You can't miss them as there's a large train trestle bridge by the seashore, and it has one of the widest sand beaches in the entire North Coast. Here you will find everything from tide pools and surf to great walking and swimming, and there are lots of lodging possibilities close by. There are easily accessible picnic tables, barbecue pits, volleyball courts, and more topside, but one has to traipse down a steep incline to reach the beach. If you're lucky, every now and then someone scores a piece from one of Midler's homes. Summerland is also tops for great beach-style food.
Tinkers is the place for hamburgers.
In the long run, we didn't have to go very far to find Avila's closest competitor. But most important is the funk factor. Cayucos is graced with unassuming, clapboard-sided beach businesses. There's scant pretension in Cayucos, although more and more Beamers and Land Rovers have been seen scouting the territory. The impending yuppification of Cayucos seems inevitable.