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Friday, June 10, 2011

"Camping" and the Madonna Inn!

Memorial Day weekend was spent camping (sort of, if camping = sleeping in a "barn" which is really a 4+ bedroom house with granite counter tops and eating gourmet meals every night) just past the Paso Robles wineries.   I did bring plenty of dry shampoo (this one, go buy it now) with me to ensure tons of volume and a straightener.  That's basically the only kind of camping I will do...unless I am on a beach in Costa Rica.




We spent the weekend drinking, hiking, drinking, playing kickball and beer pong, drinking, sitting around the campfire and watching sunsets.  Oh and drinking.  Beautiful views and complete seclusion with NO cell phone service.  It was actually amazing to be disconnected from the world and hang out with new friends and AFG.  I love the outdoors (HELLO, it is a staple to stop at Outdoor World on the way out of Vegas) minus the bugs.  Mosquitoes, spiders and pincher bugs, OH MY!  I just can't do bugs.  When I was little I got an award at a swim team banquet and my coach started her speech about me as "this is a girl who will not swim with june bugs in her lane..."  Never could do bugs.  Although I did like frogs and lizards as a kid...strange.

Anyways, on our way back and driving down the 101 (cue: OC theme song -Caliiiiiforniaaaaaa here we come, right back where we started from...) through San Luis Obispo we stopped at the Madonna Inn.  I had seen it on the way there and knew it from the Girl's Next Door episode when Holly goes for her Birthday.






Welcome sign AFG snapped out the window

Exterior shot of restaurant

Another exterior shot


It's a kitschy little hotel draped in pink roses with themed guest rooms and was as fab as I thought it would be!  I am ashamed to say that once again I did not have my camera.  Such an inopportune time to not have a camera.  The trusty blackberry had to work it's magic again and sack up.  The reason we stopped (although inside I was secretly dying to go but didn't want the whole car to stop just for me) was because the men's bathroom apparently has a waterfall urinal.  This is true as I did go into the mens bathroom to take a peek and can confirm that it is legit and does exist. 

First we strolled through the restaurant looking for the bathroom.  We found one but alas, no waterfalls.  We did find pretty pink cakes though with curls and swirls all over them :)

  Swirly curly cake

and this written above the mirrors in the first bathrooms we found....

Your beauty is your smile.

Onto the next...we strolled through the hotel and jackpot...found it.  I went in the women's first....

 I love the tufted stall dividers!  I love tufted chairs and WILL own one one day.


chandeliers should be in every ladies room!

loving the chandeliers and red walls...


Then the men's.  I didn't take a pic of the urinal....a photo just didn't do it justice and it just looked like a big rock wall.  I did take a pic however of the giant clam shell sinks.



here's a better pic courtesy of here


We HAD to go look for souv's....I can't leave with out a souv. The Madonna Inn has their own wines that were staring longingly at me but I resisted as I can't justify spending $22 on a bottle of wine when I had a extravagant Vegas Bachelorette Party to go to the next weekend.  I did however buy a sparkly pink shot glass and we did wine taste at the tiny bar they had.






When we first walked through the restaurant I noticed the extremely ornate detailed pastel colored water goblets on the tables.  They sold them in the souvie shop but I wasn't about to drop $16 on a pink goblet. 





We meandered through the restaurant and hotel...

I believe this was the steak house...

The whole place looked like a pink Disneyland...a pink Main Street actually.

One day....maybe for my birthday or an anniversary I will go back to the Madonna Inn and stay in one of the themed rooms.  Maybe the Misty Rock room? Jungle Rock? Lucky Rock? Old Mill?  Who am I kidding, anywhere with an open rock waterfall shower.

 Jungle Room

Old Mill Room

Lucky Rock Room

Fun Fact...the large rocks used in construction of the rooms is actually from the land the hotel is built on.



Room pics from here, check it out to see even more...or just cruise over to http://www.madonnainn.com/


Linzo says: who wants to go on a road trip?

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