CALIFORNIA Sunny SLO Cal More than Cowboys and Cabernet

By: Alyssa Pinsker

Halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco lies the beautiful Central Coast of California glistening on the Pacific Ocean. San Luis Obispo, or SLO Cal county, encompasses seven cities, including the town of San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, and Morro Bay, and 100 miles of pristine coastline totaling 270,000 people.

With the perfect warm Mediterranean climate and terroir for winemaking, SLO Cal is known for its Cabernets. Due to its more Western roots, the city of Paso Robles is often referred to as Cowboys and Cabernet. Morro Bay attracts whale watching. This beautiful county has beaches and butterflies, bubblegum alley, Hearst Castle, Madonna Inn, and more than 250 wineries and tasting rooms with 314 days of fresh sunshine a year.

The Wine:

One of the largest wineries in SLO Cal, Cass Winery, called Camp Cass, on 145 acres of vineyard, offers an abundance of activities, like riding electric bikes, wine blending classes, archery, paint n’ sip, olive oil class, axe throwing, horseback trail rides, “Sip Like a Som’” classes, “cheffing” classes with Chef Pandee, cooking classes with Chef Charlie Paladin Wayne, helicopter tours of the coast and vineyards, third wheel motorcycle tours for wine tasting starting at Cass and then driven to other vineyards. The cafe and tasting room are outdoors and have fresh, delicious farmto-table meal options. They also have a unique luxury boutique hotel on campus built from industrial shipping crates overlooking the vineyard, or you can stay at the 3-bedroom historical Cass Farmhouse.

Art:

A must-see is the lavish and sprawling Hearst Castle, formally called La Cuesta Encantada, built between 1919 and 1947 by the publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst and his architect Julia Morgan. With breathtaking views of Big Sur, and 165 rooms, the outdoor Neptune pool and its marble sculptures are a spectacular sight, and several buildings house the Art of San Simeon and his whole collection of ancient and modern artworks that Hearst collected throughout his lifetime, mainly from Europe and Asia. It is a California State Park and National and California Historical Landmark. An interesting fact is that because it is state-run, the collection valued perhaps in the billions can never be sold.

Niner Wine Estate

The Niner Wine Estate is a family-owned estate winery that is 100% solar-powered. The buildings are LEED, while the vineyards became the first business to earn the Sustainability in Practice Winery Certification in 2016. They are known for their Cabernet Sauvignon (my favorite), Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and their flagship blend Fog Catcher. In the center of Niner Estate is Heart Hill Vineyard, a natural and beautiful result of oak trees with a heart shape formation. They have a wine bar tasting, reserve tasting, and the Heart Hill Tasting experience. Ride through the vines and into the Heart to relax on the patio with a special tasting of carefully selected reserve and library wines. Their solar grid powers two electric vehicle charging stations.

Wine Club Members can reserve a space on the beautiful sunny patio from Thursday to Sunday. Their winery restaurant is fabulous with fresh ingredients like extra virgin olive oil milled from the property, eggs from their on-site chickens, and produce from the garden for an open-kitchen lunch or dinner with fresh ingredients from local farmers, butchers, and artisans.

Bubblegum Alley is a cute but slightly sticky downtown San Luis Obispo landmark. A narrow, 70-foot-long alleyway invites visitors to partake in creating chewed bubblegum graffiti since the 1970s. There has been an ongoing rivalry with another gum alley in Seattle. You can leave your mark and take an Instagram-worthy snap.

Accommodations:

Hotel Cerro, a luxury hotel located downtown in San Louis Obispo on a pristine and lively street known for its farmer’s market, Garden Street, has sixty-five luxurious rooms. Suites have views of Downtown, the surrounding mountains, and the hotel’s Edible Gardens. A FrenchMediterranean restaurant attracts guests and tourists alike for fresh oysters and Edible Garden to table. Brasserie SLO is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, happy hour, and pool service. The elegant rooftop pool serves wine, beer, and cocktails. Hotel Cerro houses a refined spa with a Central Coast-inspired relaxation room and a modern fireplace. They offer steam baths before massage treatments and options, including facials, scrubs, and wraps. There is also a private gym and spa.

Cliff’s Hotel & Spa is an upscale nautical-inspired four-story resort hotel located on a bluff directly above Pismo and Shell Beach with sweeping Ocean views. The resort has a beautiful yet cozy opulence, direct beach access, a famous full-service spa, a 24-hour fitness center, and a heated outdoor oceanfront pool. Visitors can enjoy Friday night wine receptions and Saturday Sangria Reception. Live music is often on the calendar. There is a fireplace in the sunny, stylish eclectic lobby. Views with sea spritz and sunsets are stunning, and all rooms are dog friendly. The restaurant on-site, Marisol at the Cliffs, offers creative cocktails and award-winning New American fare, fresh Adventure:

Papagallo Yacht Cruise: Morro Bay’s premier luxury yacht charter cruises Morro Bay National Estuary and the Pacific Ocean. Take a sunset cruise with cocktails, wine, cuisine, live music, a surround sound system, and a dance floor. You will see the iconic Morro Rock, a volcanic plug, and maybe spot a gray whale. They are the most seen species of whale in San Luis Obispo County. Up to 20,000 gray whales migrate in pods twice annually between Mexico, where they breed and give birth, and Alaska, where they feed.

Food

At the harbor, oysters are a must-try, in addition to all the fantastic farm-to-table cuisine paired with local wines. I suggest the unpretentious Morro Bay Fish Company, a division of Santa Monica Seafood, for a freshly caught and shucked dozen. Try them with lemon, ketchup, cocktail sauce, or Tabasco sauce instead of the European mignonette. There is also live music (a staple in SLO Cal) and often a line, with outdoor seating and simple, fresh drinks and other fresh-caught seafood. The Great American Fish Company offers a more extensive bar, lounge, and restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and a full menu including mesquite-grilled steaks and seafood, cocktails, and more, family owned and operated since 1979.

Madonna Inn: The delightfully kitschy and retro gold and pinkthemed Madonna Inn is must-see. It lies on 1,500 acres and has five buildings. One hundred ten unique rooms are each decorated differently from rock rooms, waterfall showers, rock fireplaces, and the famous pink dining room, Alex Madonna’s Gold Rush Steak House, which serves oak-pit barbequed steak and an extensive wine list in famous hot pink leather circular chaises for all guests. Many celebrities such as Bill Clinton, Elvis Presley, Madonna, and more have stayed at this pink hotel built in 1958. The men’s urinal is a rock waterfall. There is also a cocktail lounge, a heated beach-entry pool, two jetted whirlpools, a fitness room, a gazebo, and a waterfall. The campus also has tennis, basketball, pickleball, horseback trails, shopping, and more.

Pacific Adventure Tours/Xtreme Hummer Adventures

An unusual adventure on a beach is riding in an authentic four-wheel all-terrain military vehicle in the sand dunes on Oceano Beach with a very experienced driver. The adventure tour is not for the faint of Heart as you go sideways and what feels like vertically downhill sand bowls for 45 minutes, but you will finish feeling exhilarated! Try the scenic Hummer tour for a more relaxed 30 minutes.