California: Moving into hostel territory
Going to California is a delight thanks to a handful of hideaways near San Francisco that offer rooms with a view of man-made and natural wonders.
By RACHEL POLLACK
Published October 26, 2003
[Photo: Golden Gate Council of Hostelling International-USA]
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| The 1875 lighthouse at Point Montara still warns ships of the rocky coast. |
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[Photo: Austin O'Connor]
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| Elephant seals lounge on the beach near Point Montara Hostel. |
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About nine years ago, Renae and I, grandmothers both, left home and family for an adventure at youth hostels in England and Scotland. We stayed at five hostels over two weeks in cities big (London) and small (Kemsing) and had a wonderful time. Let's do it again, we decided recently.
This time, we headed from Denver to San Francisco to spend five nights.
We used our membership cards in American Youth Hostels - $18 a year for seniors - to make reservations at the hostels at Fort Mason (close to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco), Marin Headlands (a short drive from the city and close to Sausalito), Montara (next to a lighthouse built in 1875), Santa Cruz (at Monterey Bay) and Pescadero (next to an 1872 lighthouse).
Each of these hostels uses bunk beds, so a full room had six women sleeping in it. On our previous journey, we learned the delights of top bunks - less claustrophobic certainly, and good for reading at night (using a flashlight or a modern, small version of a miner's lamp, in order not to disturb other sleepers).
On this trip we tried the top bunks again, but after one night of climbing up to sleep, then down to use the bathroom, then back up again, we gave in and requested bottom bunks for the rest of our nights.
The streets of San Francisco
San Francisco is quite possibly the most beautiful large city in America. It is meant to be explored on foot or by public transport - museums, galleries and lively, gentrified neighborhoods such as Chestnut Street, full of shops, restaurants, bookstores, galleries and more.
The Fort Mason hostel is within walking distance of Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square and Chinatown, and shuttle buses at the wharf take visitors almost anywhere in the city.
Fisherman's Wharf has the excellent Aquarium of the Bay, where knowledgeable docents explain the unfamiliar. This aquarium has divers who swim about feeding its fish, octopus, sharks and rays. The wharf also boasts good shopping, great seafood and the sight and sound of hundreds of barking seals on floating pallets in the bay.
The Fort Mason hostel is in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, an urban national park. There are times when a spectacular view wins out over everything else.
There are no private rooms at the hostel, as there are at many others, but family groups can stay here comfortably. There are shared kitchen facilities and a cafe that serves cheap breakfasts. Like most other hostels, Fort Mason is handicapped-accessible.
Out and about
We rented a car to reach the hostels, and our next stop was Marin Headlands Hostel, just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
Like Fort Mason, this facility was part of a former Army base. The buildings were once living quarters for soldiers and are spread out among tall trees that whisper in the wind. Called Fort Barry when it was built in 1907, Marin Headlands combines forest, meadows, beach and another brilliant view of the San Francisco Bay.
Couples may request a private room here. There is a main building, used by families and groups of children on outings. We were in a nearly private, nicely furnished unit that boasted a living room, dining room and shared kitchen. It was also far from the noisy kids' groups. Our space was furnished with the usual bunk beds. Linens and towels are available for $1 extra.
We were excited to learn that pelicans had just returned to the lagoon next to the beach. Even in May the beach was chilly, but the sea wind paints mystical patterns across the sand. We enjoyed a visit to the U.S. Forest Service office, located in what was once the base's multidenominational chapel during World War II.
If you stay here, ask at the Forest Service office for the "Wild Flowers of Marin" booklet, so you can identify those in the surrounding meadows.
Sausalito, our next stop, is a posh, Mediterranean-style town. Its homes climb the hillsides. Sailboats and classic yachts are moored in the curved harbor that once served great sailing ships and was later the site of yards building World War II Liberty ships.
The area is home to artists, artisans and writers. Many live on floating homes moored on the waterfront and show their work in local shops and arts festivals.
Ferries go back and forth to San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge is always in sight.
By the lighthouses
We missed the gray whale migration that passes Point Montara, site of our next hostel, just south of San Francisco. It is in several buildings close to the cliffs above the sea.
We chose a double-bedded room in the Watch Room within the Fog Signal Annex building, next to the 1875 lighthouse that still warns passing ships against coastal rocks. The building houses a recreation room (a couple of couches, lamps and a fireplace) and the former Tool Room, which has bunk beds.
We enjoyed our privacy here, the sound of the waves pounding the rocks and a patio where we watched the sun set in a wash of pinks that briefly tinted the ocean.
There is one drawback to the Watch Room: The only bathroom is in the building next door. Montara has the usual shared kitchen facilities: Guests put any food they have in a bag with their name on it in the shared fridge. There are outdoor grilling facilities here.
The James Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is a short distance from Montara, and we packed a picnic lunch for our quiet 4-mile walk along the beach. We peered into tidal pools at sea stars, anemones, urchins and baby crabs.
Passing small towns and more lovely beaches, we drove on to our next hostel: Santa Cruz. This is a lively city of 55,000. Because hostels generally are closed between 10 a.m. and about 4 p.m., we had plenty of time to explore the pretty downtown. It was filled with nice cafes, shops and lots of students from the campus of University of California at Santa Cruz, just east of the city.
We drove to the university to tour its arboretum, which features paths winding through Australian and African gardens. The plantings were well-labeled. Not far to the north of the arboretum are stately redwoods.
The Santa Cruz hostel combines a group of hilltop cottages leased from the city in a nice residential area. The cottages are within walking distance of the beaches, a boardwalk (the amusement park there has a 1920 wooden roller coaster) and the downtown.
The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which stretches for more than 250 miles along the coast, is the habitat for whales, dolphins, sharks, sea otters, seals, fish and smaller marine life that lives in kelp forests. Visitors can explore the bay by boat with a guide or can rent a sea kayak to paddle about the bay.
Morning found us at Emilie's Bakery for buttery croissants before we turned south to Capitola, the oldest sea resort in California and the essence of a village on the beach. Why is it that all stress seems to disappear while sitting on or strolling the shore? We stopped to read newspapers and we watched surfers pop up and fall down in the waves.
Finally we drove the 27 miles from Santa Cruz to Pescadero's Pigeon Point Lighthouse, our last hostel stop and about 50 miles south of San Francisco. This lighthouse stands 115 feet tall and dates to 1872.
Four hostel units are next to the lighthouse, but there are just a couple of private rooms. All the units - six bunk beds to a room - share kitchen facilities and have common rooms for reading or talking that are basic to hostel life.
I spent my time photographing the lighthouse while Renae chatted with an older couple, one of several we met on our California hostel tour.
While all hostel staffers we met were friendly, at Pigeon Point Jenna went further by creating a temporary repair for my broken backpack strap. It held up during our hike the next day in Ano Nuevo State Reserve, about 7 miles south of Pigeon Point. We hiked about 3 miles along a peninsula to see the elephant seals.
Between December and April the elephant seals stage bloody battles to acquire their harems. By our visit in May, there were no crowds to watch the spectacle, no docents to lead tours and keep visitors away from these creatures, which can grow to 2 tons and 16 feet long. On our visit, the elephant seals were sleeping and the rookeries and water were filled with young seals.
Ano Nuevo State Reserve offers much more wildlife. On a trail to the beach, we saw loons and pelicans, and a pheasant ran across our path.
There are numerous beaches to explore along the winding coast road; some are hidden and several are nude beaches. Additionally, there are rustic villages virtually hidden away inland, among the forests. In the Santa Cruz Mountains are stands of redwoods. Some seem to touch the sky.
After we returned home, we decided we would do a couple of things differently next time. We would stay more than one night in each hostel. And we were tempted during the trip to interrupt our five nights in five hostels with a stay at a bed and breakfast. Sleeping on a thick mattress under a goose-down duvet became my obsession.
If you go:
Hostelling International-USA is on the Web at www.hiayh.org/homenew.shtml a U.S. map there allows travelers to click on a state, select a location for the hostels and get the street address, telephone number, fees, etc. The national organization also can be contacted at 301 495-1240; fax (301) 495-6697.
The hostels we stayed at require reservations.
Prices for adults or seniors vary from $15 to $20 per person, per night. Some hostels charge $1 for sheets and towels. Only a couple of hostels asked to see our Hostelling International card. It costs $18 per year.
Fort Mason's direct phone is 415 771-7277; send e-mail to sfhostels@norcalhostels.org
Marin Headlands Hostel is operated by the Golden Gate Council of American Youth Hostels, in cooperation with the National Park Service. Call 415 331-2777; the Web site is www.marinhdl@norcalhostels.org
To contact Point Montara, call (650) 728-7177.
Family and dorm rooms can be reserved at Santa Cruz. Call 831 423-8304 or go to www.hi-santacruz.org
Call the Pigeon Point Lighthouse hostel in Pescadero at 650 879-0633; www.pigeonpointlighthouse.org/hostel.htm
What to take: Ear plugs, soap, towels (if you like your own), a lock if you want to store your luggage in a locker (available at some hostels).
- Freelance writer Rachel Pollack lives in Denver.
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