Vacation rentals in Avila Beach

Tucked into the San Luis Obispo Bay on California’s Central Coast, Avila Beach is a cozy seaside town with scenic ocean views, soaring oak trees, lush rolling hills, and stunning beaches. The Avila Main Beach boasts vast stretches of gleaming white sand and shallow wading areas suitable for beachcombing, swimming, boogie boarding, and surfing. A relaxing stroll down the Avila Beach Pier, which extends nearly 1,700 feet into the Pacific Ocean, offers an optimal vantage point for whale watching during migration season.

Along Avila Beach’s ocean-facing Front Street, you can spend hours meandering up and down the colorful Avila Beach Promenade, a hub for shopping and dining, as well as the town’s farmers’ market. Or escape the ocean to hike along the Pecho Coast Trail, a 3.75-mile round-trip route that leads up above the town and lets you survey it from on high. As you might expect from a destination in California’s Central Coast wine region, wineries and tasting rooms are scattered throughout town, and you can drive into the hills to search out even more.

The climate of California’s central coast falls in the midpoint between the fog and winds of Northern California and Southern California’s dry, sun-drenched weather year round. From May through November, you can generally expect hot days and clear skies, ideal for water-based activities at the beach. Every Friday between April and September, the town holds the Avila Beach Farmers’ Market on the Promenade, and Saturdays between June and October, Art on the Beach brings local artists to town to display and sell their work. During the winter and spring months, Avila Beach experiences cooler temperatures, overcast skies, and crisp air, so you may want to pack an extra layer or two. In the evenings, always be prepared for wind and mist.

Point San Luis Lighthouse

The Point San Luis Lighthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is an architectural gem perched atop the rocky, ocean-side cliffs on the southwestern shores of San Luis Bay. Adorned in Victorian-era architecture, the structure’s striking build offers a spectacular contrast against the surrounding deep blue waters. The lighthouse can be admired from afar or explored up close during a guided visit.

Bob Jones City-to-Sea Trail

The Bob Jones City-to-Sea Trail, commonly referred to as the Bob Jones Pathway, is a paved, 2.5-mile bike trail that traces the route of the San Luis Obispo Creek, eventually leading to Avila Beach. Humming with hikers and cyclists, the trail provides views of lush vineyards, rolling hills, and soaring oak trees.

Mallaghs Landing/Pirate’s Cove

Mallaghs Landing, commonly referred to as Pirate’s Cove, is a clothing-optional beach nestled between Avila Beach and Shell Beach. The secluded beach gained its nickname as Pirate’s Cove during Prohibition, when the cove served as a loading dock for rum runners smuggling liquor onto ships. A short trail leads to a fork where you can head left to Pirate’s Cove or right to the spectacular sea caves, a unique geological formation whose archway offers a picture-worthy view of the ocean.