Staying at the Madonna Inn: A Unique and Fun California Experience

No visit up the coast of California is complete without staying at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California. The Madonna Inn opened in 1958 with only twelve rooms and has thrived ever since. Located along the 101, this landmark hotel now offers 110 unique guest rooms. No two are the same! From king economy rooms to luxury suites, rooms here can sometimes be found for $125 a night. If looking for a unique and fun hotel to stay in, the Madonna Inn should be at the top of your list. 

Disclaimer: Special thanks to the Madonna Inn for hosting me for my stay! As always, all thoughts and opinions remain my own.

Guestrooms

The first order of business when staying at the Madonna Inn is to pick out which unique room you would like to stay in. Every single room has a fun theme and different features. It was so hard to choose a room! During my stay at the Madonna Inn, I opted to stay in the Fox & Hound Room, a two-bedroom suite. 

As soon as you step foot in this room, you can tell the theme right away. This room contained many elements that gave it a very Fox & Hound feel and felt similar to a cabin in the woods. The couch was done in a hound pattern and around the room were various pictures of foxes and hounds. In the bedrooms, the walls were covered in this super cute hound wallpaper. The room was very spacious and would be great for two couples traveling together or a family. I loved that there was a nice wet bar in the room as well as a gorgeous fireplace. Next time, I would love to check out one of the rooms with a rock waterfall shower or the iconic Madonna Suite. 

Amenities

Part of the experience of staying at the Madonna Inn is utilizing the multitude of facilities they have on the property. These include a gorgeous pool, outdoor patio areas, a spa, fitness room, tennis/basketball courts, a wine cellar, and a secret garden. Best of all for people with Teslas, they even have on-site Tesla chargers!

The pool area is a great place to relax for a few hours. There are plenty of loungers and the pool is a nice size. Something different about this pool is the fact it has a slope entrance rather than steps. It made it seem like you were walking into the ocean. The outdoor patio areas make for a nice area to have a picnic lunch or to sit and read a book. The Madonna Inn also makes its own wine which you can sample in their wine cellar. The Secret Garden is another area to sit and relax in and is where many weddings, receptions, and parties are held.

If interested in getting more off the property, visitors can opt to take a trail ride through the local area. You can also pair this with a wine and cheese tasting. The Madonna Inn also rents bikes and has a super nice bike trail around the property. I would love to try these activities out next time I visit!

Food and Beverage

The Madonna Inn contains two on-site restaurants. For general food, head to the Copper Cafe. The cafe serves all three meals. Although a little more on the pricey side, they have a ton of delicious food options all day long.

One of the highlights of staying at the Madonna Inn is eating at the Gold Rush Steakhouse. This restaurant has a variety of steak options and everything was so delicious. Although the indoor section was closed during my stay, it is immaculately decorated in pinks and golds and looks like a cool area to eat. I opted for the Filet Mignon and it came with a baked potato, soup, vegetables, and bread. It was a great value for the price and was so tender. 

On top of the two restaurants, the Madonna Inn also contains two bars. The Silver Bar Cocktail Lounge is open every day from 10am until midnight. It has tons of comfy chairs as well as some barstools at the counter. The other bar is the Terrace Pool Bar which offers the perfect drinks for lounging by the pool as well as some light bites to eat. The pool bar was very relaxing and had a ton of outdoor seating. We opted to grab drinks by the pool bar during our stay as the Silver Bar Cocktail Lounge was closed. I opted for the Pink Cloud (basically a strawberry and cream drink) which was perfect for sitting poolside. I could have easily sat by the pool all day drinking them.

The Madonna Inn also contains a super popular bakery. Cakes and pies are the most popular items, but they occasionally sell cookies and a few other pastries as well. Unfortunately, we were not able to try anything during our stay as the cake flavors I prefer were sold out by the time we arrived. 

Staying During COVID

Currently, the Madonna Inn is doing a great job keeping the property clean during COVID times. After each stay, the rooms get a deep cleaning. I saw the cleaning crew get down on their hands and knees to scrub the baseboards. It also seemed like the carpets were shampooed and every surface was cleared and sterilized. Masks were required in all the public areas. During this time, the fitness room and spa were also closed. The main indoor bar was also closed, but you could grab drinks to bring outside at the pool bar. With all of these safety measures in place, I felt very safe staying at the Madonna Inn and loved my night there. I would recommend this as a safe area to travel to.

When heading out on a California road trip, I highly recommend staying at the Madonna Inn for at least a night. It is a great place to relax and conveniently located right off the highway. The San Luis Obispo area is also a fun area to explore with many wineries in the surrounding area. Looking for a long weekend getaway? Head to Paso Robles or Santa Barbara after your stay at the Madonna Inn.

TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best California hotels here!

Share this lesson!