Suzie
Business Owner
Central Coast
Day 1
Awaken in luxury at the Avila Lighthouse Suites. Start your fun-packed day with breakfast at the Custom House in Avila Beach. Their wheat bread is homemade and brings forth memories of Grandma’s kitchen! Then head over to Port San Luis. Stop a moment at the Fisherman’s Memorial, honoring local fisherman lost at sea. Each tile at the fountain is hand painted with a different species of locally harvested sea life alternating with the type of boat used to harvest it. Then walk off breakfast by strolling out on the pier to enjoy the fresh air and the view.
Pick up a bottle of excellent wine and enjoy the huge aquariums at Alapay Tasting Room in Avila. Drive to DePalo & Sons Deli where they have prepared a picnic lunch to enjoy later on the beach. Rent some kayaks from Central Coast Kayaks and explore the caves and sea life on the cliffs. Then spread your lunch on the beach or nearby at the Dinosaur Caves Park.
After lunch it is a quick hop over to the Monarch Butterfly Groves. This natural marvel can be explained by local docents. Work up an appetite with a little shopping, or shall I say, some big shopping, at the Pismo Outlets, followed by dinner at Klondike’s Pizza. Be sure to try the Garlic Chicken Pizza, it is about the best you’ll ever have. Walk over to Bill’s Place for a little karaoke with the locals and you’ll be ready to end your day across the street at Doc Bernstein’s Ice Cream Parlor.
Day 2
Stay at the Sanitarium to regain your sanity and then head on over to the Apple Farm for a hearty breakfast. Be sure to spend a little time in their fabulous gift shop. Rent a limousine from Stardust Cruises Limousine service to take you to Wine Country. Your onboard hostess will pour mimosas to enjoy on your way to the Lavender Farm. A tour here is a real treat and you’ll find great gifts to take home to your family. Then on to Wild Coyote Tasting Room and Bed and Breakfast Inn, a one-of-a-kind tasting room where you’ll meet Katie and Gianni Manucci, enjoy the spectacular view and reserve a room for your next stay. Just down the road you can visit the Mt. Olive Tasting Room. Pick up some organically grown vegetables and homemade bread, along with those exotically flavored olives. Next stop is Meridian Tasting Room. Your Stardust chauffeur has called ahead and Tiffany is standing at the entrance waiting to personally escort you to the Tasting Room. While you are enjoying their wonderful selection of wines, your lunch, prepared by Out of the Box, arrives. The Stardust staff has spread a tablecloth, napkins and glasses for your picnic lunch on the grounds amidst their beautiful gardens overlooking the vineyards. The limousine then escorts you to Robert Hall Winery, where you enjoy a cave tour and wine tasting. You plan your next big event to take place in their spacious caverns. Then off to Clautiere Tasting Room. Everyone has a good time sampling their wines while the Stardust hostess takes photos of you trying on different hats and wigs.
Karla Murray, Independent Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics, joins you there and treats everyone on board the limousine to a Satin Hands Treatment while traveling to Buona Tavola for a sumptuous dinner. Back on the limo sing karaoke on board while you head to the Odd Fellows Hall in San Luis Obispo to take dance lessons from award winner Linda Drake. After that workout you are ready for some comfort food at Cold Stone Creamery downtown. Finish your waffle cones while you watch your slide show on the limo’s big screen TV on the way to Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort where you’ll indulge in a massage and a relaxing soak in the mineral springs hot tubs nestled on the hillside beneath the stars.
Day 3
This day starts at the Carlton Inn for breakfast before boarding your limo to Cambria for a little shopping. On the way, your Stardust Cruises’ hostess will pour Edna Valley wines to sample. We stop on the lookout to take photos of the rolling green hills and Morro Rock, ringed in a misty halo of fog. We take time to make souvenir earrings at the Cambria Bead Store, pick up some gorgeous creations at Seeker’s Glass Gallery, and browse through Lighthouse Antiques before visiting Hearst Castle. Tour 1 and the National Geographic movie “Hearst Castle, Building the Dream” are a must. At the bottom of the hill we eat at the Cavalier Restaurant, watching the whales play offshore while we enjoy a terrific Chinese Chicken Salad. Then back into the limo and off to watch the elephant seals. We nibble on some bite-sized cookies and cheesecakes from the Coastal Cookie Company as we head towards Morro Rock. On the way we pick up some kites at Farmer’s Kites and Surrey, and let them soar on the beach while we watch the waves crash on the breakwater and the fishing boats bob on their moorings. We stroll through the exhibits at the Natural History Museum before watching the sun set over the ocean while dining at Windows on the Water. Then back into the limo to Madonna Inn for dessert and a chance to try out those dancing moves we learned last night! The conclusion of these 72 hours comes too quickly and we realize we need a lifetime to experience all that San Luis Obispo County has to offer.
