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With an an inspiring coastal setting, accessible locale, and unique venues that will delight your team—and your budget office—The Half Moon Bay Coastside provides a compelling destination for offsite meetings and corporate retreats.

Located 40 minutes from San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the pastoral region feels worlds away with dramatic scenery and relaxed vibes. Here, you can flee the office fluorescents for green rolling hills, tranquil farms, and miles of beach-filled coastline. Plus, with a rich heritage in fishing and agriculture, you’ll eat exceptionally well. For your next team meeting, think outside the office and head to the Coastside.

Who Comes to the Half Moon Bay Coastside?

Those craving an authentic, non-Disneyfied retreat have become regular visitors to the Coastside. Its bucolic setting and gentle pace provide a welcome break from fast-paced corporate environments, making it easy to unwind, engage, and come together as a team. Free of distractions, groups report they get more accomplished. Plus, the natural setting is easy on the eyes. No one Instagrams their boardroom meetings, but attendees happily fill their feed with images of our shores, farms, and redwood trails.

The Coastside sits within a 45 minute drive of three major airports (SFO, OAK, SJC), and a short, scenic drive from San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Given its proximity to these bustling hubs, the destination attracts groups from household names including Apple, Ebay, Google, and Facebook. While that list may read like the opening sequence to HBO’s Silicon Valley, companies from a diversity of fields such as Clorox, GenenTech, and Kaiser—as well as community groups and philanthropic leaders—are regular guests. The scenery and accessibility make it an alluring destination, and a range of venues and activities to accommodate every budget make it one that any group can realize.

Venues with Built-In Scenery

In addition to a central locale, the Coastside features numerous venues that offer a memorable experience in unique settings. You can spot migrating whales at a seaside luxury hotel, or seek solitude at a peaceful family farm tucked into the countryside. Facilities span a range of capacities and budgets—from large events to intimate gatherings, day meetings to multi-day events.

Miramar Farms
A labyrinth with an ocean view is just one of the highlights of a visit to Miramar Farms. Photo courtesy Miramar Farms, Shanti Duprez Photography.

The Half Moon Bay Lodge and waterfront properties such as The Beach House, Oceano Hotel & Spa, and The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, offer a range of meeting space, guest accommodations, and luxe amenities including dreamy day spas. At Miramar Farms, executive teams swap spa robes for jeans and tennies at a stunning 11-acre property with flowering gardens, sweeping ocean vistas, and a renovated, historic barn tricked out with modern A/V gear. In between planning sessions, Miramar’s farmer can lead workshops such as honey tasting from the farm’s bee hives, while the farm’s chef pulls from the garden to delight guests with true farm-to-table lunches. “Guests to Miramar Farms are looking for a private, restorative and inspirational setting,” says co-owner Jayne Battey. “Our workshops offer a great way to bring some laughter, learning, and connection into the work day.” At Pillar Point Harbor, a former boathouse has been transformed into the Mavericks Event Center—named for the famed big-wave surf break located just offshore—and features a spacious ballroom and expansive deck overlooking the water.

For a quick overview of Coastside facilities, scan this this four-page guide which lists venues’ guest capacity, overnight accommodations, setting, and special offerings.

Bond the Team & Have Some Fun

When your staff eats solo desk lunches and has most social interactions via their phone screens, it’s time for some team building. Thanks to a year-round mild climate and an enviable setting between forested hills and the wild Pacific, the Coastside brims with fun, inspired activities that will bond any group. Lace up your hiking shoes for a trek through the redwoods, practice your golf swing on a pair of world-class waterfront links, or perfect the paddle stroke kayaking among the curious seals of Pillar Point Harbor.

Teambuilding
Team Building fun in Half Moon Bay. Photo courtesy Half Moon Bay Golf Links

With a bounty of farms and one of California’s last working fishing harbors, you can also tap into the Coastside’s vibrant food scene. Snack your way through the scenic grounds of a local farm, toss around a bocce ball at a country winery, or discover small-batch spirits at a local craft distillery. At the Wild West-themed Long Branch Farms, teams can compete in a chili cook-off, or mix poses and pints with beer yoga (yep, it’s a thing). Or head to a local artists’ studio where groups can learn the art of glassmaking, and take home their own glass rendition of one our famous pumpkins.

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Garrick Ramirez is a freelance writer and photographer who loves sharing compelling destinations within California. As a native, he has yet to tire of exploring the many cities, small towns, and natural splendor found throughout the state. His travel guides have appeared in the SF Chronicle, Via Magazine, and The Mercury News among others. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and son.