Sure, it's a part of a chain, but a warm welcome at reception and surprisingly stylish rooms lift this Hojo's ahead of the pack. And it's just a half-mile walk into restaurants and bars along Main St. A basic breakfast is complimentary, but you're better off grabbing something at a downtown cafe.
Howard Johnson Inn
Central Coast
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
14.42 MILES
Monterey is practically synonymous with its world-class aquarium overlooking Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which protects dense kelp forests and…
28.71 MILES
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has been an Americana classic like few others for over a century. Now as in 1907 when the amusement park first opened, the…
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
19.15 MILES
They bark, they laze and bathe and they’re fun to watch – sea lions are the stars in this state park some 4 miles south of Carmel, along with the…
0.53 MILES
This museum will interest almost anyone, even if you don't know anything about Salinas’ Nobel Prize–winning native son, John Steinbeck (1902–68), a…
28.13 MILES
A little over 6 miles south of Bixby Bridge, Point Sur rises like a velvety green fortress out of the sea. It looks like an island, but is actually…
Seymour Marine Discovery Center
29.95 MILES
This educational center is part of UCSC’s Long Marine Laboratory. Interactive natural-science exhibits include tidal touch pools and aquariums, while…
Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo
17.33 MILES
Carmel's strikingly beautiful mission is an oasis of solemnity with flowering gardens and a thick-walled basilica filled with Spanish Colonial art and…
14.3 MILES
Find out what's currently open at Monterey State Historic Park, grab a free map and buy tickets for guided walking tours inside this 1847 adobe building,…
Nearby Central Coast attractions
0.53 MILES
This museum will interest almost anyone, even if you don't know anything about Salinas’ Nobel Prize–winning native son, John Steinbeck (1902–68), a…
0.63 MILES
Steinbeck was born and spent much of his boyhood in this house, four blocks west of the museum. It’s now a twee lunch cafe, which we’re not sure he’d…
3. Garden of Memories Memorial Park
1.2 MILES
Steinbeck is buried in the family plot at this cemetery, less than 2 miles southeast of downtown Salinas.
4. Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
10.09 MILES
Rent a kayak from outfitters on Hwy 1 and paddle past harbor seals into Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, or take a guided weekend hike…
10.28 MILES
Containing the Fremont Peak Astronomical Observatory, this park offers excellent views of Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean from its four-mile network of…
6. Fremont Peak Astronomical Observatory
10.43 MILES
Equipped with a 30in telescope, Fremont Peak's astronomical observatory is usually open to the public on many Saturday nights between April and October,…
7. San Juan Bautista State Historic Park
13.63 MILES
Buildings around the old Spanish plaza opposite the mission anchor this small historical park. Cavernous stables hint at San Juan Bautista in its 1860s…
13.68 MILES
Founded in 1797, this mission claims the largest church among California’s original 21 missions. Unknowingly built directly atop the San Andreas Fault,…