Inn at Moonlight Beach
105 North Vulcan Avenue, Encinitas
The stay
Five garden suites near Moonlight Beach, certified WELL Platinum in 2020.
A small inn of five suites in old Encinitas, with gardens on every side and the beach a few minutes away. It was renovated around the WELL Building Standard and, according to the International WELL Building Institute, earned WELL Certification at the Platinum level, the first hospitality project to do so.3
The inn is specific about how. It uses MERV 13 or better filters in its ventilation, runs a whole-house water filtration system, and built in sound-proofing drywall, triple-pane windows and two layers of curtains with an exterior sunshade.1 Breakfast draws on a biodynamic urban farm on the property.2
It is the most complete public health profile in this catalog so far. We still want to see cleaning and laundry practices, the water filters’ maintenance, whether the curtains black out the room, and whether the certification has been renewed.
5 rooms · $$$ indicative
What we love
- Certified WELL Platinum in 2020, per the International WELL Building Institute; current status not yet checked.3
- MERV 13 filters on the ventilation, by the inn’s account.1
- Five suites in gardens, a few minutes from the beach.
Worth knowing
- The certifier’s account of the WELL certification dates from 2020;3 WELL certification has to be renewed, and we have not confirmed whether it has been.
- Cleaning products, laundry and fragrance are not described publicly.
- Only five suites, so book early.
Amenities
- Filtered fresh air
- Garden or organic produce
- Building certification
Map
105 North Vulcan Avenue, Encinitas, CA 92024
Our review
At a glance
- Fragrance
- 5 not yet reviewed
- Air
- 1 hotel-reported, 4 not yet reviewed
- Cleaning & care
- 4 not yet reviewed
- Sleep & materials
- 5 not yet reviewed
- Water & pools
- 4 not yet reviewed
- Food
- 1 hotel-reported, 1 not yet reviewed
- Light & quiet
- 2 not yet reviewed
- Building
- 1 confirmed, 2 not yet reviewed
One reported by the hotel; the rest not yet reviewed.
1 hotel-reported24 of 25 not yet reviewed
Counts cover the 25 scored criteria; the other 5 windows are context.
Checked
Read the full profileThe ledger
Fragrance
Added scent is the most common complaint from sensitive guests, and the hardest thing to see on a booking page.
No added fragrance in rooms
Not yet reviewed.
No scent marketing
Not yet reviewed.
Fragrance-free laundry
Not yet reviewed.
Unscented bath products
Not yet reviewed.
Unscented spa options
Not yet reviewed.
Know something about fragrance here that we don’t? Tell us
Air
What you breathe for eight hours a night: smoke history, fresh air, filtration and anything burning in the room.
Smoke-free property
Not yet reviewed.
Opening windows
Not yet reviewed.
Filtered fresh air
Hotel-reportedacross the property
The hotel says: ‘We feature media filters MERV 13 (or higher)’, used in the ventilation system ‘to filter and purify the air’.
How we know
What we look for. Mechanical ventilation brings outdoor air in through filters rated MERV 13 or better.
Why it matters. Fine particles (PM2.5) are linked to respiratory and cardiovascular harm. A MERV 13 filter captures at least half of the smallest particles it is rated for and most larger ones, and a steady supply of fresh air dilutes pollutants released indoors.
Source: US EPA, What is a MERV rating? ()
Source 1: Hotel website: our WELL building standardUndated · read 21 Oct 2026
In-room air purifier
Not yet reviewed.
No in-room combustion
Not yet reviewed.
Know something about air here that we don’t? Tell us
Cleaning & care
How a room is cleaned, treated and prepared, and whether a request for a gentler clean is actually honored.
Low-chemical housekeeping
Not yet reviewed.
No ozone or biocide treatments
Not yet reviewed.
Low-chemical pest control
Not yet reviewed.
Sensitive-guest preparation
Not yet reviewed.
Know something about cleaning & care here that we don’t? Tell us
Sleep & materials
The textiles, mattress and floor you spend the night closest to, and how allergen-aware the room is.
Tested or organic bed linen
Not yet reviewed.
Mattress materials disclosed
Not yet reviewed.
Hard floors
Not yet reviewed.
Allergy-friendly rooms
Not yet reviewed.
Pet-free rooms
Not yet reviewed.
Know something about sleep & materials here that we don’t? Tell us
Water & pools
Drinking water, shower water and pool air.
Filtered or tested drinking water
Not yet reviewed.
So far, the hotel says: A whole-house water filtration system serves every sink, shower and bath.
Our note. The filter type and replacement schedule are not stated, so this falls short of the criterion.
How we know
What we look for. Drinking water filtered at the tap or refill station, or treated and tested on site, with filters or tests on a schedule.
Why it matters. Public water systems in California are regulated and monitored by the State Water Board, though older building plumbing can still affect what reaches the tap. Filtration mainly improves taste and removes chlorine, and it replaces single-use bottles; private wells need regular testing.
Source: California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water (undated)
Source 1: Hotel website: our WELL building standardUndated · read 21 Oct 2026
Water safety plan
Not yet reviewed.
Shower filters
Not yet reviewed.
Shown for information; not scored.
Outdoor or low-chloramine pools
Not yet reviewed.
Shown for information; not scored.
Know something about water & pools here that we don’t? Tell us
Food
Allergen care first; where the produce comes from second.
Allergen-aware kitchen
Not yet reviewed.
Garden or organic produce
Hotel-reportedacross the property
The hotel says: A biodynamic urban farm on the property, and a breakfast with ‘mostly organic options’.
Shown for information; not scored.
How we know
What we look for. A meaningful share of the kitchen’s produce is grown on site or certified organic.
Why it matters. A large review found detectable pesticide residues about four times as often in conventional crops as in organic ones. Over a short stay the difference in exposure is small, so we show this as a note on the kitchen, not a scored health factor.
Source: Barański et al., British Journal of Nutrition, Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses ()
Source 2: Hotel website: home pageUndated · read 21 Oct 2026
Kitchen note, not scored.
Know something about food here that we don’t? Tell us
Light & quiet
Darkness and silence at night, and radio-quiet options for guests who want them.
Darkness and quiet
Not yet reviewed.
So far, the hotel says: Sound-proofing drywall, triple-pane windows, two layers of interior curtains and an exterior sunshade.
Our note. Blackout is not stated: the page describes two layers of interior curtains and an exterior sunshade, so this falls short of the criterion.
How we know
What we look for. Blackout shades and sound insulation that let the room become properly dark and quiet.
Why it matters. Night-time noise fragments sleep; the WHO’s night noise guidelines set a target of 40 dB outside the bedroom. A dark, quiet room is the simplest sleep aid there is.
Source: WHO Regional Office for Europe, Night noise guidelines for Europe ()
Source 1: Hotel website: our WELL building standardUndated · read 21 Oct 2026
Radio-quiet options
Not yet reviewed.
Shown for information; not scored.
Know something about light & quiet here that we don’t? Tell us
Building
The materials a hotel was built and renovated with, how it handles damp, and what third parties have certified.
Low-emitting materials
Not yet reviewed.
Leak and mold response
Not yet reviewed.
Building certification
Confirmedacross the property
The certifier said in 2020: In 2020 the inn achieved WELL Certification at the Platinum level, the first WELL-certified hospitality project.
Our note. WELL certification has to be renewed. We have not yet checked the WELL project directory for its current status.
Shown for information; not scored.
How we know
What we look for. A third-party certification such as WELL, LEED or a green business program, recorded with its level, and its year where the certifier gives one.
Why it matters. WELL assesses air, water and light in occupied buildings. LEED and green business programs are mainly environmental, with some indoor-quality elements. A certificate records what was designed or checked at a point in time, not what a room is like today.
Source 3: International WELL Building Institute: WELL story6 Mar 2020 · read 21 Oct 2026
Context only. A certificate supports specific criteria only where its scope covers them.
Know something about building here that we don’t? Tell us
Notes & sources
- Hotel website: our WELL building standard, Undated · read 21 Oct 2026
- Hotel website: home page, Undated · read 21 Oct 2026
- International WELL Building Institute: WELL story, 6 Mar 2020 · read 21 Oct 2026
Room count: Per the inn’s website. Hotel website (opens the hotel’s website)
Photographs: Josika Bhattacharjee (Unsplash License, placeholder image, not the hotel); Mitchell Luo (Unsplash License, placeholder image, not the hotel); Jessie Maxwell (Unsplash License, placeholder image, not the hotel); Rochelle Lee (Unsplash License, placeholder image, not the hotel)
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