A picture perfect resort in the middle of California's Central Coast
Welcome to California Wine Country. And no, I am not talking about Napa or Sonoma, welcome to the Paso Robles wine country. I will admit I had never heard of this region of wine country before we were introduced to the area by our Cali friends. Matt & his friend, Tim, bought tickets to a California beer festival, hosted by Firestone Walker, and his wife Tracy and I decided to come along for the ride. I am so glad that we did, what a beautiful region of California.
Our home base in Paso Robles was the magnificent Allegretto Resort. If these photos feel familiar, it also happens to be the location where a majority of the final season of This is Us was shot. Picture Beth and Madison up on the balconies conspiring, or family photos in the courtyard. As a huge fan of the show, it was a pretty cool surprise. The grounds of the hotel were absolutely stunning. I spent a good chunk of every day, walking around the property, photography all the tiny details. We visited in June 2022, and this was the perfect season to see nature's beauty. Not to be outdone by nature, the man-made structures of the hotel are equally stunning. From the Asian inspired art to the European chapel to the Italian style architecture, every detail was incredible.
Surrounding the resort were rows & rows of vineyards, growing the perfect grapes for Allegretto Wines. We greatly enjoyed wandering the vineyards, feeding the sheep, and experiencing nature, outside our natural habitats. There are grapevines throughout the entire property, but being in the vineyards felt even more special.
Back inside the resort walls, the beauty of nature continues. We wandered the paths often with Tracy & Tim's toddler and when it was too hot to walk anymore, we'd pop into the chapel or take a dip in the hotel pool. One day we splurged for a cabana and spent the entire day lounging outside.
Downtown Paso Robles is a bustling town with a cute downtown area, loaded with shops, restaurants, and wine bars. Here are a handful that looked good to us:
Paso Robles Restaurants:
The Alchemist Garden - garden inspired venue
The Hatch - classic Southern food
Les Petite Canailles - French farm to table
Fish Gaucho - California Mexican favorites
Thomas Hill Organics - local farm to table
La Cosecha - Latin inspired flavors
BL Brasserie - French bistro
Finca Paso Robles - meat & seafood from the Baja region
Taste! Craft Eatery - American fare like a slider flight and build your own mac & cheese
Dellas- pizza & cocktails
Red Scooter - Breakfast & deli
Somm's Kitchen - local tasting menu & wine pairing
Basil Thai Restaurant - authentic Thai food
Il Cortile Ristorante - handmade pastas and an impressive wine list
Enoteca Restaurant - Italian restaurant with excellent service
Paso Robles Wineries:
Allegretto Winery - Tastings in a destination driven wine-region resort
Sculpterra Winery & Sculpture Garden - wine & art, need I say more (reminds me of my favorite winery outside Melbourne, Australia: Montalto)
Turley Wine Cellars - old vine Zinfandel and Petite Sirah
Adelaida Vineyards - organic farm that focuses on the health of customers, employees & the land
Daou Vineyards - the pursuit of extraordinary phenolic output
Law Estates Wine - wine with a side of modern art & design
Le Cuvier Winery - wines with "cosmic attitude, a fine degree of hubris & exuberant dimension"
Justin Wine - a pioneer of fine wine in Paso Robles
Tablas Creek - grape vines propagated straight from France
Villa San Juliette - Tuscany in Paso Robles
J. Lohr Vineyards - includes vineyards in Monterey and Napa Valley
Cass Winery - also includes horseback riding, olive pressing, archery & cooking classes
L'Aventure Winery - an old barley farm, complete with cows & old oak trees
Broken Earth Winery - focus on the land and those who work it
Eberle Winery - the family has been in the winery business since the 1970s
Six Mile Bridge - Bordeaux style wine in an Irish ancestral home
Halter Ranch Estate - organic vineyards, walnuts, & olives
Peachy Canyon - Zinfandel or Bordeaux style tasting in an old schoolhouse
Tobin James Cellars - a wild west, stagecoach, saloon style tasting room with ties to Cali's history
Barton Family Wines - sip outside the family farmhouse
Villa Creek - great wine and 3 Great Pyrenees sheep dogs that actually watch the sheep
Plus, about 200 more: Paso Robles Wineries
Paso Robles Coffee Shops & Bakeries:
Spearhead Coffee - source, prepare, & serve the highest quality coffee
AMSTRDM Coffee House - coffee & breakfast
Joebella Coffee - we had coffee from here every day
Nano's Coffee Trading - family grown coffee from Peru
Cider Creek Bakery - Pastries, Pies & Cookies
Angela's Pastries & Coffee - Coffee & Pastries plus cakes and tarts
Bless Your Heart Bakery - cookies, donuts, and gluten free/dairy free cupcakes
Twisted & Glazed - donuts and breakfast specialties
One of the main attractions to our Paso Robles vacation, was visiting the art installation, Light at Sensorio, by Bruce Munro. The Field of Light & Light Towers were so breathtaking, I don't think I'll ever forget the experience. Even the toddler was mesmerized. We entered the field just as the sun disappeared behind the horizon and I was happy that we were able to see the installation at various stages of dark. Field of Light is over "100,000 stemmed spheres lit by fiber optics" while the Light Towers are constructed of wine bottles filled with glowing fiber optics. Both installations change colors but it happens so slowly and subtly, you almost don't even notice it happening. The experience was relaxing and restorative while also being exciting and captivating. Art is the best.
That's a wrap on our 3 day weekend in Paso Robles, one of the most magical places on the California Central Coast. Check out other Cali vacations from Monterey, Big Sur, & Napa, to San Diego, LA, San Fran, Palm Springs, Santa Cruz, and more!
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