Pajaro Dunes On Monterey Bay

I booked a beach condo in Pajaro Dunes through AirBnB. Our party of 8 stayed in unit H-​81 ¹²⁄₁₉ — ¹²⁄₂₁ and we had a great time! The staff left some breakfast foods for us to enjoy (very thoughtful) and the unit was very clean and comfortable. Everything in the unit was operational and we had no problems at all. We will definitely be staying there again in the future, hopefully for longer!

We have been coming to Pajaro Dunes for our church’s small retreats for a few years now. Accomodations are always nice, and there’s a spacious meeting space for rent if so needed. The houses are located a stone’s throw from the beach, so that’s always nice for a walk.
On our most recent stay, there was a power outage — a PG&E transformer had blown. There wasn’t much the management could do — but they went out and purchased a gas generator for us. Very thoughtful and very much appreciated.
We hope to continue coming back here for many years to come.

My family has been staying at this association for years and it doesn’t get much better. The homes are nice and accommodating, and the beach is fantastic. In between famous Moss Landing and Santa Cruz, this place is great to stay at.

I stayed here with my family (husband, kids, and mother included) last week. It was perfectly situated between Monterey and Santa Cruz making it easy to hit up both spots several times. The condo we stayed in (Shorebird 144) was nice and clean and fully stocked with everything down to movies, games, beach towels, beach toys, and condiments. The condos are in the dunes and you can walk right out onto the beach, which my kids loved. The sight of the beach and sounds of the ocean were wonderful to wake to. Although it was unfortunately too cold and overcast to spend too much time at the beach, we enjoyed playing in the sand and searching for shells and sand dollars. The beach was quiet and perfect for a relaxing walk. The grounds are nicely kept and clean. Carts were provided making it convenient to get our things in and out of the condo/​car. There was plenty of parking.

Maybe take this with a grain of salt (better than a grain of sand at any rate), as I haven’t been here in about 15 years, at a time when I could absolutely not afford let alone legally rent a condo on my own.
But no, all these years later, this place still sticks with me, and all the memories of brief vacations to beach with my mom, brother and grandmother.
Someone here quipped about the whole beach house from the 80s vibe — this assuredly is a feature and not a bug. Stay at some other condo if you want something more contemporary, this place isn’t (least wasn’t) about that, and it’s grand.
Perserved marlins and sailfish hang from the walls, ladder access lofts and decks that overlook the ocean that will rock you to sleep. Worn wood paneling covers every building, staircase and sign, sand, sand and more sand, sunny days and overcast skies.
I may not be back again soon, but inevitably, I’ll be returning here.

This is one of those places where you pay a fortune… but are rewarded with a world-​class beach house experience… at least that was how it was for us.
My wife and a friend and I stayed at House 95 for 3 nights in Mid September and have absolutely no complaints. The house was well furnished, the view (being an ocean front house) was beyond amazing and the weather was absolutely perfect.
Whether it was watching groups of pelicans flying in formation just inches above the surf or dolphins playing in the waves or otters (seals?) floating around, you can not ask for a more serene place to unwind.
It cracks me up that people complain about cell service or wifi… the whole point of being there is to get away from all that (and you pay a pretty penny for the opportunity)! Sure, cell service was spotty at best but the wifi (at least where we were) was just fine for checking out places to eat and the like.
While you can pay them to provide bon fire materials, it is crazy expensive compared to stopping at Safeway (2 miles away) and picking up your own wood and smores fixin’s…which we did. There were a few metal bowls (think «weber BBQ top») already on the beach so we didn’t have to use the one we had brought. We set the fire… toasted the marshmallows… ate the smores… and enjoyed the moonlight, stars and a dozen or so of those floating lanterns that folks in a nearby house had lit and set to the wind to sail off over the ocean until they could no longer be seen… talk about relaxing!
Again…the price is steep, even with a free night after paying for 2 it ran about $ 500/​night after all was said and done. Their damage «deposit» is basically you paying insurance in case you break something… it’s not refunded but does provide some peace of mind. just in case.
We’ve stayed at Irish Beach near Mendocino for years and years but think this is going to be our new «go to» retreat when we need to get away from it all… I just need to start saving up for it now :-)

Just 40 mins away from Morgan Hill! One of the most secluded beaches of California! Gorgeous view!

We got married here 9÷17÷2011 and it was the most beautiful day ever! Sunny, warm, no wind and we saw dolphins right before I walked down the aisle!!!
You must contact Judy
. She will get you a 1, 2, or 3 bdrm condo for SUPER cheap for 2 – 3 nights. You will NOT find a better deal on the coast right on the water.

We’ve rented a few different condos and houses in Pajaro Dunes and have yet to have a bad experience. I love how close the units are to the beach. With young children, it’s especially convenient when one of them wants to stay out for only 30 – 45 minutes at a time. The beach has been very quiet and relaxing each time we’ve visited (Feb, April, June) as it’s «private» (though not closed to people walking in from other beaches). Shorebirds 86 is a really nice 2 bdrm condo w/​a great ocean view. If you aren’t looking for nightlife, and just want a calm place to enjoy the beach with your kids, then this is the place. There’s really nothing in Watsonville other than some good Mexican food, but Pajaro Dunes is a great place to escape the crowds of Santa Cruz and Monterey.

We really enjoyed our stay here in the private community of Pajaro Dunes. It’s a nice, secluded subdivision of Watsonville, just outside of Monterey and Carmel (and Watsonville and Santa Cruz) that was likely once a much sought after destination, but now has become a quaint little community of older owners and younger renters. It’s not too big, though, and the fact that it is a private community and secluded and its not-​so-​central location means that its pretty much just going to be quiet, private, and as much fun as you want to make it.
For us, our house was not on the beach, but was instead just a few hundred feet. We were right next to the beach access stairs, so we had a quick straight shot to the sand. The water was cold, and sometimes the wind blew a bit chilly, especially for the kids, especially in early June, but the sunset was always gorgeous, whether viewed from the top of the stairs, down at water’s edge, or from our beautiful bay-​view style windows in our house.
Houses here are pretty much fully furnished, or at least ours was, with cable TV, high speed internet, a few bedrooms and baths, grills, and kitchen amenities. There is local grocery shopping and farmer’s markets, which made it perfect for coming home and making meals for our extended family. Its location made it is easy for us to pack up and hit Monterey Aquarium, Gizdich Ranch, Dennis the Menace Park and the Monterey Farmer’s Market. But most days, we hit the beach in the afternoon, and watched the sunset at night, and then played cards or watched TV into the late evening. Just what a perfect vacation for a young family is all about!
So, that being said, if you are older, a group of church friends, scrapbookers, or a knitting circle, perhaps this would be a nice getaway. If you are a young 20something looking to get wasted and party ala Jersey Shore, you probbbbbbably don’t want to hit Pajaro Dunes. But, overall, I enjoyed it, and would come back to relax and reflect and reset and forget reality. I won’t come back to do extended days on the beach /​in the water, or party like a rockstar.

The beach here at Pajaro Dunes easily has the smoothest sand I’ve ever seen. Came here a couple of times during my stay in one of the beach houses that border this beach. The beach is definitely the highlight of my stay. There is almost nobody on the beach, which is surprising, gives it a very serene feeling. Just sit back with a book or lay down and tan, this place is perfect for that!
Can’t say too much about the beach houses here, I stayed at Pelican Point and wrote a separate review for that property. What’s really cool about this beach is that there is Wi-​FI here, which blows me away since there wasn’t even Wi-​Fi inside the actual place I stayed at. Pretty cool.
Gorgeous place to view the sunrise or sunset. Gets cold in the day time with the breeze, but I went during December so it’ll probably be nicer in the spring and summer. Gorgeous beach overall. It’s one of those ideal beaches where you’d wanna take those «long walks on the beach.»

Pajaro Dunes is a pretty awesome beach. .. one of the nicest beaches I’ve visited in northern California. It had everything we were looking for. .. for our weekend at the beach. We visited in mid-​August. .. and experienced wonderful long walks in sweatshirts in the morning fog. .. clearing to bright sunny skies in the afternoon. .. and s’mores from the fire pit on the beach after dark.
Perhaps because it is such a long beach, it was less crowded than expected, which was very nice. It was a family-​friendly place to come…
Sandy shore with sunny skies, shells, sand dollars, sea gulls, surfers, & sandpipers !!!. .. Well, you get the idea.

My family and I have been vacationing at Pajaro Dunes for almost 30 years now. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve the many Easters that we spent with our sizeable extended family there. Today, it remains a beautiful, relaxing and reminiscent visit each time. The staff has always been nice to work with and there is plenty going on in the town of Watsonville for those who want it. For me, though, a bottle of wine and the coastline are all I need.

My husband and I recently stayed here for five days in a friend’s beach house. Beautiful! Relaxing! Serene! It was the best vacation I have ever had. The beach for these houses are «private» in a sense because the only other people you will see are the only other people staying in the houses. The beach is about 1 ½ miles from the «public» beach.
If you are a pie lover, you must go to Gitzrich (sp?) Farm and try their fresh apple pies, juice, and apples. This place is about 10 minutes away from Santa Cruz and Capitola. It is simply amazing.

Love this place! Our little slice of heaven! Love that even in the summer the beach is never packed. If you like shell collecting or bird watching, walk down to where the river meets the ocean.

I have been going here for decades. A fantastic place to celebrate times with friends or family… houses are pricey, but a lot of rooms and sleeping options. It is in Watsonville about 35 minutes south of SC, 15 minutes north of Phil’s Fish Market in Moss Landing. These houses are, for the most part, RIGHT ON THE BEACH… or within a 30 second walk.
Awesome place to go and relax… slow things down… and simply enjoy watching a sunset while cooking a meal with those you love the most.

We enjoyed a long rainy weekend here and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. We rented a second floor condo at Pelican Point and were extremely pleased with the accommodations and location. It was a last minute plan and luckily there was availability. Location is everything and this place gets 5+ stars.
It was a dream. Waking up to watch the sunrise even with the dark storm clouds was such a treat! I would go back anytime. In fact, we are hoping to get a big group together to rent one of the all glass 6 bedroom homes with beach access from the house.
I recommend this place to anyone and for those coming from San Francisco, you must take Highway 1, what a beautiful coastline, I cannot say it enough!

Been coming here for quick getaways for more than twenty years. My parents became condo owners here perhaps a decade ago, and so I’ve seen how the rentals work from both sides — as a guest and as a owner. I won’t talk about their rental since that seems too obvious a conflict of interest, but I would like to say that Pajaro Dunes is a very nice place to stay and recharge.
Only about an hour’s drive from San Jose, you can be away from the hustle and bustle in a matter of minutes. Parking is plentiful. They have carts you can use to haul your gear up to the residences. The dunes around the buildings are always kept up well and attractive. All of the rentals are just steps away from the beach and I believe all have balconies where you can lounge from the comfort of your place if you choose. Each rental offers different amenities; personally, I’d go for one with a jacuzzi, but that’s just me!
There’s no need to venture anywhere when you’re here (assuming you brought your food with you)… but Monterey is a short drive away and of course nice to explore.
A great place to unwind! Love Pajaro Dunes!

If you have ever dreamed of staying right next to the beach, this is the perfect place. At night you get a beautiful view of the lights shinning across the Monterey Bay from Santa Cruz. The stars are another spectacular vision. Perfect for strolls & swimming all within a walk away.
We stayed in S86, very cozy, feels like you are at home. The owners put personal touches to every room. There are two bedrooms, the main has the best view of the ocean, the guest is geared for the «kids room.» However it can be used by us grown-​ups too! I love how the place is fully stocked with utensils and a washer and dryer!

One of my good friends had a house at Pajaro Dunes when we were younger, but her family sold it a few years ago. To re-​live the glory years, my friends and I rented a house at Pajaro Dunes for the weekend. Overall, we were disappointed with the service we received at the rental office. We didn’t receive the right instructions to get the key (we ended up having to go to two different rental offices), and they didn’t provide us with any instructions on how to get to the house we rented. Even though we are familiar with the area, the different parking lots and ways to get to the houses can be confusing, so more direction would have been nice (we also probably should have asked).
Excluding the generic paper products (kleenex and paper towels), our rental house (#117) was great. We had a beautiful view of the ocean, and the kitchen and shared space was really nice. There were TVs (many of them flat screen!) in every bedroom too. The house was built vertically, so that there were two «rooms» on each floor and three floors; that made for a lot of stair climbing… but that might have been needed given how lazy we were being all weekend. :-) The kitchen was well-​stocked with all of the utensils, dishes and cookware we could’ve wanted. The house could technically sleep 13 (there were only 5 of us); we definitely didn’t use a lot of the space in the house, but I think 13 would be pushing it (especially with two bathrooms).
The facilities are generally nice — lots of great tennis courts. Though, one negative was that there was a dead seal/​sea lion on the beach in the area close to where we were; it had clearly been there for days (weeks?) and created a really unpleasant smell. I would have thought that somebody would have it removed…