It’s been a dream of mine to stay at the famous Madonna Inn and after having stayed there, I can confidently say that it indeed is dreamy. Even though it’s in California, San Luis Obispo is in central California which isn’t the easiest to get to. You really have to commit to a road-trip so when our Vancouver trip got cancelled due to COVID, we knew this was our opportunity to venture up the central coast!
So of course, the very first thing I did was book a room at the Madonna Inn. Everything there was so beautiful, I went crazy on my IG Stories (San Luis Obispo highlights), so take a look!
Whether you’re reading this mid-COVID or long after, I still highly recommend a visit. They did a wonderful job adapting to the California COVID laws (see bottom of this post for COVID modifications). In my opinion, the spa and indoor restaurants being closed didn’t affect my overall experience at the Madonna.
Now without further ado, let’s get into the magical land of the Madonna Inn!
Madonna Inn Rooms
The Madonna Inn rooms are just as magical as everything else there. They have 110 rooms and no two are the same! Each room has its own quirks, all different and carefully curated. The room we stayed in was a Junior Suite called, ‘Just Heaven’. I was actually eyeing ‘Just Heaven’, ‘Kona Rock’ or the popular ‘Madonna Suite’ so I was stoked to see ‘Just Heaven’ was available for booking.
First, let’s talk about the room in general. ‘Just Heaven’ was truly heavenly! I was immediately attracted to the spiral stairs that leads up to one of only two viewing towers. Doesn’t it give you Disney Princess vibes? Rapunzel, perhaps? Surrounded by golden cherubs and old luxury, the room was quite spacious and comfortable.
Secondly, let’s talk amenities. The TV (mounted flat-screen), bathroom and shower are all modern and updated which I appreciated. Since I know this is important to a lot of you as it is to me, yes, the wi-fi quality was great!
Lastly, I have to make a special mention about the bathroom. The sink and mirror were what my Disney Princess dreams are made of, so much so I took a mirror selfie in it!
The quirkiness (in a good way, of course!) reminded me of the Alice in Wonderland Cafe in Tokyo!
Madonna Inn Dining
While modifications have been made (see below for COVID modifications on property), they’ve done a great job with their outdoor dining set-up. They have tables, heaters and umbrellas set up where I assume is part of their large parking lot.
Normally, they have the Gold Rush Steak House, the Copper Cafe, the Silver Bar Cocktail Lounge and their bakery. Good news is, the menus from each option are available for their outdoor dining.
I can speak for their Copper Cafe menu between their breakfast items and lunch items. We had the Reuben and Monte Cristo sandwiches with fries for dinner, and their Dollar Pancakes and eggs, bacon and hash-browns for brunch the next day. All scrumptious!
Most importantly (in my opinion), the bakery counter is still open for their famous Pink Champagne cake! To be honest, I didn’t think it was going to be that good and was all show. However, I stand corrected! The cake was absolutely moist and divine, so much so I had two slices during my one night stay. We also tried a variety of their cookies which were also delicious.
Madonna Grounds
I was so delighted to find their Secret Garden. It’s a beautifully maintained space that’s both for events (weddings must be dreamy in there!) and for quick strolls. Not that there aren’t plenty of photo ops on property but the garden was where I was snapping photos most often.
While I didn’t have the opportunity to spent much time doing activities there, they offer a Spa (currently closed due to COVID), a pool, hot pink tennis courts, trail rides and over 1,000 acres of valleys and hilltops for hiking. Next time I visit (yes, I’ll be back!), I definitely want to ride their horses for a trail ride!
Normally I’m not one to get excited about gift shops at hotels but even before I arrived, I knew I was coming home with one of their famous goblets. This pink one pictured above is the one I ended up with even though it was so hard to pick just one!
Another thing I loved from their gift shop were their postcards. I thought it was so clever of them to have postcards of each room. They had all 110 postcards for purchase (only .50 cents!) and yes, I grabbed the ‘Just Heaven’ room postcard for our fridge along with a magnet.
COVID Modifications (as of 8/2020)
- Outdoor dining only with plenty of umbrellas and heaters
- Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner menu available
- The Gold Rush Steak House menu is available
- Takeout available
- Spa, hot tub and fitness center are closed
- Pool is open, however!
- Masks are required throughout the entire property
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