California’s San Luis Obispo County has sun, sea and scenes for a perfect getaway

EVERY  trip to California, according to the late, great,  Anthony Bourdain, should begin by a visiting an In-N-Out burger joint.

The west coast fast food staple is a classic. Simple, freshly cooked, food, low prices and the original secret menu.

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Within 40 minutes of landing in San Francisco,  I am following the great man’s advice and tucking in to a double double, ‘animal style’, with fries, sat beneath an unblemished blue sky.

Back home you can be forgiven for writing March off as a miserable month. It’s dark, it’s moody and when it doesn’t rain – it snows. Making it a perfect time to jet off to sunnier climes.

The last time I visited California was to see a friend in LA in 2019. I had planned on returning within 12 months but when my plane touched down this time, it was my first visit to the Golden State in five years.

Nestled midway between the bohemian San Francisco to the north, and glitzy LA to the south, San Luis Obispo County – or SLO CAL – is not so much a happy medium but an antidote to the hustle and bustle of big city life.

It has golden sand beaches, rolling hills, vineyards, with thrills, wildlife and indulgence in abundance. A man more prone to cliche would be tempted to say it has something for everyone but no, not me!
Slice of paradise

Despite the trip taking place at the tail end of a month that we think of as dreary, temperatures are in the region of 22c for the duration of the trip.

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My week starts in the seaside town of Pismo Beach. A mix of ‘mom and pop’ stores, surf shops and seaside views,  it’s a little slice of paradise.

A boardwalk makes its way along the seafront and a pier provides a perfect spot to take in the view and watch as surfers try to catch a wave as the sun rises.

I stay in the Vespera Resort – a hotel complex with a series of rooms and verandas overlooking the sands.

It is picturesque and in places sedate but don’t think that this is some sleepy strip of coast where you’d while away your retirement.

In fact Pismo is home to perhaps one of the most hair-raising beaches on the Californian coast. No, really.

A short way from the pier lays one of the few areas of beach you can drive on in the United States. And, as this is America, that means…hummers.

The idea of a hummer tour of sand dunes might conjure images of a sedate journey with a nature guide – marvelling at majestic and ever shifting scenes, right?

Think again.

Instead the ex-military machines, driven by former marines, leave you hanging on for dear life and literally screaming for more.

Winds whipping in from the Pacific mean the landscape is constantly changing and makes for a mother nature’s roller coaster.

Tearing through the sands at 40mph before launching into an unseen ditch will leave you breathless as the guides twist and turn their way through the sands leaving your stomach somewhere 30ft above where your body was.

It is a rush – I would say it’s the most fun I had without laughing but it’s impossible not to do so.

The beach is also a playground with quad bikes up for hire, and has even hosted a rodeo – this is the (wild) west coast after all.

And that theme continues with Paso Robles a town with the motto ‘where cowboys drink Cabernet’.

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Much is made of SLO CAL’s wine country with a mix of innovative vineyards offering tastings, restaurants and even options for accommodation.

That includes the spectacular Cass – tucked away just outside Paso with its range of boutique accommodation and plans for a swim up wine bar, set to be dubbed the Geneseo Inn.

SLO CAL boasts dramatic scenery with cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the coast is explorable either on foot, bike, kayak or boat, leaving plenty of options for the outdoor enthusiast.

And in unadulterated spring sunshine you really are spoilt for choice.
And for those of you that way inclined, you can even take a trek out on horseback.

Talking of which,  I was thrilled to meet a herd of huge  Clydesdales at Covell Ranch.

Here you can meet and great the noble steeds and even head out on a trek with views stretching over the hills to the Pacific.

In the far north of the the county lies Ragged Point – the gateway to the fabled Big Sur and a great place to stop and take in what is often called ‘the million dollar view’. Here, roads wind along ragged cliffs, with waves crashing below, making this fantastic road trip country.

There is a mix of small towns like Pismo, Morro Bay and Cambria, and then the hip but affluent San Luis Obispo itself.

Slo, as locals call it, is a college town founded by the Spanish and built around the 18th century mission.

Here I stay in the stylish Hotel Slo complete with views of the imposing Cerro San Luis towering over the city.

Slo is clean, boasts an array of stores, restaurants and bars, along with a much celebrated weekly farmers market where you can buy everything from locally grown strawberries – the weather is so good you can get them six months a year – to freshly cooked barbecue.

The laid back vibe and pristine streets make for an amazing pit stop on a road trip – or a great base to explore the central coast’s hidden gem.

And on the outskirts of the city lies the landmark Madonna Inn, a favourite of Dolly Parton. The inn is famous for its cakes and huge breakfasts! The sprawling diner and steakhouse is complete with 110 themed rooms – which have to be seen to be believed.

And for wildlife enthusiasts there’s a chance to catch a glimpse of everything from whales to hummingbirds and from elephant seals to, erm, zebra.

Alright, the zebras aren’t exactly indigenous.  They were brought to the region by magazine magnate William Hearst as part of his private zoo at the imaginatively named Hearst Castle.

The zoo might be long gone but his hear of zebras remains at the hilltop retreat which has played host to the likes of Winston Churchill, Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart.

 It also boasts a collection of artefacts salvaged from around the world at great cost.  Built in a style  reminiscent of a Spanish cathedral than a traditional castle, it is a folly of epic proportions and well worth an afternoon of anyone’s time.

SLO CAL is most definitely one of California’s  hidden gems, with its  glorious  golden beaches, vineyards and olive groves, hiking trails and cycle paths, and plenty of chances to embrace the American west.

And unlike it’s bigger brasher neighbours, this region is where you’ll find the real, authentic charm of the state and that its biggest pull.