Butano is just inconvenient enough for the average weekender to be amazing for everyone else. It's mellow, kid-friendly, shady, and wooded. If you don't want to make breakfast, Duarte's is a 10 minute drive. Or pick up coffee across the street, then hit the beaches, or go for hikes up into the hills.
Unlike Big Basin or other cabins that neighbor tent camping, the SPT cabins are secluded. Here are my disorganized bullet points:
- Cabins are incredible. They have electricity, outlets, and heating. All you need are sheets, pillows, and blankets.
- Great for families.
- Drinkable water
- Dish washing station at the restrooms
- Showers!
- 15 mins from the nearest store, so you don't need to bring much (or can pick things up if you forgot)
- 45 mins from Pt Reyes
Be aware of the tons of poison oak, and bring a yellowjacket trap to hang. There's not a lot of flat ground in the campground for kids riding bikes, so you'll need to go hike the trails or go down to the other main area for that. But this is like 2% negative and everything else is 98% positive.
Overall I think these are perfect for the mini-vacation style "let's throw a few things in a bag, low effort" camping trips.