Love HMB. We've been doing quick mini shoots with families for their Holiday cards, etc. and I had shoots all over the coast this past weekend. We stayed in the Santa Cruz area on Friday and HMB on Saturday night. We were lucky enough to find a quaint little Inn right on the water that is dog friendly!
Here's a link to their site, just in case you want to check them out. The Inn at The Mavericks
We took the dog and child for a walk down the beach with some friends and ended up finding the world famous Mavericks Beach, (think Surfs' Up, Dude!)....but, when we got there we were suprised with hundreds of other folks that had driven out to walk the tidal pools. Best low tide in a year! We had great fun watching all of the kids amazed at all of the little critters they could find. ;)
If you haven't visited this area, here's a great link from the Half Moon Bay Chamber Of Commerce that will get you all set up with hiking trails, shopping, etc.