Girlfriend’s Getaway: Exploring the Seaside Charm in Cayucos, California!

A month ago if you had asked me where Cayucos was I would have given you a blank stare. I had no clue about this charming quirky seaside town nestled along the Central California coast. Basically, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, it’s billed as California’s last great beach town. And I definitely had no idea about The Pacific Motel, the most perfectly redone and thoughtfully curated motel.

WHERE WE STAYED:

The Pacific Motel
399 S Ocean Ave
Cayucos, CA 93430
Website | Instagram

The Pacific Motel is a recently restored 1920’s motel with a collection of 20 bungalows and rooms filled with artwork by local artists, linens by Parachute, and the cutest Scandinavian wood stoves. This darling property is a block and a half from the ocean and everything you need in town is within walking distance, or you can hop on the bikes provided by the motel.

My bestie Karen and I stayed in one of the stand-alone bungalows with a king bed and a little private patio. The style throughout the property is impeccable: whitewashed and minimal but warm and inviting at the same time. There are sweet little touches like gas fireplaces, tivoli radios, and stocked minibars featuring local goodies…even the bath products are sourced from local vendors. The motel works perfectly for a romantic stay, a girlfriend getaway, or as a great place to bring the entire family.

In the lobby you’ll find a cute little boutique gift shop, alongside locally produced free coffee offered every morning, and plenty of local wines for purchase. The motel is owned and operated by a couple who are also local! He’s a contractor, she’s a designer, and together they created this little slice of paradise off the beaten path.

During the warmer months an airstream trailer parked on the property called “The Sandbar” serves up yummy bites and drinks.

CULINARY DELIGHTS IN CAYUCOS

As for the laid-back town itself, it is affordable and blissfully underdeveloped. Our first night we walked to dinner, along the way stopping at one of the community’s most beloved businesses, The Brown Butter Cookie Company. These cookies are the perfect combination of salty and sweet and a delicious treat with your coffee from the motel. Grab some for your stay, but you must grab extra to take home…one bag is definitely not enough. 

For dinner, we ate at Schooners, an iconic salty beachfront spot for dinner and drinks. This two-story structure looks like something out of a movie and I got the yummiest clam chowder here! Ask to sit on the rooftop for dinner to watch the sunset and then pop into the tiny bar for a drink.

For breakfast, I would highly recommend the Hidden Kitchen. Whether it’s the sweet smell of the ocean from the beachfront patio or the blue corn waffles, (this is one of the items they are known for, I got the one with eggs and avocado!) it was the perfect mouthwatering start to our day.

WINE TASTING & SHOPPIING IN SAN LUIS OBISPO

It rained for half of the weekend, but that didn’t affect any of our fun! We journeyed into nearby San Luis Obispo, about 15 minutes away (the locals call it SLO) for a little wine tasting at Chamisal Vineyards. Reservations are suggested, but they do take walk-ins. Since it was raining the outdoor patio wasn’t open, but they squeezed us in anyway. Chamisal is known for its sustainably produced chardonnay and pinot noirs.  We had what is now one of my all-time favorite chardonnay paired with the most perfect charcuterie & cheese board. We loved this experience so much in the rain and I can only imagine how lovely it is on a sunny day.

Afterward, we headed 10 minutes back to San Luis Obispo for a little shopping spree, exploring the unique boutiques and local treasures. Plus, for a touch of adventure, we tried ax throwing at Battle Axe, which is an indoor throwing facility. The experts would probably suggest doing this before wine tasting, but somehow our aim was spot on after we eventually got the hang of it. 

When it comes to coffee, apparently the only place to go is Scout Coffee. They make what they call happy coffee, accompanied by scratch-made pastries and curated goods. The space itself was creative and the coffee is definitely worth the wait (and there’s typically a wait). There are 3 locations in the area.

The reason I picked Cayucos is because I was looking for a place halfway between Lodi where my childhood best friend lives and Los Angeles where I live. To give you an idea of how far back we go, we met on the first day of Kindergarten, and this is a favorite photo of when we were in middle school having a sleepover at my house. Decades later, not much has changed! We still have sleepovers and we’re still having the time of our lives!

As for Cayucos, we had no idea how we would fall in love with this sleepy little town and The Pacific Motel, an unforgettable seaside boutique retreat. We honestly can’t wait to go back!

P.S. As always I’ve linked everything we are wearing on my LTK PAGE Happy shopping! <3 

Mom & Daughter Road Trip to Carmel

My 19-year-old daughter Elsie and I love a good road trip! I’ll be honest I don’t always love a 5-hour drive…but I’ll never pass up quality time with her. The memories we’ve made during those car rides will be cherished forever and I definitely have her Taylor Swift playlist downloaded into my memory at this point. <3 

This year we decided to head up to Carmel, a spot I’ve been visiting most of my life having grown up in Northern California. But this was the first real-time for Elsie, minus the time we went during COVID…but we’re not counting that one!

WHERE WE STAYED:

La Playa Hotel
Camino Real &, 8th Ave
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921
Website | Instagram

We stayed at the Historic Playa Hotel, originally built in 1905 as a home for the heiress to the Ghiradella fortune. Over the years it was expanded and became a hotel, most recently undergoing 15 million dollars worth of renovations. 

Known as the Grand Dame of Carmel, the property is located in a quiet neighborhood just steps away from the beach, and it’s an easy walk to all the shops and restaurants on Ocean Avenue. The hotel itself is a perfect blend of both the Craftsman style of the original home and the Spanish Revival.

There are 75 guest rooms to choose from and we had what’s called a superior ocean suite. It’s a large bright room surrounded by windows, and the most perfect view of the gardens, pool, and of course the Pacific Ocean. Each room has a beautiful art deco style armoire filled with everything you need to make some of the hotel’s signature drinks. In fact, there’s a little card box with the recipes, I made “The Angela”. If you want to give it a try here’s what you’ll need:

To grab a drink outside of your room, you can walk over to Bud’s, named after one of the former owners. The bar has recently been restored and offers not only cocktails but food as well! Oh, and don’t miss the champagne breakfast offered every morning!

The grounds boast beautiful gardens filled with all the flowers Carmel is so renowned for, and a pool if that’s more your thing than the ocean.

I really can’t say enough good things about our stay at the hotel which was more like visiting a stately home. The lobby feels like an elegant living room and the staff was beyond accommodating and friendly. Because my daughter had recently injured her foot, we made good use of the Mercedes shuttle when needed.

WHAT WE DID:

There’s PLENTY to do in Carmel! Of course, you have the beach, which can be foggy in the morning, and has the most beautiful sunsets. I would recommend dressing in layers to account for the weather, especially if you are like me and are always cold! There are so many wonderful art galleries, nearly 100 to be exact, lining the streets and quaint alleyways. You will also find lots of high-end boutiques and plenty of spots for souvenirs right on Ocean Avenue and surrounding streets.

If you are looking to get active outdoors, there are tons of places to hike and explore. We decided to drive to Big Sur down Highway 1, first stopping at Garrapata Beach and hiking down to see the famous Calla Lillies bloom. If you catch them in bloom it is a breathtaking sight! Between January and April, the small valley is bursting with beautiful flowers from the bluffs to the beach and this spot is only about 15 minutes south of Carmel. 

We also played “tourists” and stopped at the iconic Bixby Bridge for a quick photo. Doing this during the week is advised, because on the weekend trying to find a place to park is next to impossible. The Bridge of course is famous for being one of the highest bridges of its kind in the world and one of the most photographed (you may also remember it from the opening sequences of “Big Little Lies”).

Then onto Big Sur which is less than an hour south of town. Honestly, spending a few days just recharging in Big Sur would be a dream. But that will have to wait for another trip. For this trip, we had enough time to grab lunch at The Big Sur Bakery and buy some handcrafted items from local artisans at Mother Botanical and Shop.

WHAT WE ATE:

During our stay, we ate at 5 restaurants that I highly recommend!

1 – La Bicyclette
This somewhat exclusive spot features European Country Cuisine and is super hard to get into, but here’s a little trick that worked for us: We were told they hold open 40 percent of tables for walk-ins…which is what we did and make sure you go early! This was by far our favorite dinner spot. We had the yummiest pizza and salad here.

2 – Stationæry
Having claimed itself as your “favorite neighborhood restaurant,” it definitely would be ours if we lived there. It’s the perfect spot for breakfast, lunch, and brunch, plus you can eat inside or on the patio. We had lunch before we left town, still thinking about the grilled cheese and tomato soup, it was that good!

3 – Casanova Restaurant
This is the cutest little Italian/French restaurant that looks like something out of a fairytale and it has an incredible food and wine list. But be warned, it’s definitely on the pricey side.

4 – Dutch Door Doughnuts
This little spot is in the Carmel Plaza for doughnuts fried while you wait, and let me tell you…they don’t get much fresher than this!

5 – Big Sur Bakery
This cute little bakery is tucked in the trees and is less than an hour south of Carmel, and so worth the drive! The food is divine, but you also get to explore all of the darling little shops.  

As I mentioned at the top of the blog, I’ve been going to Carmel my entire life, but I have to say this two-day trip with Elsie will definitely go down as one of my favorites!

Knoxville, Tennessee: 3 Days of Southern Charm

We were so happy to get the chance to explore Knoxville, Tennessee recently, and let me tell you, there’s nothing scruffy about this city! The nickname “Scruffy City” came about after criticism that the city would not be a proper host for the 1982 World’s Fair. Of course, this incredible city rose to the occasion then and continues to grow, while maintaining its adorable charm and southern hospitality. 

Drew and I traveled to Knoxville for a 3-day birthday weekend, celebrating one of our dear friends. We decided to spend 4 days in all, two each at distinctively different, but both highly recommended hotels.

Our first two nights were spent at The Marriot Knoxville Downtown.

Marriott Knoxville Downtown
525 Henley St, Knoxville, TN 37902
Website | Instagram

This newly renovated hotel sits just steps from the World’s Fair Park and the Knoxville Convention Center. The property was previously a Holiday Inn, but I can assure you there are no traces of its former self here – every aspect of the hotel has gone through an extensive renovation. When you enter the lobby through the revolving door you immediately feel the comfort of a Marriot and the perfect touches of Tennessee.

You can’t help but peek through the foyer to the Maker Exchange! When you walk in you are greeted by a beautiful sitting area and a staggering floor-to-ceiling fireplace. Surrounded by deep blue walls, thoughtful textiles, and local art (that you can also purchase) you immediately feel the essence of Knoxville and its community. In fact, most of the furniture, light fixtures, and decor are created by local designers!

Depending on which way you look you can walk into the large billiards room and shoot pool while you watch the game (GO VOLS), tour gorgeous display cases filled with bespoke local art, or grab the BEST blue crab artichoke dip you have ever had in the bar/restaurant, Tavern. Seriously, I had it twice during our 2-day stay! Pro tip: The dish comes with crackers but DEFINITELY order the bread for the best dipping experience 😉

And, if you are anything like me, you are wondering…”Where’s the coffee”?  There is a darling coffee shop with a grab-n-go cooler that features fun and unique handmade mugs, also for sale!

As for the rooms, they are large, and beautifully furnished, but the best part…the lighting in the bathrooms! Which is always a must in my book! Overall, I love Marriot properties, and have to say this was one of my favorites. 

For part two of our stay we chose The Oliver Hotel.

The Oliver Hotel
407 Union Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902
Website | Instagram

I am a sucker for a boutique hotel and this spot didn’t miss a detail! Tucked inside a historic building from 1876, it’s been lovingly transformed and pays tribute to the downtown’s colorful history. The lobby is filled with eclectic artwork, beautiful furniture, friendly hotel attendants, and a secret passage!

Just off to the left next to the elevator, you will find a square spiral staircase that is flooded with natural light that shines on a beautiful collection of framed art. We actually found ourselves taking the stairs most of the time!

All of the 26 rooms have been carefully curated, from the fabrics to the wallpaper, each one has its own unique vibe. Our room was perfectly situated with views of Market Square’s beautiful red brick buildings and bustling crowds. Because the hotel is situated on Market Square, it’s within walking distance of all types of entertainment. Downstairs on the promenade, you will find everything from rooftop bars (that you can apparently smoke in), eclectic restaurants with traditional southern staples, a boutique popcorn shop, and soda and candy shops galore!

Honestly, I have to say, our favorite restaurants were right in the hotel. There is a hallway through the lobby that leads you to Tupelo Honey for everything from fried chicken to the yummiest pimento cheese dip in a skillet, and The Oliver Royale. We ate here twice, once for brunch and once for a nice dinner…and if they would have been open for lunch on our last day, we would have been a third time!   

For brunch, definitely go for the pulled pork breakfast tacos, and for dinner, we loved the wild mushroom ravioli as well as the confit pork belly.

After dinner, we checked out “The Peter Kern Library ” which is located behind a sliding art-covered wall. Remember when I said the lobby had a secret passage? Well, when that door slides open you are greeted with the coziest prohibition-era speakeasy. From the decor to the craft drink menu, you feel like you’ve been transported back in time.

If you are looking for boutique accommodations and everything you need within walking distance…The Oliver Hotel is for you.

Out and About in Knoxville

Even though you don’t really need to leave the hotel, there is even more to explode in walking distance of The Oliver. A must-see is Strong Alley which is about ½ a block away and filled with all types of murals and graffiti (and surprisingly clean for being a downtown back alley). It’s a fun place to take pictures, and of course, make sure you get one with Dolly! A few other honorable mentions from our walk around the block: Definitely get a look at the historic Tennesse sign-on Gay Street, grab a coffee and get some work done at the Frothy Monkey, and although we didn’t partake…the Knox Box Karaoke bar was buzzing!

All in all, it was the perfect weekend. We were surrounded by close friends, a kind community, and yummy food, and there was just such a lovely energy that vibrated through the city. We loved our stay in Knoxville and can’t wait to go back! 

On our list for next time, here are some of the other spots that were recommended to me!

Restaurants:
JC Holdway: Fine Dining
Chivo: Upscale Taco/Mexican-inspired
Stock & Barrel: Fancy burgers/nationally awarded

Bars:
Tern Club – tropical/quirky
Valet – Retro cocktail bar in an old bank building, a very pretty ambiance 

Café:
French Market – crepes & such, sometimes very busy. Go early in the morning
Pete’s Café – breakfast and lunch, quick, southern, hearty

Shopping:
Bliss + Tori Mason Shoes on Gay Street
Earth to Old City in Market Square
Fizz in Market Square
Nothing too Fancy near Market Square
Rala Gifts in the Old City

Other Stuff:
Knoxville Museum of Art… is free, open on Saturday, and is cool for photos. Very close to the Marriott.

Football:
It goes without saying, that this is seriously a football town that celebrates its Vols at the University of Tennessee! So a college football game will always be a good idea!