This is a blast from the past, the kind of place where you might have stayed as a kid during a cross-country vacation in the family station wagon. It was built in 1957 on grasslands across from the harbor, and it's trimmed with lumber from a single ancient redwood. Although they're not full of high-tech gadgets, the bedrooms are among the largest and best-soundproofed in town, and certainly the most evocative of a bygone age. In winter about a third of the rooms are locked and sealed. I still prefer the rooms on the beach at the Crescent Beach Motel, but the Curly is a solid bet for a clean, comfortable, and inexpensive hotel room.