Encinitas has a different vibe than any of the beach towns north of San Diego – but what is it that makes it so captivating, so special? Many feel its because Encinitas is still lost in time back in the 1960s when California was a much simpler place with small roadside motels along Highway 101. Encinitas hotels didn’t exist back in the 60s, nor were there any Encinitas Bed and Breakfasts or hotels in Del Mar or the Cardiff Lodge.

Encinitas is home to funky old hotels, the Plant Lady, The Roxy Restaurant (where you can get a glass of rum and an ice cream cone), cute boutiques, romantic bed & breakfasts, a seaside bazaar, eclectic Italian Bistros, Roberto’s Taco Shop, romantic Encinitas bed and breakfasts and Swami’s Surf Beach – that’s why it’s been called “San Diego’s Surf Town.”

Business people and surfers alike stand in line in front of Roberto’s Taco Shop every day. The sidewalks along the Pacific Coast Highway (U.S. 101) in “downtown” are lined with outdoor restaurants and funky shops. Talk about laid back – tourists and kids can be seen any day walking barefoot through Encinitas in swim suits. You will find surfers from 5 states waxing down their surfboards (just like the Beach Boy’s sang in Surfin’ U.S.A.) for a session at Swami’s Surf Beach before they return to their Encinitas Bed and Breakfast or Carlsbad Inn.

Moonlight Beach is one of the top five San Diego beaches and is only a block from downtown Encinitas, an easy walk from the Inn At Moonlight Beach Bed and Breakfast Inn. You won’t find a better beach to work on your tan, go boogie-boarding, enjoy a picnic or play a pick-up game of volleyball. Or, you may like to try your hand at surfing or body surfing, people-watch, work on reading that novel or simply relax. There is lots of parking, clean bathrooms and showers, a great children’s playground and cute little lunch shop.

Ann Dunham owns and operates an intimate, romantic Encinitas Bed and Breakfast just off the Pacific Coast Highway. Her lovely boutique inn is often called the San Diego Beach Bed and Breakfast said to be more romantic than Del Mar Hotels and more lovely than the Carlsbad Bed and Breakfasts.

The Inn At Moonlight Beach has only 4 rooms, each decorated like an Italian seaside hotel. All the rooms have a refrigerator and free wi-fi. There are boogie boards and beach umbrellas waiting for you to hit the beach and ride the waves. What makes this Encinitas bed & breakfast really special is that Ann bakes her own pastries for you each morning.

Terry Hunefeld retired as CEO of a San Diego training corporation to follow his love of sailing the Pacific ocean to monitor ocean birds, whales and marine mammals. Hunefeld and his wife Ann Dunham own the Inn At Moonlight Beach in Encinitas near Del Mar and San Diego. For more information visit: Del Mar Hotels or La Jolla Bed &Breakfasts.