White Water — Hotel in Cambria

We loved our three day stay at the White Water! The reason for the 4 instead of 5 stars rating is because of an UNEXPECTED, undisclosed/or advance warning, huge roofing repair happening during part of our stay. The noise was awful, and unfortunately was happening right over our room. (It lasted most of the day :(.) It was impossible to relax in our room, or nap ...we're Seniors :) :(. Happy it was a beautiful day and there was a lovely lobby and great seating outside too. Management was very understanding and validated our frustration. Thank you! Hope the project is done soon, but you might want to ask before booking, to see if the project is complete. :). Apparently, its a huge project. All to say, they were done by 5 :), and you may not need a nap! :) ||Lauren at the front desk was AMAZING! Very kind, friendly and helpful, and made our stay extra special. We loved our Premium King Room! Very Clean (no dirty carpeting, which we loved!). Very, very comfortable beds with cozy bedding, a fabulous gas fireplace, plus a great heater (no air conditioning, but large standing fan if you needed.) ||The property was a single floor motel style, which we loved, no stairs. But this is not your ordinary motel! It was perfect for us! The decor was lovely, and the room was spacious. The lobby is very inviting...a place you will want to hang out! ||In the Premium King Room, there was a closet, a nice mirror, and had a tasteful cubby type area, with a work desk, which was helpful to put things. The bathroom was nice with a huge shower, with great water pressure! :) There was a small "no host bar" offering in the small fridge. Thankfully, there was also a little space for leftovers, etc., if need be. No microwave, but a "poor over" coffee pot, for tea and coffee in case you need more coffee! :) No dining table to sit at, and no couch, but a nice window seat which we loved and two chairs for extra seating. (Nice seating outdoors and in the beautiful lobby.) (Quality bath products, that even my husband loved, He is picky. In the lobby, you can purchase some to take home with you. I would, if I were you!).||We appreciated the light morning breakfast basket. Great coffee brought pipping hot right to our room in a stay hot thermos, OJ and a sweet treat. I am gluten free and was treated to a different treat every morning of our three day stay. Thank you, Lauren for your thoughtfulness! I was very impressed and thankful have something to eat. Offering me a GF option was so appreciated. (Not just one treat per person, but two. We are talking high quality bakery treats here. They were not Cost-co! Note to Management, may I suggest adding a hard boiled egg that would compliment the high sugar buzz :)..... and not compromise your "light offering" :)? . Would of made the breakfast basket perfect!). Oh, and the water to all the rooms is filtered. You won't need to bring bottled water! And it tasted good too1||We didn't spend much time in the lobby, the weather was too nice, but may I suggest that you take advantage of this space, which I read from previous reviews on Trip Advisor, that in the evening, there is a excellent appetizer offering and drinks available for purchase. (An added touch, I found fruited water, yay, and morning coffee available the lobby). The feel of this space is bright, comfortable, and appealing. If weather keeps you indoors (which can sometimes happen in Cambria), from this space, you have a straight view at the ocean, a place for viewing the sunset and comfort food to pass the time! :). Highly recommend spending some time in this space. ||There is also some comfortable seating outside with a very cozy fire pit out front, that was going our entire three day stay during waking hours, and tiki torches that added a nice ambiance to the property. Access to the awesome Moonstone Boardwalk is right across the street, and there are other wonderful walking paths in the area. Don't forget to ask about other walking trails, the Elephant Seals in the Winter and Rock hounding access, minutes away.||May I suggest you take advantage of rate specials available on their website since the prices are rather steep at this property, for a three star property. Trip Advisor reviewers give it a 4.5 stars. I totally agree, this place has earned this rating. Booking directly with the property is always worth it, for so many reasons. We plan to start saving now, so we are able to return to White Water next year :). It was our kind of place!! ||By the way, December is a great time to visit Cambria with the Cambria Market at Cambria Pines Lodge, and some really fun and quant wineries in town. Take time to check out a few of the really classy restaurants (like Madelines), fun shopping, a grocery market, a Whole Foods Market/with a deli, and also lighter fare restaurants throughout the town. The coastline is beautiful! We love the area so much and it has been a yearly tradition for many years. (Paso Robles is only a short drive away for amazing wine tasting...We vote, the wine tasting experiences in Paso are top notch :) )||We are excited to have found the White Water on Moonstone Beach (again). We had stayed there several times many years ago. New management has upgraded the entire property, and we really love the changes. Awesome and perfect for our taste, and just what we were looking for and what we needed! We are not 5 Star Hotel people, but we still have pretty high expectation. This place was great! Can't wait to come back. Thank you so much to Management and Lauren for helping to make this Anniversary so very special for us, and for the treat in our room to help us celebrate our #44! You are awesome sauce! Hope to see you next December or January. ||Note: there is an extra charge that covers the breakfast basket, internet, and parking. Not sure if you can opt out or not??? I think so? This was a little frustrating, but disclosed ahead of time. The rooms are already pretty pricey. I was surprised about this at first. It is under $20. It would of been nice to have the light breakfast, parking and internet included in room rate. I suppose they have their reasons. :) You will find oonstone Beach is pricey overall. :). Some places no longer offer any breakfast option. Sign of the times, says this Senior. :). This point will not keep...

I had high hopes for White Water as my birthday weekend destination, but unfortunately, it was a major disappointment.||We called several days in advance to confirm our reservation and let them know we’d be bringing our dog. They assured us everything was noted and the dog fee was accounted for. During the same call, we asked if we could pay to upgrade to the ocean-view room with a tub. They told us we already had that upgraded room, so we thought everything was set. Tip: make sure they email you confirming what they say on the phone. ||Upon arrival, we checked in and were given keys to a standard room that was not the ocean-view room we were promised. When we went back to the front desk, they said, “Your confirmation is for a deluxe king room,” which was true. But we reminded them we’d called to upgrade and were told we already had the ocean-view room. They refused to honor what was said on the phone. As it was my birthday weekend, I didn’t want to ruin the trip, so I reluctantly let it go.||Adding to the frustration, the hotel’s claim of being “dog-friendly” feels misleading. Dogs are not allowed in the lobby, so if you want to enjoy drinks or food, you must either take it back to your room or sit outside. For a hotel branding itself as dog-friendly, this is a huge letdown. They also failed to provide basic amenities like a water bowl or treats for our dog, as advertised. We recently stayed at the Landsby in Solvang and they allowed dogs in the lobby, sitting area, even the indoor restaurant. ||Staffing was another issue. Lauren appeared to be handling the front desk, kitchen, and bar all by herself. It’s hard to blame her personally, but it’s unacceptable to charge premium prices while failing to properly staff the property.||The room itself was cozy, with a comfortable bed, a functional fireplace, and a good coffee setup. However, the “breakfast basket” we paid for was absurdly skimpy—orange juice for two, coffee for two, and one pastry to share. The card inside says pastrieS, but all you get is one. Calling this a breakfast basket is misleading and disappointing. ||On our second day, we noticed the premium ocean-view room had become available. Hoping to salvage our stay, we asked to pay the difference and switch to that room. Lauren refused, saying we would be charged for both our current room (since we didn’t check out at 11 AM) and the new room. She said because house keepers were done for the day and she couldn’t turn the room so it could be cleaned and make it available for another reservation. The parking lot on Sunday was pretty empty, we would have not made any impact and in fact would have made more money for us to pay to get a bigger room. It felt like no effort was being made to rectify our experience or accommodate us.||In summary, while the room was pleasant, everything else about this stay—from the miscommunication about our reservation to the lack of dog-friendly amenities, minimal breakfast, and unwillingness to provide solutions—left a bad taste in my mouth. For the price they charge, I expected far better service and organization. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel unless you confirm every detail of your stay beforehand and manage your...

A Perfect Babymoon Stay – Unforgettable Experience!

My wife and I recently stayed at White Water for a special two-night babymoon getaway, and it exceeded every expectation. As SLO locals, we’ve admired this boutique hotel on past visits to Moonstone Beach and Sea Chest Oyster Bar, and we’re so glad we finally stayed—it was nothing short of incredible.

From the moment we arrived, the staff’s hospitality was above and beyond. They remembered us from a previous visit when we stopped by to check out the lobby before booking. That attention to detail carried throughout our stay. They placed us in Room #1, a stunning space with a dual-sided fireplace that warmed both the bedroom and cozy living area. The bathroom was a dream, featuring an open-concept shower, a luxurious soaking tub with a gorgeous view of Moonstone Beach, and high-end Aesop bath products that we loved.

One of the highlights was the morning hospitality baskets that were hand delivered to our room, which were a thoughtfully curated treat—fresh pastries from The French Corner, local HoneyCo Roasters coffee, and bottled fresh orange juice (plus brut champagne for a proper toast!). It was the perfect way to start each morning.

The lobby’s mini bar was another gem, offering local wines, draft beers, and hand-crafted cocktails (they even made a delicious mocktail for my wife). On Saturday night, we loved cozying up by the outdoor fire pit with drinks in hand, enjoying their DIY s’mores bar, which was such a fun and nostalgic touch after sunset.

The hotel also provides complimentary cruiser bikes, which we took for a scenic ride along Moonstone Beach Drive. A short walk brought us to Leffingwell Landing Park, where we enjoyed a sunset picnic using the complimentary travel bag provided in our room. The location is ideal—within walking distance of great spots like Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill and Madeline’s Wine Bar, and just a quick drive to downtown Cambria where we had lunch at Brydge and Dinner at Madeline's (both were recommended on White Water's website and lived up the billing).

White Water blends modern luxury with a warm, welcoming atmosphere, making it the perfect place for a relaxing, high-end coastal retreat. This staycation was everything we hoped for before welcoming our baby in May, and we can’t wait to return in the future....