Weekend in Pismo Beach, CA

View from the hotel room

If you're looking for a place to get away for the weekend, consider a weekend in Pismo Beach, which is half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

We stayed at The Spyglass Inn, which is perched above the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the hotel is dog friendly.  It's an older hotel with renovated rooms, and some of the ocean view rooms now have a fireplace, but it's the location that's worth the stay. 

Spyglass Inn is two story yellow building

The hotel has a decent restaurant with the same incredible view, plus outside patio dining options if weather permits. There are steps down to the beach where you can enjoy tide pools or walk about a half mile of sandy beach.

Directly across the street is a wonderful local high-end grocer, DePalo & Sons, where I will now stop on any road trip along the Central Coast. 

They have great wines, pre-made foods, deli, bakery and gifts; open 7:00a.m. to 10:00p.m.  I bought gourmet cheese, crackers, fruit & wine to enjoy the ocean view back at the hotel.

For breakfast, the best decadent treat is a stop at Old West Cinnamon Rolls which has been in business since the late 1970's and was a favorite stop of mine during college.  They hand make their cinnamon rolls throughout the day, so they are often served fresh out of the oven.  My favorite is to the cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting.

For a day drive, go north on Hwy 101 to Los Osos Valley road, south of San Luis Obispo, and drive west to Montana De Oro State Beach ("Mountain of Gold" in Spanish).  It is a very scenic drive past farms and rolling hills with the final mile winding through a eucalypus tree-lined road about 5 miles west of Los Osos.  There is a small camp ground and lots of hiking, but the highlight is walking out on the cliffs south of Spooner's Cove beach to watch the powerful ocean surge crash against the rocks. 

For lunch on the drive back, stop in Los Osos for the best burgers at Sylvester's.  It's well worth the stop with generous portions.  There is also a good executive 9-hole golf course at Sea Pines if you have the time.  It's east of the sand dunes with great views of Morro rock, which you can enjoy while looking for any lost balls hit out of bounds on the third hole.

If you have any room for dinner that night, I recommend a small local place at Scotty's Bar & Grill in downtown Pismo Beach.  Their food is great, especially all their sandwiches, followed by a much-needed walk downtown after dinner to work off all the food intake over the weekend.  If you've been to Pismo Beach, let me know your favorite stop in town.