anything so I was a little nervous on the way there. The room and the inn were well above my expectations. The service was excellent--we were able to check in 3 hours earlier than the regular check-in time. The room was clean and very nicely decorated. We also had a patio out back, which I wasn't expecting. The bed was super comfortable too. I will definitely recommend this place to friends.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
I am rating the Inn (not the restaurant) here.
We mad a special trip to HMB. Neither of us had been there before. We wanted to find something nice to do together since we both had a monday off. We planned to head out Sunday evening after our days events and check in, stay overnight, and then enjoy HMB and the pumpkin weigh in on Monday.
Oddly, but not really an issue, you check in at the front desk of the restaurant. You are given your keys and room and head on up stairs. THe room was a queen. Very cute, very quaint. It had a very European charm. Small, cute side chair and table. Small bath room. It had really great character. We felt like we were back in Italy and if we looked out the window we would see the canals. No such luck there, just the roof.
The place could have gotten a 4 star just from the charm, but NO. WE checked in close to 11pm and got settled in. Pretty quickly thereafter we began hearing banging noises that could either have been coming from the kitchen (which was closing up) or outside. It was hard to tell. Both being quite exhausted, we proceeded to muster up ear plugs to put in for the night. With mine in, I was fine and did not hear anything. My boyfriend on the other hand said he heard noises throughout the night and did not sleep well. I tossed and turned due to the firm mattress, so really neither of us got great sleep. I guess I expect more for the price.
The location is pretty convenient. There are several other B&Bs within a block.
Oh, and we did not get a chance to eat there, but the restaurant has a killer patio (that I would rate a 5* in a second. I recommend checking it out if nothing else.
I stayed at HMBI about 2 months ago and it was fantastic. The rooms were decorated in the shabby chic, which my girlfriend loved, and best of all they allowed our dogs to stay with us. Then, our concierge went above and beyond and included dog beds, bowls, and treats. She even included a bottle of wine. To top it off, she was very flexible with the price for the weekend and additional fees for the three dogs. All in all the experience was wonderful and I highly recommend it.
The Inn itself is really nice. The linens on the beds are AMAZING and the bed was like a giant, cozy, warm marshmallow. HEAVEN. The heat took a while to come on but that's pretty common anywhere and I'm an energy conservationist and was okay with it - just another excuse to get under those covers right away!
They were super nice about letting us bring our bikes into the room because we didn't want to chance leaving them in the car - he hesitated and then said yes and I appreciate that he chose to let us.
We had late lunch at the flying fish grill so after a walk in the rain down and back up main street, we went to the little restaurant in our inn for dessert. the ice cream sandwich was really good but could have used more ice cream (the cookies were super thick and chewy - ie. PERFECT) and the pink lady apple crisp was tasty but the crisp part needed more butter and longer in the oven - but flavors were spot on.
i ordered hot chocolate with malibu (for those of you doubters, it's like a chocolate covered macaroon - tres yummi) and my man said "hmm, maybe I'll have mine with whisky or brandy - what do you suggest" to the waiter and the waiter, rather than going along with the dark, strong liquor angle suggested to him, suggested freakin' peppermint schnapps. I know that it's a great combo but was not close at all to what his guest was asking for advice on. my man went along with it but didn't enjoy it as much as he would have enjoyed some dark rum or brandy.
I just really appreciate servers who listen and suggest based on what they hear you say.
Went on a Sunday afternoon, no problem getting a table around 2pm. My favorite thing was the fried artichoke hearts with Blue Cheese! My low-carb burger was tasty, especially with the portobello mushroom but the fried artichokes and tasty fries ruined any idea of low-carb. I'm pretty sure our surfer server was stoned, probably just had a morning "sesh at Kelly's Ave" and wasn't too attentive.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (1)
We got a great suite (Suite 11) for our family - me, the mister, our three-year-old and our dog. I would consider renting it for a week-long beach vacation, but maybe a different suite, and I'd bring my earplugs.
The suite is comfortable and clean, great details like thick, fluffy white towels, good-quality sheets and organic Kiss-My-Face soap & shampoo. It has a fabulous full eat-in kitchen with a stove, oven, full sink, and a fridge with a real freezer. There's a laundry room and a small balcony that overlooks the courtyard for the restaurant downstairs.
The location couldn't be better. You step out onto Main Street with cute little stores to browse and plenty of restaurants and cafes to enjoy. There's a brilliant yarn store next door, if you're into knitting. A fancy schmancy grocery store is right across the street. A beautiful, undeveloped state beach is a 5-minute drive away with ample parking nearby. We saw dolphins playing in the waves there yesterday. A seal was playing hide-and-seek with us in the surf today.
My only complaint about this place is that it is noisy -- it's the cost of the great location, I guess. You'll want to have the windows open in order to be comfortable, but starting at around 9 p.m. you can hear one of the local bar's music. Classic rock, loud. I fell asleep at around 11, and of course it was still going.
I could have tolerated that just fine, but then at around 1 or 2 a.m., I heard voices downstairs and what sounded like people pushing dumpsters around. It was an omen. The garbage truck came at around 6 a.m. Friday morning, and it sounded like it was driving into our suite, picking up and throughly thrashing three large dumpsters in succession.
Now, as my daughter is napping, someone is dumping bottles into the recycling next to the building. And the rather self-absorbed, loud-talking young restaurant staff from downstairs is having a cigarette break there too. Thank god she's a heavy sleeper; I sure as hell wish I was.
Late update -- garbage time again on Saturday morning at 5:30 a.m. How much garbage can this place be generating?
Owners of the Inn are very friendly. Cute old style place. Comfy bed. They gave us a good deal on the King room because they double booked the romantic suite. But the experience trying to sleep could have been better.
It's situated on the main street and there was a lot of noise into the night. My husband and I didn't sleep very well. There was also a dog that was staying in the place that barked in the middle of the night to wake us up and the corridor is very loud when people walk and come in and out. We stayed in room #9. If you are sensitive to noise when you sleep I don't recommend this place. But if you're just looking for a place to stay and don't mind the noise it would be ok for you.
We most likely won't stay here again.
This place is fabulous. The location is perfect, the rooms are so quant and spacious and the outdoor patio for some afternoon cocktails is quite convenient!
