Favorite Central Coast Town: Avila!
For our anniversary week celebration, we hopped a bit around the Central Coast. We began in Paso Robles where I was playing music for a wedding, spent three nights in Pismo, made plenty of visits into San Luis Obispo, and then ended our time at Avila Beach.
For central coast shopping, no place can beat SLO, but for charming little beach town, Avila takes the grand prize. This place is fantastic for so many reasons:
- The weather: It is always the warmest beach along the coast. We were in sweatshirts and jeans in Pismo, then tanks and shorts in Avila.
- Avila Landing: Toward the end of the main pier, you can walk down a metal stair landing and get level with the water beneath the pier. It is pretty neat.
- Sea Life: The far pier is the hang-out for sea lions, seals, and even otters, as well as your usual beach animals. I seriously become a child when I see sea animals. I mean, little furry otters playing in the ocean?! Come on!
- The beach: It's clean. Need I say more? And the town: Adorable!
- The food: It's a small town, and it shuts down at sundown (seriously), but they make up for it in ice cream and candy (did you know that one of the three Reimer's is there?), as well as a couple of really great restaurants.
- And finally...Avila La Fonda. Read on!
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| Sea otters having fun, sea lions lounging, and a crab! |
We stayed at Hotel Avila La Fonda whose goal is to provide you with the warmth and charm Avila Beach brings in a hotel form. They are all about hospitality, and I love that! Upon arrival, we found in our room a bottle of champagne in honor of our anniversary and a huge basket of tasty treats--drinks, cookies, snacks, chocolates, local yummies. We hardly made a dent in our basket of fun over the three days we were there. Downstairs in their "pantry" they sell a plethora of food items at or below cost. A quarter could get you a Coke!
The Avila charm continues throughout the day in the form of food. They've learned that you get to the heart through the stomach.
- 6:00-10:00 (That means 9:45 for us) - Chocolate-filled croissants brought in from a SLO bakery, Starbucks coffee, and fresh-squeezed orange juice.
- 12:00-2:00 - Nacho Bar! Chips, salsas, cheeses, guacamole, with Coronitas and fresh-fruit margaritas on the side.
- 5:00-6:30 - Wine and hor-de-veurs, which really was more of a mini-dinner: pastas, breads, dips, cheeses.
- 8:00 - 9:00 - Freshly baked fruit pies from Avila Valley Barn and coffee
- Midnight - Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and milk!
Yeah, we pretty much planned our life around the above times. On our way out (which may or may not have included tears), they gave us a parting gift of a Spanish tile, which is in our room to remind us to go back as soon as possible!
A great celebration in a great little town!
man I am so jealous! quit these awesome posts that make me want to travel (and turn back time to when I did not have children)!!! sounds like you had a lovely trip...no wonder you can't wait to go back :)
ReplyDeleteThe title makes me laugh. I told someone you guys were going to the coast for your anniversary and said I do not know why they are going to Pismo, Avila is so much more them. : ) I do not remember who I was speaking with, someone local who knows the coast. She said, really? they are Avila types? and I said oh, yeah. And I have no idea what that means or why I said it. : ) Makes me laugh. I was right though. : ) This looks like a place Jerry and I should try.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures! I definitely want to visit, it looks amazing there! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun getaway! The town looks gorgeous, and that inn sounds FABULOUS.
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