Tag Archives: paso robles

Mama’s day weekend in SLO

Mothers day is Sunday May 12… next weekend !!!

What’s cooking for Mothers Day?  Why not take your mom to dog friendly SLO for a week or the weekend?

San Luis Obispo County Has Tons of Dog Friendly Places to Explore

San Luis Obispo is located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and a few hours south of Monterey county. It is known as the Happiest City in America… According to Dan Buettner’s National Geographic book Thrive, “San Luis Obispo has snagged the top spot for happiest people in America.”

Below are some suggestions of dog friendly places to stay and visit while you are in SLO.

Take a dog friendly wine tour in Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo regions with a Breakaway Tours Dog Day Wine Tour.

www.breakaway-tours.com

Mom and dog can learn how to surf at Pismo beach with miles of lovely sand and waves. Amble along the boardwalk, fish from the historic pier, or explore Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove, which hosts an average 25,000 butterflies per season.

Lunch at the Splash Cafe (try the yummy clam chowder) is a must.

Mom and pooch will feel right at home at a pet friendly oceanfront hotel such as the SeaCrest OceanFront. Ask for their Celebrity Pet Package which includes a pet bed, food bowls, a pet concierge brochure, and a 5 acre lawn area for pets to do their business (with pet waste stations along the way) and direct beach access to the pet friendly Pismo beach.   More info at www.petfriendlypismobeach.com

Take a walking tour of the downtown of the Happiest City, SLO, visit Bubble Gum Alley, the dogs will LOVE the creek that goes through downtown, and dogs are even welcome at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. Also, check out the pet boutique Tails for yummy treats for the canines. Other pet friendly attractions include the San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens.

Enjoy a leisurely dinner at a pet friendly restaurant such as Luna Red. Their patio is filled with guests and their four legged friends. And the food and wine is to drool for. Organic, sustainable fresh seafood and salads.   Crab lasagne, wild boar spare ribs and a variety of vegetarian fare.

http://www.lunaredslo.com/storage/Dinner%20Menu%20March%202013.pdf

After dinner, head on down to Grover Beach, and relax at a beach party with bonfires, wine and s’mores and all.  Beach Butlerz will set up bonfire pits, each with a good supply of seasoned firewood, luxe beach chairs, a Luxe Cabana (ultra style), tiki torches, and a 12–‐foot tall teepee decked out with plush pillows and all the fixings to create s’mores. The marshmallows are huge and the service is magical. All you need is a full moon to get the party started (and some lit bocci balls).

Beach Butlerz
(805) 878-4283; www.beachbutlerz.com

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Pooches all aboard on a Tiki Boat tour of the Morro Bay Harbor on the Lost Isles Cruise.  View the wildlife in their natural habitat, and sea otters, seals, sea lions, and a wide variety of birds in Morro Bay’s beautiful estuary. The dogs will love the sounds of the sea life.  www.baycruisers.com

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Lots of shopping and meandering after the cruise along the Embarcadero… Then enjoy a great meal of freshly caught fish, smoked oysters, calamari, fish and chips and more. at Tognazzini’s Dockside Restaurant. Tognazzini’s is also home to three beautiful and friendly white Labs.
www.bonniemarietta.com/Dockside-Restaurant.htm

Before you leave the coast, be sure to take a coastal hike at one of the many pet friendly parks such as Montana De Oro (Mountain of Gold).

After lunch, you may want to relax or head up the coast to San Simeon. Tour the infamous Hearst Castle (or save that for the next day). www.hearstcastle.org

Dogs are NOT allowed at the castle.  If you want to visit and do not want to leave the dogs alone, hire a pet sitter from Faithful Friend Pet Sitting Service.

You can also enjoy wildlife viewing including bird-watching, whale-watching, sea otter preserves, and elephant seal viewing and the dogs can roam along the beach.

Stay at the pet friendly Best Western Cavalier Oceanfront Resort, Cambria and San Simeon’s only oceanfront accommodation that offers direct beach access to dog friendly beaches and 14 acres for walking the dogs. A King room with oceanview has a fireplace and your very own patio. There is a hot tub/jacuzzi and pool on property and bonfires at sunset.

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Check out the artistic town of Cambria. Be sure to enjoy lunch or dinner at Robin’s Restaurant. The gorgeous garden patio will be a treat for the dogs and your mom alike. The food will please everybody. Unique starters such as Singapore chicken sate, fresh inviting straight from the garden salads and curried chicken and other sandwiches are what’s for lunch. For dinner, lamb curry, Tail Lobster Enchiladas, Malaysian chicken and Moroccan duck breast entrees, plus delectable desserts (hot fudge sundaes with coffee ice cream and pistachio nuts) , Robin’s seasonal menus are prepared from scratch.

www.robinsrestaurant.com

Top off the weekend with a visit to one of Paso Robles pet friendly wineries. Ecluse features Bordeaux and Rhone style wines, as well as their fabulous Zinfandel. Meet and greet Ecluse Winery’s blind dog Toby. www.eclusewines.com

Ecluse has a special love for dogs and produces “Blind Dog Wines” In honor of their assist dogs that both lost their vision, they have created an eclectic blend of some of the best Paso Robles reds. A percentage of proceeds from “Blind Dog Midnight Run Cuvee” will be donated to Dogs for the Deaf in Central Point, Oregon.

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Stroll through downtown Paso Robles after the wine tour and shop in stores like Sealed with a Kiss. Pet friendly retailers offer special treats and you can enter the Thomas Hill Organics dog friendly patio restaurant from this store. www.thomashillorganics.com

Brunch or lunch will be a feast of the eyes as mouth watering plates piled high will fill your tummy. The menu features organic produce from their farm and highlights unique wines from sustainable growers on the Central Coast. Thomas Hill Organics also provides local organic grass fed beef, lamb and free range organic poultry.  Smoked Salmon Omelette, PC Cattle Burger, Pumpkin Bread French Toast, and more. Gluten free bread upon request.

http://www.thomashillorganics.com/menu_files/Brunch%20Menu.pdf

Whatever you do, your dog and mom will feel lucky, refreshed and grateful for the great getaway.

Dog Parks

Dinosaur Caves Park, Price St., Pismo Beach

Elm Street Dog Park, Ash St., Arroyo Grande

El Chorro Regional Dog Park, Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo

Dog Friendly Beaches

Pismo Beach, To the left of the pier

Port San Luis / Avila Beach, Between 2nd and 3rd pier

Oceano Dunes, Off of Hwy 1 exit

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Blog Hop time…thanks to Life with DogsTwo Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume…  grab the blog hop  link

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Filed under Adventure, Bay area, beach, beach parties for dogs, California, dog friendly, dog travel, dogs, moms, pet blog hop, pet friendly dining, pet friendly lodging, pet friendly winery, pet travel, Uncategorized, wine

SLO has gone to the dogs…

Cici got to travel on a Tiki tour boat and see/hear the sea otters, seals and seal lions in Morro Bay.  She kept looking around and sniffing for fish.

And we met a chi-wow-wow named Lillie who out-diva’d my polka dot princess.  Seriously this tiny pup has x-ray eyes, follows her guardian man Leslie wherever he goes and does not stop shaking until he comes back to her. Then she sat on my chest and went into Zen meditation mode. What a cutie, am missing her already.  (me and Lillie and her dad Leslie at Thomas Organics restaurant in Paso Robles).

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Emma, some kind of heeler, herder puppy, two years old, with a black eye, Cici and Emma had some fun together playing, jawing, wrestling, running around on the beach.

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April, an adorable Beagle mix, also white but with some brindle/brown markings. Cici and April chased one another, too.  Here are most of the dogs walking with Robyn.

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Zoe, the Saluki, kind of kept to herself (I think she is kind of scared of other dogs) and she is a lapdog.

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and Demi (who I keep wanting to call Murphy), a Heinz 57 type of gal with her mom Deb at the Ecluse Winery (Deb took all of these photos except the Saluki).

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can you imagine a more diverse group of dogs???

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All of the dogs are female and they and their owners/guardians and I went on a press trip (very intense) for three days and two nights to San Luis Obispo county (seven cities in three days)… whew !!!     (Cambria, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, San Simeon, San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles).   www.visitSanLuisObispoCounty.com

will be writing more about the FUN we had and the dog friendly places we met along the way in future blog posts including one for  Mama’s Day which is coming up May 12.

All of the dogs also got to meet some white Labs and a blind dog named Toby at the Ecluse winery in Paso Robles.

A great time was had by ALL…lots of divine food, wine and treats and s’mores at Grover Beach…

well except for one day…  every dog has her day…

Cici’s terrible horrible no good very bad day…

well, you know that Cici has three nemesis, right…

1. cats

2. bull dogs

3. skateboards (and scooters)

all three of the above make her freak out… bark and act like she is having a canine melt down…

and guess what happened to my girl?

she met all three of her nemesis in ONE day… and she flipped out….

otherwise, we all had tons of fun…

More about the trip/media tour…

 

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Filed under AAA, Adventure, all you need is a dog, beach parties for dogs, California, dog friendly, dog travel, dog treats, dogs, four paws up, K9 travel, keep pets safe, pet care, pet friendly dining, pet friendly lodging, pet friendly winery, pet travel, travel with dog, Uncategorized

pet friendly paso and cambria…

Cambria Pines Lodge is one of the Moonstone Hotel Properties… with hotels in Monterey, Carmel, and Oregon…

Smokey the cat greets you in the lobby… and snoozes frequently on the job…

We had a nice peaceful room/cabin with a porch, fireplace, two queen beds, ethernet Internet connection, microwave, coffee maker, and fridge, and lovely forest in the back, with deer, grass, great place to walk the dog…

Pet amenities were a bag filled with waste bags and dog biscuits…

had a lovely breakfast buffet with food from the restaurant made from organic produce from the gardens… Cici and I ate outside at a table with a fireplace, she ate scrambled eggs and sausage, I had the same with potatoes and pancakes.

This is a rustic historic 26-acre property featuring beautiful gardens, a full-service restaurant and lodging options, from honeymoon suites to family cabins. Proprietor Dirk Winter’s passion for fine horticulture is showcased across the grounds, including an organic kitchen garden, a literal “flower bed” and a new California native plant pathway to the affiliated Cambria Nursery and Florist. Several conference rooms can accommodate groups of various sizes. Outdoor fire pit gazebos are nice and nightly entertainment in the Fireside Lounge is popular with visitors and locals alike.

THE NURSERY
Located just across the street from the Lodge, Cambria Nursery & Florist offers complete floral services; an astounding array of unusual plants and succulents for all types of landscaping; and display gardens such as a “sea coast tolerant garden.” The nursery offers regular demonstrations and workshops for the general public, too, such as “How to Make a Living Birdhouse,” “Deer-Resistant Gardening” and “Gardener’s Boot Camp.” At the nursery entrance, visitors are greeted by the “Deer Resistant Garden,” which offers a variety of animal-deterrents such as the “fraidy cat” plant, which repels deer as well as cats and dogs with its repugnant fragrance.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN
Double doors wrapped in passion vine and nasturtiums open into the property’s California Certified Organic Farmers kitchen garden. Hedges of mint, chamomile and lavender line the pathway that winds through raised beds that are bordered with rock and terraced to follow the ground’s natural slope. Here, artichokes are planted with arugala and cilantro, peas climb trellises and summer squash sprawl. Parsley, chives and rosemary are tucked into every nook and cranny while beneficial flowers like yarrow and cosmos perform both ornamental and bug resistant functions.

The “Butterfly Garden” offers a habitat for both butterflies and hummingbirds, and the “Wishing Well Vignette” is a quaint setting popular for photo opportunites, especially for wedding parties.

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As devotees of “habitat gardening,” or using bugs to catch bugs, the Lodge’s garden crew uses an extremely small amount of toxins in tending the property. They also use only trucked-in grey water for the grounds and are firm believers in organic gardening.

There are 152 Rooms Total with 12 pet rooms and a $25 a day pet fee (if you are bringing a pet, please call ahead of time and let them know at Reservations: (800) 966-6490)

http://www.cambriapineslodge.com/

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There is a dog park in Cambria, and a doggie daycare

Estrella Boarding Kennels
Harmony, California
Phone: 805-927-7827

Paso Robles

Hotel Cheval is newly pet friendly hotel… all of the rooms are named after horses, the room we stayed in was called Whistlejacket… It is located in downtown Paso Robles in walking distance to a nice park.

http://www.hotelcheval.com/index.php

Some of the amenities:
Fresh Baked Welcome Cookies
Complimentary Welcome Glass of Champagne in the Pony Club

Complimentary Breakfast:

Monday through Friday a Continental Breakfast of fresh fruit and pastries is delivered to your guestroom

Saturday and Sunday guests enjoy a Hot Buffet Breakfast in the Pony Club

California King Beds
Down comforters and pillows
400 thread count cotton sheets
Spa Robes & Slippers
Bamboo & Cotton blend towels
Temple Spa Bath Products

Some of the pet friendly wineries in the area include:

Harmony, Eberle and Red Soles

http://www.californiawineryadvisor.com/wineries/view/Red_Soles_Winery

there is also a calendar with winery dogs…

Steve from Computer Stuff in Paso is a fountain of info… about Macs and computers in general so if you need to bring your sick computer in, need accessories or helpful information, go see Steve at 6th and Spring Street.

And his brother in law designed the curved architecture in the hotel cheval…

The Pet Department is next door and they have pet supplies, from food to dog beds and more.

Ten miles down the road toward Atascadero, off Hwy 41 is a wonderful pet friendly lavendar farm, with several dogs and seven cats… lovely organic lavendar plants, two varieties…

http://www.greenacreslavenderfarm.com/

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Filed under California, pet friendly lodging

three mary’s who work for the nunn’s…

Many tourists come to Cambria to visit the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, a few miles north…Another popular point of interest is the Elephant Seal Rookery.   we did not visit either place.  We did go to the East and West Villages in Cambria where there are many shops and restaurants and found out that there is a dog bakery, where Cici got some special treats and sampled her little heart out. The owner is moving the shop either into town or the bay area, she wasn’t sure.

There is also an animal rescue place, not very friendly.

And the people in town, tourists and shopkeepers seemed very pet friendly. The farmers market does not allow dogs and a few other places said no dogs…  there is a dog park, we didn’t go to either. And a shop that has rubber stamps of wild animals and dogs…

Now for the best part, really fun, beautiful and one of the best inns EVER in creation…

You can’t make this up… The three innkeepers who work for the Nunn’s at the Blue Whale Inn are mary margaret, mary helen, and mary ann…

ok this is paradise, just so you know…

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Love is in the details… and Real honest excellent customer service…

When staying at a bed and breakfast, right across from the ocean, this inn has all the right touches, our room was delicious, the outside of the inn is decorated with pumpkins, like a cute little gingerbread home, my bed had a canopy with French and English fabric material across the top, my room also had a very romantic fireplace, that works with a flip of the switch, an armoire, writing desk, waters in the fridge, a couch, Mary put the dog sheets on the bed and couch plus a dog bed, gave cici a gift bag of Halloween doggie treats, dog bowl, and dog toy….

this is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the gorgeous beach.  mary gave me chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies that were very yummy, and there were chocolates in a jar in the room, all of the homey touches add up… customer service was the best, K9 approved FOUR PAWS UP…

and breakfast was scrumptious, fresh fruit with yogurt, scrambled eggs with spinach and onion and cheese, plus orange juice, chicken sausage, and english muffin, and fresh coffee cake.

they have six rooms with two pet friendly ones… they also have other inns and cottages (see below).

The Blue Whale Inn is Cambria’s only AAA rated Four-Diamond Bed & Breakfast located on the bluffs above the ocean on Moonstone Beach Drive in Cambria.  These are quiet, luxurious mini-suites in a beautiful garden and oceanfront setting.

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http://www.bluewhaleinn.com

The owners also offer beach cottages in Cambria and properties in the Paso Robles wine country. One is at the airport, the other accomodates horses and is on Creston road. Paso Robles is approximately 25 miles inland from Cambria.

View the vacation rental properties online at:

http://www.cambriabeachbungalow.com

http://www.ameliasloft.com


http://www.crestonroadhouse.com

800-753-9000

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