Seal Cove Inn in Moss Beach, Central Coast, CA.

I was six months pregnant and felt the need for a weekend getaway with the family before the arrival of my son. I wanted to go someplace not too far from our home in San Francisco, yet far enough to feel transported.

We drove south along the coast and checked into the cozy, inviting Seal Cove Inn in Moss Beach, CA, a thirty minute drive from the city and just north of Half Moon Bay.

The Seal Cove is unequivocally romantic, but with a two-year-old on a rollaway next to your bed — not so much.

Still, our room was sumptuous and comfortable with a gas fireplace and a door to the impeccably landscaped gardens.

Kicking back here  on a weathered Adirondack chair with a juicy book as the ocean foams and roils beyond, is the essence of relaxation.

Behind the inn, a tree-lined path leads through the meadow to secluded beaches, tide pools and ocean bluffs.

A 10-minute walk from the inn, the Moss Beach Distillery is steeped in legend and mystery. A Prohibition-era hideaway for politicians, socialites, silent movie stars and pleasure seekers, its best known for the “Blue Lady,” a former guest who is said to haunt the building and grounds.

According to lore, the young woman ventured out to meet her lover during a violent storm some 70 years ago and was killed in an automobile crash.

Since then, sightings of a woman dressed in blue, and other unexplained disturbances have been reported at the building, particularly at night.

We decided to stop in for warm drinks on the back deck that overlooks the ocean. It’s often chilly and windy here, so we helped ourselves to the heaps of wool blankets provided for snuggling. Food is mediocre and overpriced, but the view of the rugged, wind-swept coast is staggering.

Back at Seal Cove, we had afternoon tea and homemade cookies in front of the massive hearth in the main sitting room.

In the morning, a generous breakfast buffet of freshly-baked muffins, quiche, fruit and Irish oatmeal awaited.

My daughter played in the garden and I wrapped myself in a shawl and gazed out at the fog-shrouded Pacific. My mind wandered to the Blue Lady. There’s a beautiful loneliness to this part of the coast. I did feel far away from my life in the city.

Mission accomplished.

Photo by Dan Dion