Inn at Moonlight Beach – A Biodynamic Farm in Encinitas
Let’s talk agritourism wrapped in velvet. While most hotels are built to impress, the Inn at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, California, was built to heal. This destination is all biodynamic herb garden in bloom, reclaimed wood walls humming with history, and guests harvesting their own salads from the soil just outside their doors.
Where Wellness, Agriculture, and Architecture Collide
Nestled in Encinitas, San Diego County’s surf-meets-spirituality capital, the Inn and Moonlight Beach is rewriting the rules of hospitality. “I wanted to create a place that people experience joy, love, and connection,” says Shangwen Chiu Kennedy, the inn’s visionary founder. “Our business intent is people experience love… being loved by nature, the produce that sources us and our lives. I think that agriculture really became the life-giving element for people staying here.”
From Urban Designer to Accidental Innkeeper
Kennedy didn’t plan on opening a hotel. “It was an accident that I own an inn,” she confesses with a laugh. After two decades as an architect and urban designer, she moved from Boston to San Diego to start a family. When she stumbled upon a struggling old B&B in Encinitas, she saw something others didn’t: potential.
“The property itself was very depleted,” she explains. “But I felt like I could really enhance it and save it almost —have it shine light to share the spirit of what this area is about.”
What followed was a complete gut renovation, soil restoration, and a full reimagining of what a stay could feel like. A lot of the wood used in the rebuild? Reclaimed from the original property. The surrounding land? Revived into a small but mighty biodynamic farm. And the building itself? “Now we have the first WELL-certified hotel in the world, as we were one of the pilot projects for the first buildings that started this certification.”
“A WELL building standard means a building itself could passively improve human health by people simply being in it.”
A Garden Grown with Intention 🌿
The farm isn’t large—just one-third of an acre—but it’s vibrant and intentional. “What grows in our farm are mostly herbs,” says Kennedy. “We couldn’t produce enough vegetables to feed our guests, but herbs we felt like we could grow in abundance.”
And they do. Here, the inn infuses herbs into bath sachets, dries them into custom tea blends, and infuses them into honey, and sells them in the on-site boutique. Guests can pick what they need directly from the land with scissors and baskets provided in their room.
“We have olive oil and balsamic vinegar in the rooms so they can harvest their own salad,” she shares. “And our gardens are always open for guests to engage with—whether that’s snipping herbs, making a bouquet, or creating something to take home.”
Cultivate Wellness at the Maker’s Station
One of the most unique elements of the inn is the Maker’s Station—a build-your-own garden bar where guests can pot their own succulents, edible flowers, or herbs.
“We have workshops with the intention of guests engaging with what we grow or starting a garden of their own,” says Kennedy. “They can choose planters that are table-sized or balcony-ready and take them home.”
It’s one part agritourism, one part hands-on therapy, and all parts inspiring.
Eat With the Seasons (and Pickle with Them, Too) 🥒
The Inn at Moonlight Beach’s offerings shift with the seasons—and so does its breakfast. Morning meals are simple and clean: overnight oats or chia pudding paired with whatever fruit is in season.
“In the summer, it might be strawberries. In the fall, we switch to apple with cinnamon,” says Kennedy. The kitchen also features a harvest table stocked with whatever herbs or produce are fresh on the farm—or sourced from the Encinitas farmers market.
And the pickle table? Oh, it’s a thing. “Any time we have an abundance of vegetables, we preserve them,” she says. “There are usually five or six different kinds of pickles available for guests to enjoy.”
Sustainability, Infused into Every Decision
From the reclaimed wood walls to the building’s solar-powered systems and EV charging stations, sustainability isn’t a theme—it’s the foundation.
“Sustainability is in everything we do,” Kennedy explains. “We don’t use single-use materials. Everything is reusable. Every guest room has a compost bin. We even train our staff with the intention of reducing waste at every level.”
Even the plants are water-saving and native to the region. Signage throughout the inn gently encourages guests to help achieve 90% solar energy usage and to be conscious of their water and energy consumption.
Encinitas: Where Surf Meets Spirituality 🌊
The Inn’s location isn’t just convenient—it’s symbolic. “Encinitas has this spiritual vibe,” Kennedy says. “There’s the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple, which was founded by a guru whose book changed Steve Jobs’s life.”
“Encinitas also played a key role in bringing yoga to the Western world. In the mid-20th century, Ashtanga yoga was introduced here by teachers from India, making the town one of the first hubs for this practice in the United States. Many of the earliest students went on to share yoga across the rest of the U.S. and Europe.” Add in a killer coastline and a thriving surf scene, and it’s no surprise that National Geographic named Encinitas one of the world’s top 10 surf towns.
This Isn’t a Hotel. It’s a Movement.
Staying at the Inn at Moonlight Beach feels like stepping into a prototype for how travel should be—immersive, nourishing, and connected to the land.
“We wanted to create a place that encompasses the spirit of the region and the town,” says Kennedy. “California is abundant with agriculture. Encinitas is rooted in small family farms. Connecting the dots for guests—to help them realize that agriculture is the source of their life—that’s the heart of what we do.”
Plan Your Visit 🌞
Ready to stay somewhere that feeds your body, mind, and soul?
Plan your visit to the Inn at Moonlight Beach
Overlooking downtown Encinitas and its namesake beach, the Inn at Moonlight Beach offers 5 suites of tranquil luxury. Reservations can be made online or by calling (760) 450-5028.
105 N Vulcan Ave
Encinitas, CA 92024
innatmoonlightbeach@gmail.com
Don’t leave without:
- 🌿 Creating your own souvenir herb or edible flower garden at the Maker’s Station.
- 🍓 Enjoying a seasonal breakfast featuring CA GROWN fruit and infused honey.
- 🧺 Harvesting herbs and salad greens with the provided baskets and scissors.
- 🛁 Soaking in a floral bath sachet infused with the inn’s own herbs harvested from the property.
- 📸 Snapping a photo in front of the beautiful reclaimed wood walls.
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This article was written by Meg van der Kruik. Photo credit James Collier for California Grown.