NEW YORK (Money Magazine) - About halfway between San Francisco and L.A., there's a bay with some nice beaches, a big rock and a hard-won reputation for peace and quiet. In fact, two towns along Estero Bay -- Morro Bay and Cayucos -- are most famous for not being famous at all.

Zoning laws and high real estate prices have kept big hotels and developers in check, while farmers and preservationists have maintained some of the area's rural atmosphere. In short, Estero Bay is a temperate (average daily high in July: 75 degrees farenheit) and family-friendly beach oasis that's also an ideal base for day trips to nearby Hearst Castle and other tourist highlights of California's central coast.

The area's most famous feature is 576-foot-high Morro Rock, an extinct volcano that rises from the water just off the coast of Morro Bay. It's a striking backdrop to this town that has long thrived on commercial fishing. Visitors come to charter boats, eat ice cream and saltwater taffy on the boardwalk and wander among eye-popping displays of fresh fish and local produce that go on sale every Saturday afternoon.

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Ten minutes north is Cayucos, known locally as the "last of the California beach towns." Clean white sand and good surfing make its beaches the finest around, yet the town has kept itself from morphing into an overrun tourist magnet like nearby San Luis Obispo. We suggest you make it your base. There are a few small hotels here, but a better tactic is to rent a beach house through a local real estate outfit: Coastal Escapes (800-709-2100) and Cayucos Vacation Rentals (800-995-2322) both have good reputations and appealing deals. We found, for example, a three-bedroom, two-bath beachfront house with a deck, fireplace, washer and dryer, and barbecue grill for $200 a night.

In addition to the spectacle of Hearst Castle in San Simeon, 30-odd minutes to the north, excellent day trips include the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Preserve, one of the largest sand dune areas in the U.S., and the pristinely preserved La Purisima mission in Lampoc.