A stay at the Morgan Hotel, San Simeon CA

I discovered the wonderful value for families at Broughton Hospitality boutique hotels during our stay at Mill Valley CA’s The Acqua, and our experience was equally positive at The Morgan Hotel, a San Simeon hotel for families.

Morgan hotel lobby

The Morgan can be found just five minutes from Hearst Castle and the Elephant Seal Rookery in San Simeon, and is only 45 minutes from the California wine country near Paso Robles, but the appeal for families is in its amenities, not its location (as there are plenty of motel choices in the area, some with better beach access). Like other Broughton hotels, the Morgan is the perfect hybrid between a economy motel and a boutique hotel: it looks pretty standard from the outside, but inside, it’s clear that this is no run-of-the-mill motel.

Morgan hotel breakfast

The lobby is very well decorated, with soft couches and an oversized checker board, and features a sunken dining area for the morning breakfast buffet (more on that later). The rooms are oversized (deluxe fireplace rooms are only marginally more per night) and nicely decorated, and free wifi is included throughout the hotel, including in guest rooms. Parking is free, as is the breakfast buffet, which was pretty standard (cereal, oatmeal, packaged pastries, and a variety of toast and bagels) but perfectly adequate. The real draw for kids is the lovely outdoor heated pool. It’s located in a walled courtyard behind the lobby, and best of all, it’s protected from the wind off the ocean. (If you want beach access, it’s only a few blocks away, behind the Best Western. We found fun tide pools there in addition to a nice, wide flat beach to play on.)

morgan hotel room

Our only complaint about the Morgan was that it’s showing its wear here and there: some of the bathroom fixtures were less than sparkling (due to age), and dust did accumulate behind dressers and the like. It takes a lot to bother me in this regard, so I was content, but pickier families might take issue. (Of course, for me, free wifi beats out almost anything!) There’s a decent Mexican restaurant located next door, but we drove three miles to Cambria, CA, where we had a nice pizza and burger dinner at J B J’s Round-Up Pizza.

Date last visited:

May 2012

Distance from the interstate:

Right off Highway 1.

Room rates:

Standard rooms (double or king) were listed at $109 at the time of our visit, while deluxe rooms (large, with canopy beds and fireplaces) were listed at $119. We found either rate to be a very good value for the amenities offered. Add ons can be made at the time of reservation, like wine selections, cookies and milk delivered, or an in-room massage by certified massage artist.

Directions:

The Morgan is located at 9135 Hearst Drive. From Highway 1, turn onto Vista Del Mar to hotel.

As I disclose whenever applicable, the Morgan hosted our family at no cost, for the purpose of review. While we appreciate this hospitality as it allows us to bring relevant information to readers, it came with no expectation of a positive review.

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