Travel Guide: 3 Nights in San Luis Obispo
I decided to plan a special trip for Chris’s 30th birthday. In addition to celebrating a milestone birthday, he’s been crazy busy with work lately so it seemed a good time to take a break and get away. San Luis Obispo holds a special place in both of our hearts for obvious reasons (where we went to college, met each other, lived together for a few years, and eventually returned to get engaged and then married), so it was a no-brainer to plan a trip back and revisit some of our favorite places.
We took a few days off to make it a long weekend and then broke the trip up to enjoy our time in a few different locations. I’ll be sharing more detail in a few other blog posts, but here’s a quick look at our overall itinerary:
Day 1 (Wednesday) - Drive to San Luis Obispo
Day 2 (Thursday) - Full day in SLO
Day 3 (Friday) - Paso Robles
Day 4 (Saturday) - Los Olivos
Day 5 (Sunday) - Santa Barbara
Where to Stay
Whether you’re staying two, three, four nights or more, I could not recommend The Hotel San Luis Obispo enough. Everything from the main lobby to our hotel room was perfectly decorated and I loved all of their thoughtful details - from the Nespresso machine and welcome cookies in our room to our private balcony and gorgeous view of Madonna mountain. It’s also perfectly located downtown so you can walk (or use their free bikes) to get to all of the local shops and restaurants with ease.
What to Do - Day 1
Drive up to San Luis Obispo (left around 12:30pm)
Stop in Santa Barbara for a late lunch
Go to Lucky Penny and get their Margherita Pizza — you won’t regret it!Check in to the Hotel SLO and get situated
Walk around downtown
Make dinner reservations
We ate at one of our favorite restaurants, Ember, and had what was probably my favorite meal of the entire trip.
What to Do - Day 2
Morning massages at Sol Spa (perfect way to start the day)
These massages were worth every penny, but you could also head out for a morning hike to relax and enjoy some fresh air and gorgeous viewsBreakfast Buzz (get the Buzz Burrito with bacon and don’t skimp on their salsa!)
Stop at Lincoln Market & Deli to pick up sandwiches and snacks to go
Head out for a day of wine tasting in Edna Valley
There are several wineries to visit, but top of our list would include Talley, Chamisal, Saucelito Canyon and Sextant WinesBack to the hotel to rest up for a bit
Dinner at Novo
What to Do - Day 3
Breakfast at Hotel San Luis Obispo
They offer in-room or patio breakfast on Fridays and the weekend, and we had the most amazing French Toast with caramelized bananas and fresh berriesA nice slow morning, walk around downtown or go out for a drive
Head to Paso Robles for another day of wine tasting
Most wineries require a reservation so I highly recommend using Tock to plan your day in advance
Our day went like this:12pm Chronic Cellars
1:15pm Niner Wine Estates (for lunch and tasting)
3:00pm Adelaida Vineyards
There are endless wineries in Paso, but here are a few more I’d suggest: Denner, Sextant, Daou, Tablas Creek
Dinner at Ox + Anchor
Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or just in need of a break, the central coast is the perfect place to go (and conveniently located 3-4 hours away from southern California and NorCal both).
If you’re planning a trip, let me know. I’d love to hear about it!
