MONTEREY, CA: The Spindrift Inn

The Spindrift Inn on Monterey's Cannery Row is only 25 years old, but it is nonetheless a historic hotel.

The Spindrift Inn is built on the site of the Ocean View Hotel, which opened in 1927. The Ocean View hotel was a landmark in its time, operated by Chinese immigrant M.C. Wu.

As the Cannery Row area fell into disrepair during the early '60s, so did the hotel. It closed in 1966 and was demolished in 1983.

In 1985, the 42-room Spindrift Inn was built on the site of the Ocean View. While the building is different, the views and the sounds of the ocean -- lapping waves and carping seagulls -- are timeless. Designed to evoke the charm and romance of a San Francisco boutique hotel, a standard ocean view room is beautifully appointed with wood floors, a lush four-poster bed with a feather bed, a wood-burning fireplace stocked with logs (and instructions for starting a fire), and marble floors and counter top in the bathroom.

The rooms also offer the usual amenities we expect today: Internet access, flat-screen TV, in-room safe, iron and ironing board, and hair dryer. The Spindrift Inn includes mini-bars stocked with non-alcoholic treats; alcoholic beverages are available upon request. Rooms have a CD player and several CDs to choose from. Ocean view rooms include binoculars to provide a better view of the scenery. A continental breakfast is delivered to the room at the time the guests request, and a wine and cheese reception is offered from 4:00 to 6:00 each afternoon.

How romantic is the Spindrift Inn? While just passing through on our road trip, we were so captivated by its charm that we opted to stay a second night, and may have stayed longer if rooms had been available.

We definitely recommend the Spindrift Inn, and we will definitely be back!

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Photos by Carl Dombek
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