We haven’t been to Cambria in nearly three years and it’s hard to name a much better spot to get into the holiday spirit than ever-so-charming Cambria, CA.  We have less than 48 hours this year so we’ll have to “sniff in” on only our favorites or new additions on our short list.  Even though it’s early December we’re already feeling in the Christmas mood after just celebrating Thanksgiving with my brother’s family at our place.

Cambria Pines Lodge

The lodge (cambriapineslodge.com) houses a warm and inviting bar with a huge river rock fireplace and live music, a restaurant and the lobby.  They have a wide variety of cabins, suites or rooms to choose from.

We opted to go the “cost-cutter” route this year so we’re staying at the “cheapest inn in town” which is the Mariners Inn.  Our tiny room was definitely renovated not long ago but it was clearly done on the cheap and appears as if “they put lipstick on a pig”.  The ceiling looks as if possibly an untrained high school student sloppily used spackle or caulking to cover up dated popcorn ceilings and then rapid-fire painted the once natural wood floors a flat black color.

Bamboo mats are stapled to the wall and faux tile linoleum is in the bathroom.  Huge wine barrels serve as night stands in our, let me remind you, “tiny” room.  The real beaut is that our bathroom was nearly as large as our living room.   Another gem is that the fan in the can is so loud you can’t hear the TV in the living room.  It is as if a jet plane is preparing for take-off.  On the positive side, the mattress was a newer pillowtop and pretty comfortable, the staff was very accommodating and the included continental breakfast was pretty good.

Prior to dinner I have a nice stout beer at the Cambria Alehouse (cambriaalehouse.com).  The bartenders and (apparent) owner seated at the bar were super friendly and helpful recommending various beers they offer in a bottle or on tap.  This is par for the course with the locals in small-town Cambria.  We relaxed on a comfy couch enjoying various college football games on three very large high quality HDTV’s.

It took an hour and fifteen minutes to get a table at the Sea Chest (seachestrestaurant.com).  Thankfully they have an elevated blazing fire pit on property which looks out at the ocean.  We briefly shared the pit with some very friendly locals who were drinking vino around the pit.

Calamari Steak @ Sea Chest

Bella suspects they use a food processor on their calamari before cooking it as it is not chewy in the slightest and isn’t even snappy.  Another pleasant oddity about this dish is that it isn’t fishy at all.  And as a result this tastes amazing.

Midway through dinner we discover that tomorrow the restaurant will be shutting down for the holidays.  Years ago locals told us that the owner takes his staff to Hawaii in December each year.

Locals @ Linn’s Restaurant

Once again, more friendly peeps at Linn’s Restaurant (linnsfruitbin.com) which adds to the charm of this town.

Linn’s: Eggs Benedict with Ham

The only con with Linn’s is they could use a bit more air conditioning.

Linn’s: Sausage, Eggs & Polenta

Everything was great tasting and the polenta was surprisingly delicious.  It even came with butter and syrup which felt a little odd to this Italian.

My Parking BEFORE Entering the Brewing Company…

My favorite beer of all time (Ballast Point Sextant Oatmeal Stout Nitro) was not available (never trust a beer house website) at the Paso Robles Brewing Company (pasobrewing.com) so I opted for the Dechuttes Obsidian Stout Nitro.  It was a nice and fairly creamy (helped via the “nitro” factor) but had a bit too much bitterness for me to fall in love with it.

Elfie Ready to Engage

A shot taken at the River Oaks Golf Course (riveroaksgolfcourse.com) in Paso Robles.

Elfie’s Finish

A pretty nice finish for a mere eight months of golf.

Nice Swing Getting out of the Trap…

The girl is getting very good at chipping and may even get there with her sand wedge.

Child Statue on Course

There were numerous “kiddie” statues throughout the course.  I know this is a six hole, par nineteen, 863 yard course but what are they trying to tell us???

Pretty Pond on the Course

We drive back to Cambria to partake in a new festivity called Cambria Christmas Market (cambriachristmasmarket.com) held at the Cambria Pines Lodge which features a walking trail through the forest which is riddled with Christmas lights.

Hallmark X-mas Movie Meets Cambria…

There were various exhibitors selling Christmas merchandise and food.

Santa Selling his Goods?

Shouldn’t he be selling sacks instead of purses???

Santa on a Surfboard

This light show runs November 29th-December 22nd on Wednesdays through Sundays from 5pm-9pm.  There is live musical entertainment featured throughout the month as well.

Hot Cocoa, Bread Pudding…Tri-tip and Bratwurst…o-k-a-y…

Reminder: You will need a steady hand and want to avoid using a flash on your camera if you want a nice shot possible.

“Cambria Christmas Market”

The light tour stretched throughout the lodge property and all the way through their nursery on the other side of a main road.

Tunnel of Lights

“Star Light, Star Bright”…

I shot this from the Holiday Amphitheatre area.

Tunnel of Lights

This was shot from the Holiday Amphitheatre area.

Bella Heading into the Lights…

I was sporting golf shorts and a polo while trekking through the woods and was definitely not as comfortable as Bella, who as usual, planned ahead.

“Mr. Grinch”…

Other Christmas character displays are featured as well.

Bella Going Into the Lights…

We stayed at the Cambria Pines Lodge in 2009 and they had nice outdoor Christmas light displays but this is so much better and is seemingly never-ending.

Lit Trees at the Nursery…

Looks a little like “Angels in the Outfield” to me…

Sow’s Ear Dining Room

Our steak and pork entrees weren’t the best tonight as they were clearly overcooked.  The restaurant seemed a bit understaffed for this unusually busy Sunday night.

Clams Appetizer at Sow’s Ear

This clam appetizer was quite good.

Affogato Dessert at Linn’s

Hot coffee (normally espresso) poured on top of vanilla ice cream.  It wasn’t traditionally prepared but tasted pretty good.

Delicious Coconut Cream Pie @ Linn’s

Trust me, the pie is way better than my photo with real toasty coconut in the cream and excellent coconut flavor.  This was one of the best I’ve ever had.

Old Time Liquor Store

There are plenty of interesting historic buildings in Cambria.

Linn’s @ Night…

Behind the restaurant they have a store where they sell a wide variety of their bottled and packaged goods.

Ham Torta @ Sandy’s

I hate ham (but love pork) but this torta at Sandy’s Deli & Bakery (sandysdelicambria.com) tasted really good…

Italian Combo “Sandie” @ Sandy’s

The bread was thin and tasty and the meat was fresh and delicious with extra oil and vinegar.

Sandy’s Deli & Bakery

Regrettably I don’t feel as if I had enough time to capture the essence of Cambria.  Regardless, at least I gave you a little taste of what this quaint, picturesque, seaside town has to offer.

THE END!!!