HI hostels are providing even more amenities than ever, including more private rooms, some with their own baths, and some even have family rooms.  Look on the individual hostel websites for specific information about each location and book early.  For you former backpackers, things have changed a bit.  These days the regular rates usually include sheets so you don’t always need to carry around that old sleep-sack you may still have in your closet.  For those with kids, share the experience with them.  Resort hotels can be nice too, but getting to know new friends from around the world may be the best part of the vacation itself - and your kids will never be the same....

Here are some great hostels going up the coast starting in San Diego. 

HI-San Diego Downtown – This large and well equipped Gateway hostel is in San Diego’s Gaslamp District, near Seaport Village, Coronado, Balboa Park, Mission Bay and great restaurants galore.  It’s close to the Amtrak station so consider your getaway from LA without even getting in the car. 

San Diego Point Loma – This smaller suburban hostel in San Diego is about five miles outside of downtown on the Pt. Loma Peninsula.  If you have a car, it’s a quieter home-base to explore all that San Diego has to offer.

Santa Monica Gateway - 2 blocks from a great stretch of beach, in the heart of Santa Monica!

San Luis Obispo – Enjoy this central coast college town at the 22 bed B&B-style hostel, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, about a four-hour drive north from Los Angeles.  Visit Los Osos State Park, Morro Bay, Hearst Castle and charming Cambria by the sea.

Bridge Street Inn, Cambria - Cozy home hostel in charming Cambria's East Village. Good half-way point between Los Angeles and San Francisco and stop for viewing nearby Hearst Castle and elephant seals.

Monterey – Within two blocks of Cannery Row and close to the amazing Monterey Bay Aquarium, Lover’s Point, coastal hiking trails and 17 Mile Drive, you can’t go wrong. 

Santa Cruz – Cozy, convenient, and close to the Boardwalk and all the local shops and clubs, this is a great homebase for exploring the sea.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse – 27 miles north of Santa Cruz, perched atop a cliff on the central California coast, the 115-foot Pigeon Point Lighthouse sits next to the keeper’s houses restored as a hostel.  Here you can watch the whales migrate, explore the Ano Nuevo reserve, and walk through 1000-year-old redwood groves. 

Montara Lighthouse – ON the rugged coast just 25 miles south of San Francsico, the historic 1875 lighthouse and turn-of-the-century buildings that house the hostel are near the four-mile beach with tide pools full of starfish, mussels and crabs, and also great places for swimming, surfing, kayaking, horseback riding, and more. 

San Francisco – Home to three hostels, including HI-City Center, HI-Downtown and HI-Fisherman’s Wharf.  Each is unique and close to all the sights and delights of the City by the Bay.  For coastal lovers, stay at the Fisherman’s Wharf hostel in Golden Gate National Recreation area on the bay.  Views of the Golden Gate Bridge are spectacular and it’s also near Ghirardelli Square and Chinatown. 

Marin Headland – On a hillside in the Marin Headlands section of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, the two historic, turn-of-the-century buildings are surrounded by beaches, forests, and rolling hills great for mountain biking, and hiking. 

Point Reyes – This hostel is two miles from the ocean in a secluded valley on Point Reyes National Seashore, well known for its abundant flora and fauna, including bobcats, fox, deer, elk, harbor seals, and sea lions.  It’s a birdwatcher’s paradise with a rich array of breeding and migrating birds. 

Redwood National Park – Within majestic Redwood National Park, this World Heritage Site of extraordinary beauty is along California’s far northern coast.  Hike through groves of giant sequoias, enjoy sand dunes and unspoiled beaches and you’ll leave wanting to come back again and again. 

See all of our California hostels at HIUSA.org.  Check back frequently because new HI hostels are being developed along the central coast right now.  Reserve your space on-line and experience cool, fun-packed and full of value getaways along the coast this summer, and all year long.